El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-22

I our steps through a caravan of cam
| els lying there climb a road which
leads up the slope of Mount Zion.
! There is a moat at the foot of the
tower which is 100 feet wide and 80
! feet deep, and the wall rises perhaps
! 100 feet above this. There are olive
! trees between the road and the walls
I and as we go we see ragged dnnkeys
| feeding among them. Now We have
| passed the moat and come close TO the
wall. Its lower portions are about
1000 years DID, but the stones are as
/ firm as when they were laid The up
| per layers are of square and oblOng
blocks. They were repaired centuries
| since, and are laid in white mortar
Going onward. We pass tower after
tower running Is or 20 feet out from
! the wall and rising five or six feet
above it, The walls are thick. and
| the towers were probably used for the
| archers and Watchmen stationed there
on the outlook for the enemy.
The American Cemetery.
A little beyond David's tower, almost
| hugging the walls is great church
| belonging to the Germans. 1t is stin
| in process of construction and when
| completed it will command a view over
| the whole Of Jerusalem. The site was
! given to the kaiser Of Germany by the
L. a
! part of the churchyard is the American
! cemetery, which was sold by our con-
| sui. 1t is now filled with barrels of
! building materials and lime and NOR,
! tar cover the excavations where Amer
! lean Christians once lay. The selling
| of the cemetery caused great excite
ment among the Americans at Jerusa-
| lem, and the American colony here
protested against the removal of their
~
! dark. The bodies were taken up and
carried to the English cemetery
Continuing the ride on our donkeys
we hug the wall looking down into the
valley of Hinnom until we come to
Zion gate, and a little farther on to
the Dung gate, below which in the val
ley of Jehosophat lies the pool of ST.
, loan, where Christ cured the blind
man by applying moist clay to his
eyes AT the Zion gate a group of lep-
ers are begging. They are ragged and
filthy and they hold out the stumps
of their hands asking for aims. 1t
was on the inside of this gate that the
house of Caiphas stood, where Peter
three times denied that he was one of
the disciples of Christ, whereupon the
cock crowed.
Gardens of Jehosophat
We see chickens scratching in the
earth outside the wall as we go by and |
as We look at the gardens on the slopes |
of tKedron or Jehosophat observe that |
the land is still rich There are cows
away down in the valley and the bees |
are buzzing on the cacti and wild flow |
ers on the. slopes. The Holy Land is |
still one of milk and honey. The viii /
lagos, near Jerusalem have dairies |
which supply excellent butter and the
honey, which is largely made of or
ange blossoms, is delicious. 1t is
served every day at all the hotels. and
is usually in the liquid form rather
than the comb.
The slopes of the valley. of Jehoso-
PLAT are now spotted with red Thou
sands OF peoples and anemones grow
upon the ridges between the gardens,
and the peasants are working the
crops. They use plentyof fertilizer, |
and, strange to say, the most of that
which comes from the city is taken out
through the Dung gate. 1t may be from
this that it had its name. 1t is a great
square hole in the wall just large
enough for men and beasts to pass in
and out 1t is not far from the temple
platform and within a stones throw
of the Jews waiting place
The Foundation of S0lOmon's Temple /
The southeastern corner of the walls
OF Jerusalem and, indeed, large por-
ton of the eastern walls are a part of
the plateau upon which Solomon's tenn
pie once stood. In almost the middle
Of the eastern side of the temple is
what is known as the Golden gate
1t has been walled up and the Moham-
medans say it will not be opened until
the judgment day. little farther on.
at the corner of the temple, is ST Ste
phenS gate, which some suppose was
the place where ST Stephen was stoned.
Another legend is that the place Of the
stoning was near the Grotto of Jere-
miah, in Solomon's quarters, farther
along around the walls. The tradition
is that Stephen was here brought to
the brow Of the hill and thrown over n
precipice. His hands were tied and
after falling heavy blocks of stone
were rolled down upon him from the
brow of the hill
The walls near the temple are among
the first that were built. They are in
1lne condition today, parts of them hav-
ing been recently repaired. The stones
are of bright yellow limestone laid in ]
white mortar. Those at the bottom. ,
which were laid up by Solomon, are of :
enormous size, one being about so feet {
long and about Is feet high and evil
IDENTIFY cut from the bed rock upon {
which the wall stands II
Right.at the temple the walls rise al {
most precipitously from the valley of ,
Jehosophat, and 1 judge they are 100 s
feet high. The walls are in excellent :
condition throughout. The towers are 7
almost perfect, and, although the veg
citation is growing in the cracks, the
most of the wall looks comparatively S
new.
The Pillar of Judgment.
A curious feature CT the walls of
Jerusalem is a stone block as big
around as a flour barrel which extends 5
cut from that part above which the
temple stands to a distance of perhaps |
10 feet This block or pillar hangs
right over the rocky valley of Jehoso- {
PLAT with the Mount of Olives rising |
Up its opposite side. According to the !
belief of the Mohammedans, it will be l
upon this pillar that Mahomet will sit c
at the day of judgment and Christ will
have His seat on the opposite side of