The Columbus journal., 1910-04-20
DIGGING to Find the Tomb Of Solomon

deep in stone clippings that the quar-.
ried blocks were dressed and shaped,
% that they were fitted into their
places in the temple without sound Of
hammer or saw - the Biblical record
describes. Often, it i said, when large
companies Of tourists bring together in
Jerusalem . number Of the fraternity,
Masonic meetings are held in . certain
deep chamber of the quarries. It Is
suggestive, in connection with the re-
building Of the Temple Of Solomon by
the Free Masons that extraordinary
interest has been shown within the last
few months in these quarries, deecrip.
tons and representations of them
appearing in many of the periodicals
Of the United States and England. and
even in India.
1t does not appear, however, that
there is any idea Of rebuilding the
Temple Of Solomon ON itsoriginal site,
for reasons which will be referred to
presently. The plan seems. If the
search for the tombs of the Kings Oi
Judah and the temple treasures is sue.
csssfal, to contemplate the building Of
the temple just to the south of the old
temple inclosure where, by an Trade Of
the Tarkish government, the option Of
purchasing . considerable amount
Of ground where once rose the city Of
David and the Royal House Of Solo.
mon, and where bis body WAS given
sepulchre, has been secured.
The imposibility of rebuilding the
Temple Of Solomon on its original site
10 at once recognized when it is consid.
cred that to do 20 would entail the
destruction Of the Mosque of Omar, q
most costly building. of exquisite pro.
portions and details AN ediiice con.
sidered BY many the most beautiful in
the world. Next to the Mosque at
Mecca It u the most sacred shrine Of
the Mohammedans. Not only the
Turkish government, but more than
200 million devotees of the Moslem
world would wage . holy war rather
than surrender their holy place to the
unbeliever. What al Europe, in the
time Of the crusades, could not accom-.
plish could hardly be composed by
the Masonic fraternity today.
In this connection it IL interesting to
recall that all the power and wealth
Of the 8 million Jews in the world,
with their strong, national, deathless
devotion to this temple site, have only
suficed, through all the centuries since
the destruction Of their polity and tenn
pie, to secure for them the tolerance of
standing At their wailing place ON the
outside Of the old wall Of the temple
Enclosure, ~ their Sabbath draws on,
that they may lean their foreheads
against the great stones that have
remained there since the time Of Sol.
ONION, and vet them with their tears As
they chant their dirges for their de.
parted glory and breathe out their
prayers for its restoration.
To rebuild the Temple of Solomon
on anything like the scale Of its pris-
tine magni6cenoe would require not
only amazing millions Of money, but
years of time. No building, of either
ancient or modern times, is comparable
to it, and to few other buildings in the
world does 20 great human interest
attach. Some time the Christian or
the Jew will rebuild the great temple
on . scale Of great magni6cence, pos
sibly rivaling that Of the Temple Of
Solomon or Herod, and, if the tombs
Of the Kings Of Judah are located, and,
especially, If the temple treasures and
furniture are found, that time will
doubtless be fastened and the spot
furnish IN interest not inferior to the