Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1910-03-25

1t is half dramatic, but, taken all
together it is wholly interesting to
move with caravan Of the Christian
world toward the earthly city Of Da-
vid for the keeping of the solemn
feast Of Easter. For when the light
Of spring is calling out the destinies Of
song in ripple of leaf, and throat Of
bird, and in the longings Of the hui
man heart, Easter glows across a
world proclaiming that some Jeru-
salem, -abode of peace arises for
ever through the mists of distance on
the horizon of human aspiration.
Jaffa is the port of Palestine where
the pilgrims land. whose goal is the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and
the facade of the Holy Fire" Jaffa,
Oldest among old cities of the world.
to whose shores the Greek sent Its
Perseus, whose harbor has seen the
Pharaohs of Egypt. the brave Macca-
bee, the shadow that shook from the
fist OF Saladin, the curve Of Coeur de
kion's lips. the CLINT on Baldwin's
crown, and the great light in the
eyes of Saint Louis, king, as he bore,
barefooted through the town, the
crown of thorns to his ship-this old.
old Jaffa. fez-shaped town set on
hill. looks desolate and presents
nothing interesting. But the valley
is bright with pomegranates and olive
groves. The sky is baptized with
beauty, and those long bands Of burn
ing fire that thread the Mediterranean
of there. seem like dawn streaks OF
fhe holy fire which these souls have
come to seek - this Kaleidoscope
crowd jostllng its way on, and elb9Gy
ing its way ont. and surging stiIl for
ward through Jaffa's long, narrow
street: Armenian. Syrian, Greek. Cop
tic, Latin. Russian, Abyssinian pill
grims who are bound to Jerusalem in
these signal days Of the Christian
year,
Their garments flutter like flame
between little Jaffas dark rugged
walls; crimsons and dark reds OF
Russian garments; the curious, gam
boge colored caftans worn by the Ar
menian peasants; the Syrian yellows.
the dull blues of the Abyssinian's
cloak; the poor. shredbare brown OF
the Coptic's raiment, and the broad
cloth of the rich Israelite who also is
in the throng pressing forward to
keep his Passover in Jerusalem.
Through the rich shadows of
thought your pilgrim path leads on
through spaces of sun in the valley
gardens around this little Jaffa. You
pass by hundreds of Persian water
wheels, cracking like the shading of
the Nile valley. 1t Is the month Of
April. and the Jaifa gardens are en-
chanting. The perfume Of orange,
lemon. apricot is an Araby. of altar.
Seven miles OF blossom--and beyond
stretch the plains Of Laron, mem
toned in the Bible, extending along
the sea from GAIA to Mount Carmel
on the north. 1t is a vast and i'm
presslYe outlook. Across the undu- |
lations OF plain the crystal simmer
OF the mirage fits. Afar, squad of |
Arab horsemen, outlines itself on the
burning haze. On the northeast rise
the mountains around Samaria. At
Rama, the ancient Arimathea, we
pass an old convent.
Farther on. beyond the sheen Of |
the cascade that forms through the
valley of jeremiah. is the little town
of Naplous, the Neopolis of Herod. |
From this point vegetation disappears
completely. You leave behind the
palm gardens and the tawny orange
trees. the white houses and gypsy |
sheds. A two hours ride through a
mountainous, desolate looking coun-
try brings the pilgrim to an open spot
where long line of wall surmounted
by scattered towers comes suddenly
into view, A shout shivers down the
long file of pilgrims, followed by a
profound silence:
JERUSALEM
The prelude to the first sight of
the Holy City is the cry of twenty
ages for the manifest God The
Mosque of Omar tops the sacred hill,
but the face OF Gods Son crowns Je-
rusalem forever. Your own heart
beats answer back to the heart beats
of that Man who walked the streets
of there, Through those highways
thread the surging longings of earth,
dashing themselves now against
now against Mahomet, now
against the bleak wall Of unbelief,
now against the varied foam on the
seas Of the soul that forever must lift
white hands of prayer. And as you
stand and look toward those narrow !