Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-11-26

yERUsALEM.-- want to take you
this morning to the summit OF
h!ount Morinh ana SHOW you the
81 site of sclumon's temple. 1t is on
tl:s same spot where Abraham. at the
command Of the Lord, was about to
sacrifice his only son, Isaac, when nc
was told to deslst and shown tile ram
whose horns were canSnt III the
thicket behind him 1, is tile place
where the wisdom OF the hoy Christ
astonishcd the wise men; where David,
Solomon and Elijah wore in tho haeit
of praying. and where. according to
the Mohatnmedans. the blast OF the
trumpet will sound forth ut the day OF
Judgment. The site is sacred 10 both
Christians and Moslcms,and II may ha
called the hottest on the face Of the
globe
The biologists gay that. Mount Mo
rieh Is one OF the two ODD PARTS OF
the world, the other btinS Moaat
Sinai. upon which Moses received ne
commandment FhrE pr"&e ms y
the rocks. SAYING that when the Np'lu
was thrown on by the alin ard !ipai
cd about in its nybuious steto thrnh"li
the air the parts wncn FIRST solidiiIsu
were the summit Of sinai and the rock
which now studs inside tiiE mosque
on the top ot MnTilh This is also q
Jewish superstition, the statement be-
ing that as the Lore say the aoiid
earth rising ont OF chaos he blessed
these two spots and said,
"They shall be great In The history
OF the human race, which shan
create. and upon ono of them shall! my
holy city be butt"
WHERE SOLOMON RUILT his
TEMPLE.
Mount Moriah Is on the eastern edge
OF Jerusaler proper. 1t is just opposite
the Mount of olives and above the
Garden OF Cc,hSamanc across the val
ley of Jehosophat, The wall Of the ciiy
runs around its slope and its top Is Il
plateau containinE 81 acres or about
one-scventh OF the whole OF Jerusalem
inside the Wills. Tie walls partially
bound this plateau and IN them at the
northeast corner Of II liz the gate
through which St stephen went when
he was stoned to death by the Jews.
on the opposite side of the plateau
and far down below 1t. is the Jews
wailing place. and hugg!ng 1t on tho |
west south ana norIll are the box
shaped liracs=one houses which form
the greater part OF Jerusalem.
In going 10 it We leave our hotel on |
David street through II horde of pill |
yrims of all colors, races ana sexes. |
we pass the Church of the Holy |
SerulchcI- go through bazaar where !
men and women sitting on the ground |
are selling bracelets and beads from |
Hebron, past candle slops whose |
wares are To be burnt at the tomb of |
our Savior, and on through vaulted |
tunnel-like street which was once the |
cotton bazaar, but which now sells
everything else. At tho end OF this |
tunnel we ascend stairway and find |
ourselves on the plateau now devoted |
to the mosque OF Omar. but formerly |
the site of the temple Of Solomon.
IN stoLOMoN'S STABLES.
The plateau of the temple rises in |
terraces. We first enter that which |
was known, as tho court of the Cen |
tiles, and was open to Jew and Gentle |
alike. From this we go up to the court |
of the Israelites and then to tho court |
of the priests which is now under the |
great mosque of Omar. 1t was in the |
latter court that the open-air altar |
for burnt offerings stood on. In fact,
the very rock upon which Abraham
tied Isaac when he was about to burn
him, obcying the Lord.
Before we examine the plateau IT.
self ] want to take you down UNDER |
ground. There are sold to have been J
seven Jei-usalams which have been |
built and destroyed and rebuilt again. |
The Holy City has Il subterranean
region, many parts of which have been
eXcavated. exposing wonderful ruins. |
Right under the tomple platform is q
catncomb Of great tanks. and the walls
are said to go down many feet. There
are steps at one place. and descend
Ing them wa como into a wilderness
Of vaults. whose roofs are upheld by
pillars and arches OF stone. Some of
the stone blocks are of enormous size.
have measured one which Is eight
feet wide and fifteen feet high. These
stones are beautifully laid. They are
closely Joined and show mechanical
ingenuity in their construction, The
pillars are about four feet square,
and some of them have holes bored
through the corners. 1t Is claimed
that the vaults werc constructed by
Solomon for his stables, and that the
holes in the columns We're the tying
places for the horses. In some of tho
vaults are stone managers which the
guides claim We're used long ago. 9th
crs say that this stable story Is a ne
ton, and that the excavations were
made In erecting the temple and the
great columns put up to sustain its
platform. But, however that may be,
the architecture is wonderful, and 1t
should be considered so now. There
are altogether n hundred or more
vaults. and the mighty stones which
wall them are so heavy that 1t would
be impossible to handle them at the
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