El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-12-03

L
be cheated out Of your eye teeth,
~ come to Jerusalem. It's bazars
are filled with tricksters and traders,
and it has it's usurers and money
changers as in the days Of the Savior.
The people prey upon the pilgrims
and tourists. Their main object is TO
get gain, and they work the holiness
of the Holy City for all it is worth,
They sell candles which If burnt in
the Church Of the Sepulcher will carry
away your sins in their smoke; and
rosaries upon which If you count your
PRAYERS you may be sure Of their as
cending TO heaven.
The Jesuit and the Befh1ehemftc.
The rosary business is one or the
chief Of Jerusalem The beads are cut
out in great quantities at Bethlehem
and are shipped abroad by the MIL
lions. They are sent to the Holy City
for sale, and there are some stores
which have nothing else except per-
hans cruciffxes and collection plates.
The merchants who sell rosaries are
often great rascals, and I know one,
Bethlehenite, who has just received
lesson which he is not likely soon to
forget The mans rosary store is stu
ated down Christian street, not far
from the place where you turn IN 70
the Church Of the Holy Sepulcher. HIS
lesson came from q Jesuit priest who
lives in Chicago, and who is just now
starting home. The holy father had
some into the shop to buy some rosa
ries to cary back to his friends he
had picked out a half dozen beautiful
ones. and had paid the price without
bargaining AS the shopkeeper
wrapped up his purchase, he looked at
him out of the tail OF his eye and saw
him slip the rosaries he had selected
under the counter and put some cheap
er ones in their place The Jesuit
said nothing, but he took up several
beautiful carvings representing the
crucifixion and ascension, each OF
which was worth about twice the
amount of the rosaries he had picked
out Handing these to the man, he
told him to wrap them in paper, and
upon this being done he took both par
GELS and started out Of the store. The
Bethlehemite ran after him, and told
him he had not paid for the carvings.
The father eplied:
MY friend, saw you change those
rosaries and give me the cheaper ones,
and you may consider this a Judgment
of God upon you for cheating. I shall
keep these carvings and IL you do not
Immediately return to your store will
report you to the Mohammedan courts
The man saw he was caught and let
the priest go.
The Candle Sellers.
Another large business is the Selling
of candles Jerusalem is full Of
shrines, and the pilgrims buy candles
to burn at the holy places. They set
them up at the score or more sacred
spots in the Church of the Holy Sepul-
cher and at the stations along the Via
DoIorosa where Christ walked on his
way to Golgotha They carry them
to the Mount of Olives and to the
Garden of Gethsemane. Some buy sew
eral candles for each shrine, and the
richer purchase those of enormous size
and of many colors. Some Of the can
dies are of the size Of your finger
and others are as big as a mans leg.
I have told you of the one as large
around as a flour barrel which was
held at the customs house in Jaffa and
found to be filled with dynamite
bombs That was sent by some Of the
among the priests Of the
Holy Sepu1cher who hoped to blow
their enemies, now in charge, out OF
existence, and did not care how many
others they murdered.
I have been in Jerusalem at Easter
time and have seen the miracle of the
Holy Fire as performed by the Greeks.
It is at that season that the chief
candle selling goes on. The pilgrims
who are here by the tens of thousands
buy great punches of candles to take
into the church, and light them from
the fire They can be then blown out
and If lighted again at the affairs at
home will preserve them from harm.
and I am not sure but that they be-
lieve they will take them to heaven.
This holy fire is supposed to have
come down from heaven and to blaze
inside the chapel of the Holy Sepul-
cher. where is supposed to be the tomb
In which our Savior was laid There
are holes in the walls of the sepulcher
and the candles are thrust through
them to one of the Greek priests, who
stands within. He lights them and
then passes them out From these
lights other candles are lighted and
within q few moments after the fire
appears the thousands of pilgrims in
the church have their candles ignited. I,
As soon as they get the light they
rush forth holding their hands around
the blaze, endeavoring to carry the
burning candles to their homes in Je- !
rusalem-
The Bazaars and Their Caves
But come with me for a walk /
through the bazaars of Jerusalem We |
are. in a network Of vaulted tunnels, |