The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1910-09-14
MAILING PLACES
At JERUSALEM
Where the Jews and Rus
slams Congregate
ARE VERY INTERESTING SPOTS
A Strange and Solemn Sight
AS the National GriefS
Are Compared.
SEEMS IN THE AIR

Jerusalem is interesting as no 9TH
er city is interesting, and that quality
of it increases its grip upon you day
by day, waking up the intellect, stir
ring the faculties to an almost untir-
ing activity-an activity that per-
haps becomes feverish at the fever
ish time of Easter. In Jerusalem
surely the most sleepy mind must
wake, the most phlegmatic temper
ament be whipped to a strong alert
ness. Conflict seems in the ARA
turmoil proceeding rather from the
souls than from the bodies of men.
By their great wall the Jews wall
day after day They weep for vanish
ed power, vanished glory, a posses
sion taken from them. But there is
much less to weep for in the city
whose name means foundation or
habitation of peace, where Moslems
keep the gate of the Holy Sepulcher,
and Turkish soldiers with loaded
muskets hold in check the furious
passions of Christians.
From the Russians who weep in
Gethsemane one may go down into
the city to the Jews who weep in
their wailing place. 1t is strange and
interesting to compare the two griefs.
Nothing in the Holy Land touched
me so much as the simple faith, the
deep reverence, the heartfelt love and
sorrow, of the Russian pilgrims. To-
tally free from self-cOnsciousness.
like children, they show all the feel
ings of their hearts. In all the holy
places they kiss the ground. Where
every they think the Savior suffered
or was sad, they weep to-day, men
and women alike. The Jews are
prouder, are more self-conscious; yet
every time l visited their wailing-
place l felt that their grief, too, in
its different, less touching way, was
often genuine.
The wailing-place is a rather mar
row paved alley between white
washed wall and a gigantic ancient
wall formed of huge blocks of unce-
mented stone, worn away, so 1t is
said, by kissing lips. Weeds sprOut
in places in the numerous crevices
and cracks. In the alley are wooden
benches. The Jews, both men and
women, go there not only on Fridays,
but on all the days of the week.
Standing in rows close to the great
wall, with their faces upon Hebrew
books OF prayer, they murmur the
words aloud, weep, bow, sometimes
almost to the earth, and often press
their lips fervently against the blocks
of stone. The women wear shawls
and keep by themselves at the ends
Of the alley. The men cluster in the
middle. Behind these mourners a
blind Moslem, conducted by a Jew,
often goes to and fro, demanding
aims from the Onlookers. The wailing
place is in the TyrOpeon Valley, and
the great wall is at the west side Of
the temple area. Whereas the Rus
sian PILGRIMS never even glance at
those who watch their tears-such at
least is my experience of them-the
Jews are often obviously aware of
the interest their mourning creates.
have seen them peer furtively round
to take observations, and return to
their lamentations with what SEEM
ed a greater zest, when they knew
the eyes of strangers were upon
them. Nevertheless, many of them
really weep. pray with earnestness
and rock themselves to anu fro as If
genuinely tormented. But the Jew
is by nature acutely aware of the
things and people about him, but the
Russian peasant is not.-tFrom Rob
ert Hichen's Jerusalem" in August
Century.