The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-15

W. PRETTY
swallowed in the beauties OF nature.
The scenery is that OF old Greece. and
the stars shine gioriousiy cut of skies
which arc perfectly clear.
The sunsets are INCREASINGLY beauti-
ful. saw ono the other night in
which the slivcry beams of the sun
seemed to form a halo over this the
home OF our saviour. There were many
white clouds in the sky, which changed.
first TO rose and then become golden.
the color growing stronger and strong.
or. until the whole west was one blaze
Of molten copper and fire.
Among tho Na1crcnc..
Coming DOWN into the town. after
watching one of these sunsets. / saw
many Nazarene CHILDREN and stopped
10 make notes. The little ones gather
ed around me. and 1t was not hard
10 imagine similar crowds which play
cd IN these streets nineteen hundred
years since and o! whom the boy Jesus
was one. The little Nazarencs wore
gowns of brown. red or yellow. The
most of them were In their bare feet;
the boys had caps OF red felt. while the
girls wore h~andkerchicfs or shawls
tied around their heads. All were
running and dancing and laughing and
playing. Some were beautiful and es-
p~eciaily the girls. remember a rosy
checked baby which was carried by a
rouShish briRht-cyed maid OF eighteen.
] admired the baby. and chucked i,
nndc: the chin, telling tho girl / would
like TO a k II home with me to
\ mrFiCl She irnpnnt1I. SaIjw ,an1r
nave 1t, and thrust IL out toward me.
My face fell and I ran.
In tic F'oOtsfepts OF Jesus.
There Is no doubt but that this is
The Nazareth OF Jesus, and that the
hills and valleys about here were hal
lowed by His footsteps. 1t was here
that the Angel Gabriel appeared unto
Mary and told her that she would be
the mother of Jesus. and ii was here
that she came with Joseph after the
Hight into EGYPT. She waited only
King IIerod was dead, and then came
to Nazareth. the child Jesus being still
an infant In arms. II was from Naza-
reth that Jesus went to the Jordan TO
be baptized by John. and it was here
that after Iie had begun His work our
Lord came and preached in the syna-
ogl whcreupon the Naxarcncs cried
out:
is not this Joseph's son? And
they were filled with wrath. and rose
up and thrust Him out OF the city and
led Him unto the brow OF the hill
whereon their city was built that they
might cast Him down headlong. But.
He passing through the midst OF them
went Ills way
I was shown the hill 10 which the
NZarenes led the Saviour. intending
To cast Him down. 1t is. about q mile
and q half from town. The exact
oylff NJ NJ No. 80. T. -.-&-
toned.
There is another spot in Nazareth.
now owned by the Hoinan Catholics.
which claims to be the original slte
of the shop where Joseph worked as q
carpenter. The place is in the Moham-,
medan quarter, not far from q bazaar
where the Turkish merchant sit cross
legged and sell to the Christians. When
] visited it'll met Father kersttng. who
came here about three years ago. and
is now experimenting some cNcaYa-
lions. Which are being made. He has
a number of Arabs working under him
digging up an old church Which was
built there by the Crusaders.
Where Joseph Worked.
They have just uncovered n Srotto
which Father kersting tells me is un-
doubtcdly the place where Joseph had
his carpenter shop. and where, IL so.
the littlo Christ must have played
among the shavings.' took n photo
graph Of the excavations.
The various scots here make all sorts.
of claims The Latlns allcGc that they
own the table upon. which Christ dincd
with His disciples both before and
after tho resurrection. 1T Is a block
OF hard chalk eleven feet long and
nine feet In breadth. In another place
in the Latin monastery is what is
known as the Angels Chapel and the
Chanel OF the Annunciation, whore the
Virgin received Gabriel's message.
There is also an old cistern which is
called the Kitchen of the Virgin. and
in tho centre of the town Is Mary,s
Well. or. as il it is sometimes called,
Jesus Spring. or GabriePs Spring.
This Is undoubtedly authentic, for il is
the only spring or watering place that
Nazareth now possesses or ever has
possessed. IT is, therefore. certain that
the child Jesus and the Virginia fire.
uucntcd 1t, and that Mary. came hero
daily for water. This is a fountain
rather Than a well. The water gushcs
forth in two streams into a stone
basin. and from there flows into n
stone-inclosed pool. There are always
women with water Jars about It, and
the scenes of to-day are probably the
same as they were in. Christs time.
In the Bnznnrs.
Nazareth has thousands OF pilgrims
who come here every year to visit the
places hallowed blythe Saviour, and 1t
is also on tho ,ail line from the noun
| tnins of Lebanon to Jerusalem. Cara