Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1913-12-25

h'Nt CITY ana
tho stable which IA shown AZ the
birthplace Of the Savior IA oppos,,e
saloon under a great church
where the different eects Of Chris.
uans fight over the right to pray in
certain places. One part OF the
opilding IL controlled by the Ar
menians. another by the Greeks.
and three are Mohammedans on
hand to keep the woruhippers I'm or
der. They fight a. TO the right 20
take care OF the birthplace Of Jesus,
ana not song aao a controversy
arose ne 10 the right to clean one
Of the windows. Both the Armen-
ians and Greeks we're quarreling
over Il. when the Mohammedan gov
ernmcna came in and forbade either
sect touching a.. Therefore that
window IA unwashed to thia day.
The stable IL under the church.
You reach II by n winding staircase.
and going down come into cave
about ~ feet wide and forty feet
long This room h florred with
marble. and 32 lamps burn day aud
night within II. There u a star ut
In the marble pavement. and there
u an inscription over a. stating that
on thai apot the Virgin Mary gave
birth TO Christ. This star In held
down by nails. About n year ago
the Armenian who had the right 60
clean II was working away when he
knocked off the head OF one OF she
nails Thia caused a great commo-
ton. Tho Greeks. Iatins and Ar
meniana began 10 fight over n. and
tho governor of Jerusalem. to eettio
tho dispute. called IN blacksmith
to drin out the old nail and put IN
a new one. The blacksmith was
Latin. and the Greeks and Aiinen-
lana would not let him 10 to work
because they did not want any La
tin marking the birthplace Of the
savior In order TO settle the trou-
bio the governor called IN a gypsy.
who had no religious standing what
ever. and he replaced the nail with
out opposition.
While In this grotto under the
church tried In vain 10 imagine
the scenes OF christ's birth The
decorations we're out OF All keeping
with the place. and the warning
Christians prevented ANY rcvorcnt
thought, Besides. there was a mar
bic floor. tho decorated walls and
tho lamps. got a better kea b.
going into some OF the actual sta
bloe which are In use In Palestine
today. and which are Just about the
sane now az they were 1909 years
ago. remember one such stable
near Jerusalem. II was cave.
with floor OF rough stone. The
cave was divided into chambers or
stalls which opened into sort OF
a court. and In these chambers were
donkeys. oamels and horses. There
we're men and women sleeping on
the lioons OF the courts. With the
animals eating out OF their stone
boxes or managers about them. The
people had no bedclohting except
their blankets. and they ate their
meals on the floor Il WA on such
a floor that Mary had TO lie. be-
cause there was no room al the Inn.
and the Manager In which the baby
Christ lay was probably a followed
out stone box, such as those In
which the donkeyR were eating
Within THE stable VIA a Bedouin
woman with sleeping baby on her
knee. she had just been feeding
the child and her breast peeped out
between the folds OF her coarse
rough gown. Her arms were bare
to the shoulders and there we're
bracelets upon her wrists. Her face
was as sweet as thai OF any madon-
ma | have ever seen upon canvas
and her baby. still In lts swaddling
clothes. looked as pure and as limo
cent ms the most famous representa-
ton OF Christ.
Il was In a stable like that that
the Wise Men kneh and presented
their gifts IL was three that the
shepherds were led by the star, aud
II was there that our Redeemer first
saw the light OF this world
Bethlehem was so small that
must have been difficult 10 hide the
infant when the command was given
by Herod 20 search for Him. and II
ds no wonder that Joseph and Mary
took the Holy Child and fled with
him 20 Egypt
The most OF the pictures painted
in illustration OF this journey repre-
sens Mary with the child In her
arms, on donkey, with Joseph
walking beside a. This. In all prob
ability, was the method OF travel
They must have taken the road TO
Hebron and paased near the cave OF
Machpeaiah. where Abraham and
Sarah. Isaac and Rebekah. and ia