Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-05-27
A. c. BAKER VISITS
HOMEOF EMPEROR
Visit the Scene Where the Jews
Made Their Last Stand Against
the Roman General Titus.
SOLOMON'S GREAT TEMPLE
PLACE OF GREAT INTEREST
Visit the Stables of Solomon Where
Three Thousand Horses Were
Stabbed. Hewn Out of Solid
Rock.

Getting a private guide and team
we are first driven to the tombs of
the kings. These tombs, just outside
i the wall, on the north, are hewn
in solid rock and are supposed to at
one time protected the remains Of
the kings of Judea, but they have
long since been desecrated and moth
ing but the bare rock shelves re-
mains to tell the story of these proud
kings.
We drive around the wall, past
the Damascus gate, across the valley
of Jehosaphat, up the encline and
stop and view from this the highest
point in the city. Those walls when
were they built-three hundred and
seventy-five years ago only-at the
point where we stand the Jews made
their last stand against the Roman
general Titus. Here he put to
slaughter such number that Jose
phus writes that the valley Of Je-
hosaphat run red with their blood,
the walls were leveled and thirty
thousand of the strongest men taken
to Rome, prisoners, to build the
coliseum there We drive on little
farther and we are at the beautiful
home of Emperor William. Then on
and up little and we are at the
Mount, of Olives. 1t would require
book to describe all so 1 pass over
with only the most important spot.
Over this spot is built Greek chap
! ell We enter, before us are kneeling
kissing, caressing a stone in which
has been chisseled footprint; this
they describe as the stone on which
Christ alighted after the resurrec-
ton. We pass out under husk
fruit tree from which we gather some
leaves and fruit that resembles the
pod of our locust, (this being the
food the prodigal son lived on). We
now drive back over our road to the
/ Damascus gate where we enter. First
go to the quaries of Solomon; these
I.ouaries are an Immense cavern under
the city; the stone white chalky
stone and it is said Soloman cut all
his stone in this quarry that no ham,
mer should be heard in the work OF
erecting his temple. All our masons
brought to their respective lodge
gavel made from this stone. Next
we walk to the wailing place of the
Jew. Here we saw them reading
from the Talmud and with tears
streaming down their faces mourn
ing that they were not allowed to
enter the holy of holies. This wall
where they wall is the nearest point
they are allowed by the Mahomedans
to get where the arc OF the cove
nant once stood; this wall is the old
wall once the outside of this most
holy spot to them.
| From here we follow the route
where Christ is said to have carried
the cross. Here we are shown the
spot where He fell and in putting out
His hand to save Himself made
hand mark in the stone wall. Earth
ter on where He fell, the cross making
la hole in the stone wall, and again
you see them kissing 1t, it Is this
way until you reach mount Zion.
At Mount Zion, here we see the
same wailing and kissing we have
witnessed at the Mount of Olives;
space will not admit Of description.
I'VE return through lions gate ana
up to our hotel.
My guide, an educated Arab, led
me again inside the wans. This
time through the Jaffa gate and di-
rect through the dirty street to the
Mosque of Omar. Outside this
Mosque are spacious grounds all paw
ed with very large flag stones. We
are on the site of Solomon's great
temple; beneath us are his stables
of which we will later describe. We
pass on to the door of the great
MasQue, a retinue of boys rush at us
with bay slippers to cover our desse1
Grating leather shoes. AS these boys
| fight to see who will get the bakshe
we look in. Before us is a very large
open room; we enter and are inside
that Mosque built by Sutton Omar
about $50 years after Christ, on the
site of Solomon's great temple. The
original temple had been entirely
destroyed; the only remnants left
| Continued on last page)