Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-11-04

dragoman. With an occasional ~
eeption he is q very ignorant man.
although able to converse in
limited manner in four or six Languages.
ne Is brought up hearing many tongues
ana easily. acquires the use Of those he
aeeus IN his business. Besides the
Arabic, the native language, most Of them
ma !. convenient to speak English, Ger
man, French, and Russian, as the bulk Of
their employment is with people who use
'nose tongues. Many OF them present a
good appearance and are more or less
gentiemanly in their department. They
easily become familiar, and are quick to
learn those they can take advantage of.
Inc only wise thing to do is to make
tnem severely keep their places, They
know little of their beaten tracks or mt
side their glibly repeated stories taught
oy the priests or passed down from father
TO son in the business. The visitor win be
Obliged to follow and listen to the story
whether it has the Greek, Latin. Arme-
MAN, Jewish, Moslem or some other HAS
according to the religious faith of the mar
ticular guide employed. Your Bmdeker
Is right in saying that while they are
found useful in the crooked Oriental
streets, they are ''nothing more than
valets-de- place..
IL Is amusing to the sojourner in Jerusa-
lem, who has made study OF the place
and who has heard the stories of all these
innocent, ignorant and prejudiced con-
ductors to read booklet, magazine or
newspaper article just of the American
press written by tourist recently re-
turned from the Holy City, who has spent
few hours with one OF them and who
passes the more or less incredible story he
hears. on to his friends and the public.
The late successful Snowman, Mr..
Barnum, is reputed to have said that
Americans liked to be fooled. We know
that some OF them have fine knack OF
passing the joke on to others.
In answer to some recent inquiries, I
may say briefly that Jerusalem is a city of
Palestine, SYRIA part OF Turkey in Asia
and that it forms one OF the political d.
visions OF the Ottoman Empire. The Arab
calls 1t lei Kuds. 1t is an independent
Sanjak with Mitessrrif appointed by the
Sublime Porte, and local mayor OF the
city. There are two councils, called re-
spectively the city and executive. In
these councils are found seated represent
tatives OF all the more important religious
beliefs - the Greeks, the Latins, Protest.
ants, Armenians, and Jews, as well as the
Moslems.
There are two regiments quartered In
the city, one at the tower of Antonio, and
the other at the tower of David, so-called.
There are number OF interesting foreign
communities in and about the city.
Many nations support consuls. Some OF
the consulates are magnificent structures,
but the American is rented building, a
poor and cheap affair compared with most
of the others.
There are all kinds of shops, many
banks, good physicians, and the visitor
may inquire for his mail at the German,
French, Italian, Russian or Austrian post
offices as we'll as the Turkish. The city
stands on two promontories, although the
valley separating them is filed up with
debris, surrounded by valleys and hills.
1t is 1900 feet above the level of the Medi-
terranean sea and $500 feet above the
level OF the Dead or Salt sea, which, by
the way, is the deepest indentation on the
earth's surface, being 800 feet below the
level OF the ocean.
The traveller who takes proper care of
himself need have no more fear from So
journ in Jerusalem than in any other city
of the near East. The Holy City is be-
coming more and more one .of the most
important study centres of the world.