Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-05-27
A. C. BAKER VISITS
HOME OF EMPEROR
Continued from first page)

are d le" SoluluuS THAT lHey nave
built in to preserve. The interior
has a pleasing Moorish finish, its
glass of mellow shades, but it is not
that which interests us most In
the center surrounded by protection
is that famous rock of which all bible
students nave read. Here standing a
number of feet above the level is a
rock-this was the threshing floor of
Oran the Jebusite, and at this place
it was that Abraham brought his son
Isaac and was raising his hand to
Stay him as an offering to the Lord
when his hand was stayed. On this
rock was kept that sacred Arc of the
Covenant. This spot was considered
the most sacred spot of the Israelite.
Our guide gets permission and we
pass down stair hewn in the rock
and into a grotto hewn beneath this
rock; here are related to us much
of the Hebrew rites of church, here
the Israelite fell down and worshiped
that. creator of ALL
rest on those beautiful mosaic designs
in the dome of the Mosque. One is
entranced with it's beauty but one
must see with his own eyes to ap-
Ipreciate it We saw none of the kis-
| sing stunts here. Before we entered
we saw the Mahomedan washing his
| feet and hands that he might enter
before the Lord, clean. Surely this
! is one tenet of their religion that
might be inserted to good advantage
in other places of worship we visited
We pass on to the great Mahome-
of the finest mosques ever built, is
just adjoining the mosque of Omar.
In it we are pointed out a number
of columns taken from Solomon's
temple. On these originally were
large figures carved, but the Mahome-
dan religion allows no craven image
and they have been chisseled to des-
troy any resemblance to any figure.
4 From. here we cross the grounds
of the Mosque of Omar, and entering
stairway hewn in the rock, are in
the stables of Solomon. These won
rock, covering over two acres are
singular feature of Solomon's work.
They are about twenty feet high;
the pillars are of the original rock
not removed; in the corners or these
pillars is drilled a hole for hitching.
There are three thousand of these
holes Indicating that there was
! housed here three thousand horses
The stables are under the court and
yards to the temple.
From here we go to the Pool c.
| Bethesda and then on through the
filthy street to the church of the Holy
Sepulcher.
AS we pass through these streets
NdH uCSSilpc " you tuio LiooI Suii-
Gus city. The present walls are
about two and a half miles in circum-
ference. 1t has seven gates; one of
these gates has been closed with ma
sonry. This gate is called the golden
gate and the superstition of the Ma
homedan makes him feel that if
that gate is closed the city can never
fall into other hands. The streets are
narrow and filthy, many of them so
narrow that one can nearly reach
out and touch each side at the same
time; in many places they are arched
over, looking like a tunnel with an
occasional opening to let in light. The
houses are usually two stories above
ground and about the same below
hewn in the rock. These rooms are
filthy in the extreme. Pass through
this market with me. Here on the
bare dirt street lie a pile of bread
adjoining a lot Of figs in an old cloth,
next pile Of candy; all these things
literally covered with flies; up here
are vegetables, at the front garlicks
and onions; in fact these two have
almost full sway-a few squash and
you have seen 1t all. Here is the
shepherd with his goats leading them
into each house, where after milking
what is desired, goes on to the next
customer. (This is the way of fur
nishing milk all over southern Eur
ope) We will so to our next stop
ping place, the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher. This is often spoken of
as Catholic, by others as Greek, but
it is a neutral church, built where
it was supposed that Christ's chief
event of his last hour was passed,
though now this is denied by those
that have made thorough study of
location. We enter, under the dome
stands the Holy Sepulcher, of oblong
form about ten by fifteen feet; in
front of us are Greeks, Catholics and
4