The Washington herald., 1915-01-31

other side Of the city. each crowned
pices. As I looked 1 thought OF the
myriads who had sighed and died to
see those storied hills and wales, and
memory recalled Abraham Llncoln's last
recorded words as he sat in the thea
ter box, within the shadow Of death, and
said to his wife: There is no other place
in the world I should so much like to
It is thirty centuries and more since
David founded his city, and In the long
course of those cycles Jew and PhiIs-
tine, Egyptian and Arab, Babylontan and
Greek, Syrian and Roman, Persian, Sara
cen and Frank have all fought at the
blood-drenched gates.
Jerusalem has fallen often, but always
to rise again, because Its roots are deep
in the hearts Of men, Today II Is not
only the Holy City OF the Jew, but OF all
the numberless sects of Christendom
as well, to the Moslems. it Is second only
to Mecca, and on the hill Of Solomon's
temple they worship in the beautiful
The Jews have been carried on into
distant captivity and again for centuries
they were forbidden the gates OF the city.
But a racial instinct ever has drawn
only 1900 or 1000 Of them IN Jerusalem
seventy years ago they now form far
more than half the nearly 10000 popu-
lation within and without the walls.
Hundreds of thousands OF Christians
died to rescue from the Moslem the 20
acres of parched and stony earth which
is Jerusalem: The wars OF the Crusades
failed; the Sultan Of Turkey holds the
deed of the Church OF the Sepulchre and
the custodian squats on his rug at its
portals thumbing his Koran. Yet many
more worshipers Of Christ than Of Ma
salem.
Some scientists raise cool doubts about
the authenticity Of nearly all the
shrines and the traditions behind them
and no less than three Calvaries are
pointed out. But for fifty generations
he few yards OF earth on which the
Church Of the Sepulchre stands has been
revered by hundreds Of millions Of men
as the scene of the crucifixion and burial
of Jesus. And thither through the ages
thousands have gone, each carrying his
be rolled away from the tomb Of His
imprisoned spirit. They at least have
hallowed it
The Jew never enters the Mosque Of
Omar for fear Of treading on the holy
of holies. But on the eve of each of his
Sabbaths he leans against the old gray
and prays for the restoration Of the glory
of Zion.
with Jew and Christian and MosIem
alike. Jerusalem Is not place Of stone
and mortar-not a question OF archaeol-
Yet the ideal forever awaits its reaIiza-
tion and Jerusalem remains q battle
ground Of creeds and sects and races,
the scene Of the bitterest strife.
The Christmas wireless.
Now this war Of nations, in its evil
ramifcations. has spread to the walls of
Jerusalem, and the Germans have set
up a wireless tower on the Mount OF
Olives. beside the unchanging path trod
by Jesus In His coming and going be-
tween Bethany and Jerusalem and Just
above the blooming flowers In the Garden
Of Gethsemane. Only five miles away sits
the little town Of Bethlehem, the humble
birthplace of Him whom Jerusalem cur
cified because He came not as a warrior
against the Romans and declared that
His kingdom was not of this world.
And out of the old church OF Bethlehem.
with its Turkish garrison and its Turkish
soldier standing guard by the star in the
manger, out OF the crowded town and in
the pretty countryside, where the noun
tains Of Moab meet the eastern horizon
lies the Field Of the Shepherds. There
q wireless message flashed across the sky
the first Christmas night carrying the
promise Of peace on earth"
After nineteen centuries that promise II
Knocked by the clash Of faiths In Jeru-
salem and by the wireless tower on the
Mount Of Olives. Nevertheless, like the
IDEAL Jerusalem this ideal has outlived
wars and warning kingdoms and remains
to guide mankind through all its striv-
ings ana stumblings. toward the goal
Cop5Tight. sis. b. James A0unl