The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-26
CHRISTIANITY WITH A K
(Philadelphia Public Ledger.)

A late cable describing the advance
of the British encircling movement
about Jerusalem states that the Ger
man "hospitai' which crowned the
Mount OF Olives has been discovered
TO be a fortress mounting guns that
command the whole region. III this
is correct. 1t only justifies the lively
suspicious of every one in Jerusalem
when this fortress hospital was In
course Of construction. The Mount
lof Olives Is n ridge which faces Jeru-
salem across the Valley of the Kid
ron and is slightly higher than the
eminence which bore the temple rs
we'll as the neighboriug bin now gen
orally regarded as the real site OF
Mount Zion. The Russians long ago
constructed a group OF buildings or
the edge OF the ridge nearest TO the
city which were then thought by many
TO possess military significance. AT
all events. IL is the belief IN Jerusa-
lem that Britain protested 10 the
Porte. But these Russian buildings
were only OF ordinary strength and
surrounded by a low stone wall
| The Germans-who suddenly plung-
ed Jerusalem into building boom
after the visit Of the kaiser 10 the
sacred city-pianted one Of their new
est point OF the Mount Of Olives,
where 1t commanded not only the city
scs ose the valley but also the Rus
/ sian Enclosure on it's lower elevation.
ARD this was not all. The walls Of
this new structure-uominaily a hos
pita were OF amazing thickness. The
native Arabs who were employed to
! build them were tremendously dis
Quilted. and the English and French
colonies in Jerusalem shared their
sharp uneasiness. Gun empla cements
were reported to have been prepared
ut strategic points and then covered
with earth 1t was pointed out W
military men that these walls would
not only resist rife Are quite easily.
but would prove fair protection
against any guns likely to be landed at
the precarious port OF jaffa and
brought against them.
| Nor was this the whole story. The
Germans had recently built or were
building three other very strong stone
structures in or about Jerusalem; IN
fact, they were doing about all the
building in progress In this dead city
q few years before the var These
three other buildings were each plant
cd at vital strategic points, One--a
religious institutions esta hnshed on
FL site chosen by the kaiser himself
right outside OF Damascus gaze Here
ii commands the main road from
/ Jerusalem to the north. It is a for
midahle- looking building Of style
OF architecture which lends itself to
} bnstions and bulwards, The second
Il the stone Protestant German church
right In the center OF the city and
near the revered Church of the Holy
lSenuichre. The third Is a group Of
i buildings. including hosptcs and 2
church on the hill which medievsI
tradition regarded a ~~ount Zion, This
) is the southern apex OF the hilly
plateau on which Jerusalem stands
and commands the point where ths
two valleys Of tho Kidron ard Of Hin
nom Join These buildings, con,uih
ed all the routes of the Jordan valley
4 Were all these structures German
fortresses. csmoufaged as religion,
u edtfices? II so, we must learn I,
t spell German Christianity with
* as we have German kulture, $.
as to distinguish It from q religion
which would hardly have consented t,
mask military preparations with eithe
the Red Cross OF the hospital or tn.
q sacred cross of the church