Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-06-27
JERUSALEM NOW
OCCUPIES LARGE
PLACE IN WAR


National Geographic Society, with
headquarters in this city, in its daily
statement concerning the geography of
the European war. says of Jerusalem:
"The progress of the British cam
paign in SYRIA is bringing English
troops Close to the walls Of Jerusalem,
and brings the possibility that another
race may write its name in the long
list of those who have held possession
OF the Holy City whose history, cover
ing. as authenticated, nearly thirty-five
centuries, has recorded so many
changes of sovereignty, in which the
Israe1ite, the Assyrian, the Persian, the
Egyptian, the Roman, the Greek, the
Moslem. and the Frank have had their
place Jew, Christian and Ottoman
have In turn played the part of besieg-
ed and besieger; and it is now exactly
four centuries since the old walls were
last threatened, for it was in 15l7 that
the Egyptian Sultans were driven out
by the Ottoman Turks, who then cap
tured the CITY. It is doubtful if any
city of like or even comparative i'm
..pcrtance has passed the period since
the invention of gunpowder Q354) amid
such immunity from the roar of hos
tile guns.
1.-THE defence of the city, designed
of course for earlier methods OF war
fare. comprise the ancient walls, a ser
les three in number, and none, it is
evident, capable of resistance to mod
ern weapons. The last of these de-
fences, constructed by Agrippa about
ten wears after the Crucifxion, is hard
w better defined than either of its pre-
decessors; and none of them can afford
more than a strategic line to De
trengthened by earthworks for the en-
placement of howitzers or other heavy
guns. if it be assumed that the Turks
possess such weapons and have them at
hand.
geographically, however, Jerusa-
lem should be capable of being put IN
TO condition for prolonged defence. the
city possesses five notable hills with
in it's limits, it is surrounded on every
hand by fairly deep valleys, the most
noteworthy being the Valley of Kedron
which lies between the city precincts
and the Mount of Olives, lying to the
east. and from which descends the road
to Bethany.
1.-THE heights of the Mount of olives
only slightly exceed in elevation those
OF the five hills within the city, the
highest of which is Mount Zion, stand
ing at 1929 feet above the sea level and
overlapping the surrounding valley OF
Hinnon by exactly five hundred feet,
while Mount Moriah, little farther to
the east, rises nearly three hundred
feet above the valley of Jehoshaphat.
THE most practical of all the en-
deavors to modernize and ameliorate
tie conditions of life in Jerusalem are
those projected and financed under the
leadership of philanthropic American
Nathan Straus, whose enterprises en-
braced not only the establishment OF
beneficient charities but also under
took the development Of industrial &C
tivity suitable to the environment
Modern Jerusalem lies substan-
tally within the lines of the old walls
though an extra-mural community has
been developed in which are to be
found the homes of the more affluent
of the citys population, the foreign
consulates, the more important OF the
monasteries, schools and hotels.
Neither here nor within the walls, can
modern conditions of city life be found
due chiefly, of course, to the TACT that
Jerusalem is without any natural water
supply, the principal dependence in TINS
regard being upon the rainfall which is
husbanded in cisterns, the number Oh
which for private use have increased SO
greatly that the public pools are LETT
with but scant supply and are used only
in case of necessity by the poorest OF
the people.
Railway connection is had with the
seaport of Jaffa, but there are none but
the most primitive of means OF COM
Iunication within the town, where only
a few streets are suitable for wheeled
Iconveyances of any kind. The popula-
ltion is about $4,000, the majority OF
whom are Jews, while the Moslems
and the Christians of various sects
number about 5000 in each group
There is little love lost among the
4 - 10 Jsl1