The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-01-12

COullOl u lLb N1OolCLho lOA .
~ years, Jerusalem once again
n has come into the possession of
the Christians, the Crescent has fallen
and the Cross has replaced 1t. The
decisive event of this ninth crusade"
made by the British forces under Cen
eral Allenby, was the capture Of Jaffa,
the chief port of Palestine.
Jaffa, which Is also written Yafa and
Joppa, and which is supposed to have
been named the city beautiful, as its
Hebrew name implies, has a history
so ancient that its foundation and its
early history are entirely lost in the
mists of the past, writes Joseph Jack
son in the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
1t is linked with the legends of Ho-
mer, with the commerce of the Phoeni-
clans, with the mythology Of the
Greeks as we'll as with the story Of the
New and Old Testaments. Lying so
close to Jerusalem, and for many years
the real port Of entry to that inland
city, it has in recent years established
a very modern reputation for business,
which has nothing to do with its sto-
ried past.
Even the country in which the old
city is situated has had its name
changed many times. The Greeks long
before the time of Christ alluded to
1t as Ethiopia, later it was Canaan, and
finally Palestine.
1t has been ruled by Phoenicians, by
Greeks, by Egyptian Pharaohs, by AS
syrian kings, by the Romans, the Sara
Gems, the Jews, the Arab caliphs and
the Turks, to say nothing of the tenn
porary occupation by Christian emper-
ors from Germany, France and Eng
land.
The city of Jaffa has been besieged
and taken by every newcomer For the
last forty centuries who has made the
attempt on Jerusalem, but despite the
fact that it often has been the scene
of hostilities and that more than once
it's blOck-paved streets have run with
human blood, and that once, at least,
it was almost destroyed by an earth
quake, the town never has ceased to
be beautiful, with its hills surround
ing it to the southwest covered with
fruit trees, and with its own quaint
stone buildings, churches and mosques.
Was Held by the Pharaohs.
The Pharaohs of Egypt for a time
included this ancient land in their en-
pire, during the relgns of Thothmes III
md Amenhotep, say from about 1900
to 400 B. c., although the Egyptian
occupation seems to have lasted for
quite three centuries.
On the porch on the great temple at
Karnak there has been discovered ref
erences to the town of Ja-pu, and else
where in the land of Egypt there is a
reference to Ya-pu, both being inter.
preted to mean Jaffa. 1t appears to
have been the Promised Land of bibli'
cal times, and when this was distrib'
uted under Joshua, the country border
ing the Mediterranean, in which Jaffa
lies, was awarded to the tribe of Dan
But the territory continued in the pos
session of the Philistines until the
reign of David, when the 1sraelites
came into their OWL.
During the time of Solomon, Jaffs
played an important part, for it was
there that the precious woods and met
ais which were brought from afar tC
make his temple the wonder of the
world were unloaded from the puny
vessels that piled the Mediterranean
All of the materials that were brought
from afar entered Palestine at Jafff
and were transported overland to the
hills on which the Holy City lies
where his great edihce vas erected.
When the Ten Tribes revolted Jafft
! regained its independence, which ha(
! been denied 1t for centuries, but thil
freedom was scarcely enjoyed before
Rammanicar III, the king Of Assyria
! fell upon 1t and once more it felt tn,
! yoke of foreign authority.
If 1t were renowned for no othel
event, Jaffa must always be famed a
the port from which Jonah sailed wheI
! he tried to hide from the Lord ant
attempted to neglect the Lords bust
, ness.
The town was once fired by the Ro
man governor of Syria, and its destruc
ton, invited by the insurrection of tn
Jews, caused many of the latter to re
. sort to thievery, piracy and brigandage
More than 5000 Of them had been pu
to the sword, and the remainder be
came outlaws.
Mecca for Pilgrims.
. Vespasian put a stop to this sort o
t thing by attacking a band of tn
{ thieves, and massacring more thal
: 1000 of them. Then he built a for
: and around this a new city sprang VI
Later for the first time Jaffa becam