The Monticellonian., 1918-01-11

A FTER being in the undisputed "A control of the Moslems for 613 "A years, Jerusalem once again has come into the possession of the Christians. the Crescent has fallen and the Cross has replaced it. The decisive event of this ninth crusade, /" made by the British forces under Gen. aTat Ailenby was the capture of Jaffa, tsa chief port of Palestine.
 JRffa, which is also written Yafa and Ioppa, and which is supposed to have 1een named the city beautiful, as its Hebrew name implies. has a history 90 ancient that its foundation and it's early history are entirely lost in the nists Of the past, writes Joseph Jack son In the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
 It 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 it as Ethiopia, later it was Canaan, and finally Palestine.
 It has been ruled by Phoenicians, by Greeks. by Egyptian Pharaohs, by As syrian kings, by the Romans, the Sara cens, the Jews, the Arab ealiphs 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 besleged and taken by every newcomer for the last forty centuries who has made the attempt on Jerusalem. but despite the fact that 1t often has been the scene of hostiIities and that more than once its bloek-naved 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 it's 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 Pharaehs of Egypt for time included this ancient land in their em- pire, during the reigns of Thothmes III and Amenhotep, say from about 160O to 1400 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. It 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 ItlSu LII puNihf Nhth NiN came into their own.
 During the time of Solomon. Jaffa played an important part, for it was there that tue precious woods and met l als which were brought from afar te 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 l from afar entered Palestine at Jaffs 1 and were transported overland to tht hills on which the Holy City lies where his great edifice was erected.
 When the Ten Tribes revolted Jafff regained its independence, which hat been denied 1t for centuries, but this freedom was scarcely enjoyed before Rammanicar III, the king of Assyria fell upon it and once more it felt ths yoke of foreign authority.
 If it were renowned for no othe event. Jaffa must always be famed al the port from which Jonah sailed wheI he tried 10 hide from the Lord anC attempted to neglect Be Lords busi ness.