The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-02-25
By Denman s. Wagstaff, P. M. (From "The Trestle Board" Jan uary. 1918)

On Tuesday, December the Elev- enth, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventeen, General Allenby en- tered the ancient city of Jerusalem at the head of the victorious Brit. ish army. He came, verily, not as a proud conQuerOr. but as 8 meek and humble Christian warrior-on foot-at the head of a reverential cavalcade of Knights, with uncov- cred heads and marching silently. with measured tread. Their trap pings of war, matched not unkindly the occasion and surroundings. Not unkindly. but indeed modestly. did they form setting, or rather did they complete this momentous pie ture of power and peace. As Christ did once modestly enter the city, SO came they, bearing tidings of great joy. bearing tidings of saliva tion. Western civilization had gained entrance through the gates. whence a few hours before, eastern degra- dation had slunk away! Had passed into the far beyond, before the dawn of day! Jerusalem. while we hear much of 1t as a probable Jewish mecca, when all the world has turn ed it's back upon the chosen people. Is essentially a Christian landmark The old Jerusalem, while ostensibly still a Jewish city, although a Roman possession. turned its back upon Christ, rejected Him, and harried the Roman governor Pontius Pilate until he ordered Him crucified unto death. Jesus was a Jew and as an exemplar did more to aid his gen eration than did all of his race be- side. He did more for Jerusalem and Palestine. The recitation of the evils His countrymcn did toward Him, in return for His gospel. has shed more light upon and given more prominence to the place of his birth than any act or series of historic triumphs ever credited to the Jews of ancient times. Jerusa- lem. because of Christ, became the magnet that represented. in tn, hopes and dreams of all chi al. ic Knights, prize worthy the steel of the worlds crusaders. It is in lhis period of history that We are most interested.
 Jeru2al- m as a city had an event full existence. Some one seemed al ways trying to capture it. About fourteen hundred years before the Christian era it was subject to Egypt Then it became a colony of tho Jebusites, from whom it was in turn captured by David Following David, came Solomon, his son. who ascend ed the throne and gave to Jerusa- lem it's wonderful temple and other stately edifices, and put the city and the whole of Palestine upon the map of nations, as one of the most distinguished countries of the East. Being a remarkable man, King Solomon proved hard leader to follow. Under his successor, ten whole tribes, composing the most useful and near the most influen- tial people of the realm, revolted. and so weakened the governmental structure that its glories faded and it passed into various hands from time to time by conquest, until 588 B. C.. when Nebuchadnezzar de- stroyed the city, and took all of the surviving inhabitants as prison CTS to Babylon. After seventy years of captivity, King Cyrus set them free and allowed them to return to Jerusalem. After a short period of prosperity they were again made captive and taken to Alexandria The tide again turned and they were again enabled to return to Jerusalem about the year 165 B. C. Then the
 whole country became tributary to Rome, although governed in wea sure by Jewish sovereigns, until the coming of Christ. Then about 70 A. D. matters took another turn for the worse ,and the Romans took ab solute possession and even forbade the Jews to approach the city on pain of death. Not again. until the .ourth century, did 1t rise. and then under the fostering care of Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, surnamed the Great, who had been converted to Christianity. This Ro- man occupation lasted until about 636 A. D., when the Mohammedan Arabs took it and were soon su. ceeded by the "beastly" Turk. In 1899 A. D. the Christian Crusaders took it by storm. and it remained a Christian monarchy until 1187 A. D., when it was retakon by the Turks under Sultan Saladin; and.
 until a month or more ago. the Crescent foatcd over its mixed pop
 l'ation of Mohammcdans. Armenian Ih.is tian3 and Jews.
 I ot uc for a momant confamDlata