Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-13
MODERN PLANS
FOR JERUSALEM
One is for a Tunnel to Pass Be
meath it From Sea
to Sea.


among industrial nations and ancient
Jerusalem may become humming mart
OF modern trade, If projects in contem-
platlon are realized. One such project
IS that of building tunnel from the
Dead Sea TO the Mediterranean, passing
under Jerusalem, which would utilize
the variation in levels to provide water
power for stations along the way. A
second suggestion is to build new
industrial zone about Jerusalem while
the ancient city is preserved intact.
In this connection the National Geo
graphic Society has issued, from ITS
Washington headquarters, the following
announcement based ON communica-
tin to the society by John ID. Whiting:
The present day villages are located,
as n rule either on the top OF hills,
originally for protection, or near some
spring or source of water. Many are
built upon the foundations whose origin
dates back thousands of years. There
docs not exist a single example OF n
peasant village that has been founded
in modern times.
MANY have pictured Mary and
Joseph. after arriving at the "inn" at
Bethlehem, and finding no room, being
forced 10 turn into some barn built OF
timber with lofty roof hay mows, wooden
managers and stalls for cattle and sheep.
such n stable has been the subject
of many medieval and modern artists,
but II does not present really true PIC
ture. Let us consider the old-style
village home that is most common IN the
districts around Jerusalem and Bethle-
hem. for that will give us better idea
of what happened on that first Christmas
day.
a A reanr N
countries Of the Orient, farmers live
close together for protection and not
on their lands: therefore, in the villages
there are no open fields or gardens, but
house is next to house. except for the
small walled-in Enclosures or sheepfolds
through which one generally passes IN
Qolng INTO n dwelling.
''rhe house itself consists of one large
Dom. usually square The walls from
three 10 four feet thick, are built OF blocks
OF stone roughly dressed and laid IN
mortar. rooted over with dome, also
of stone. The outside of this roof IS COW
cred with a coating of mortar made OF clay,
which. on being pressed with q small
stone roller or pounded with board,
becomes hard and compact enough to
shed the rain.
a steep outside staircase. unpro-
tcctcd by any railing. is builtup TO the
ROOT. for the surface must be repaired
AT tunes The fiat. open space of the
roof also forms a handy placs on which
"a dry figs and ralslns, and during the
hot weather the family may sleep there
at night
Entering the door, we find that about
two-thirds of the space Is devoted TO
raised masonry platform, some eight
10 ten feet above the ground and sup
4 81
spacr. called el mastabv, is the part occu-
pied hv the family. while the lower part
- used for the cattle and flocks. A few
narrow stone steps lead up TO the mastaby
and a couple Of small windows pierce the
wall high up from the ground. These, as
a rule. are the only means of admitting
light and furnishing ventilation to the
entire house.
"On one side is an open fireplace,
with a chimney running through the
wall and terminating on the roof often
in an old water jar whose bottom has
been Knocked out, and SO becomes
sort Of smokestack. Many houses have
no chimneys at all; small holes through
the wall. or the windows, furnish the
only exit for the smoke which on Winter
davs fairly fills the house.
The furniture Is very simple
cr,delv decorated bridal chest. straw
mat. or heavy woven wooden rug, which
covers part Of the floor, and mattresses
with thick quilts and hard pillows, which
al night are spread on the floor. The
cooking utens is are few in number-one
clay cooking pot, couple of large woode
bowls in which to knead the dough and
couple of smaller ones used to eat from.
Having Inspected the dwelling por-
,ion. which at once is kitchen, storeroom,
bed room and living room, we descend
the steps INTO what the natives call
the stable.
Below the mastaby, or raised plat
form. Just described among arches so
low that a man can scarcely walk erect
are the Winter quarters OF the goats
and sheep To shut the fiocks in, these
arched entrances arc obstructed with
bundles of brush used as frewood for
the winter. The rest of the floor space,
which is open to the ceiling, is devoted
10 the few work cattle and perhaps a
donkey or camel. Around the wall are
primitive mangers for the cattle built
Of rough slabs of stone placed on edge and
plastered UP with mortar.
often the owner makes small raised
place on which he sleeps at night to keep
better watch over the newly born lambs.
lest in the crowded quarters some get
crushed or trodden down by the older
ones Here he often sleeps by preference
on a cold night, for he SAYS the breath of the
a. qals keeps him warm"