Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-10
THE WILLY~NICKY LETTERS
Doubts Authenticity Of sepu1cher

Doubts Authenticity OF sepulcheE
MY personal feeling in leaving the
Holy City was that felt profoundly
ashamed before the Moslems and that
if I had come there without any re-
ligion at all certainly would have
turned Maalommedan!-
The way religion Is under
stood in Jerusalem. it will never
lead to the conversion Of a sin
gle Moslem, or the growth of a sin
gle tree or the digging of a single
new well. am afraid that religion
in Jerusalem is often used by the
clergies as q cover for political de-
vices and designs and that is very
wrong and does Christianity q very
great harm as the Moslems have long
ago perceived this and treat US ac-
cordingly. I return home with feel
ings of great disillusion and with tho
firm convictions that our Savior's
grave quite certainly is not beneath
(holy sepulcher), which in it's appear
ance and decoration compares very
badly with the Mosque Of Omar in the
simple and awe inspiring grandeur!
Alas! The most interesting and fin
est town from the Oriental point Of
view Is no doubt Damascus. Beirut
with its lovely villas, gardens and
glades reminding one more Of town
in the south Of Italy or in Sicily. The
Holy Land is simply terrible in it's
arid dryness and utter want Of trees
and water. But here everything is
changed as If by magic! The great
River Barader gives life and GOODNESS
and fosters vegetation Of the finest
description. The town is situated in
the midst Of vast gardens and shady
glades all watered by small rivulets
giving them the aspect-when seen
from above-of a large fasanarie of
the circumference of two square
miles! The quiet lovely courtyards
with their Arabian masonry, their
shady hooks and murmuring foun-
tains with fresh water in marble ba-
sins, are simply unique, like in a
dreami You would be delighted to
be here as you understand so much
about the East! Our reception here
is simply astounding. never has a
n-Giaur-monarch been so
feted and received with such I'M
bounded enthusiasm. 1t is because I
am friend Of their sultan and calf
and because I always pursued an
open and loyal policy toward him;
the same I so often advocated for
you, too.
France Disappoints the Kaiser
THE hatred Of the English is
intense-no wonder-whilst in the
same time apace with it grows the
open contempt Of France, which has
lost all the respect it once possessed
Of old! That is the unavoidable con-
sequence of the terrible quagmire the
French are now Laundering about in
their interior affairs, splashing the
dirt right and left till the whole Of
Europe reeks with the stencil! Show
ing how far the corruption, lying and
dishonour has already gained in the
nation and before all the army! Here
people look upon them as on a dying
nation, especially since the last and
most tgnominous retreat Of the
French from Fashoda! What on earth
has possessed them? After such a
first rate we'll arranged and plucky
expedition of poor and brave Mar
chand? They were in a first rate po-
sitton and able to help US others all
in Africa who are sorely in need of
strong help! The news here has come
like a thunderbolt on the eastern peo-
pie, nobody would believe them! At
all events if it is true, what the pa
pers say, that Count Mouravioff coun-
seled France to take this foolish step
he WAS singularlY and eXcentionallv