The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-01-01

ing down in it to get back bucket he hau
dropped, noticed a door which led him into q
wonderful garden, where he picked lea1. No
one of his acquaintance to whom he showed
it had ever seen its like and, since 1t did not
wither, all agreed that it must be OF ceestlaA
origin hypothesis absolutely incontr0vertlDle
because the secret door could not be found again.
1t had disappeared completely as the entrance
to the tombs of the Kings of judah, Accidentally
lighted upon, as Benjamin Of Tudela informs us
by stone masons and carpenters employed IN
snoring the foundations of the temples and pal
aces that successfully rose and were RACED on
the site of Melchizedeks hill fortress.
The northern part of the sacred inclosure =
occupied by the Jami' al-Aqsa, or Distant House
of Prayer with its superb pulpit, one of the finest
pieces of woodwork extant 1t was carved by
celebrated sculptor of Aleppo at the charge of Sui
tan Nuraddn, and was placed in its present p0-
sition by Sultan Saladin when, after his capture
of Jerusalem, the Christian church became a
Mahommedan mosque. This event could not 0c-
cur of course, without being duly announced by
signs and wonders. In numerous churches OF
Europe the crucifixes shed tears of blood and
monk of Argenteu the moon descend to
earth with weeping countenance Truly, the city
reverted again. to the Christians by the treaty OF
February 49, 1929, concluded between Saladh's
nephew Ma1ik al-Kamil and the Emperor Fred
erick H. Dut after the departure of that brilliant
if unscrupuleds,s monarch, the Kharezmians wan
,.dered West and prepared the way for Turkish
trule of the holy. places.
The Distant House of Prayer-in popular par
lance the Palace of Solomon-was assigned to the
protection of the aristocratic brotherhood nsti-
tuted in 111S to protect pilgrims to the holy
paces and to fight the battles Of Christianity
Since the edfce situated in the temple
ground1 the members of that brotherhood became
known as Knights Templars The order ceased
to exist in 1914 when it's grand master, Jacques
de Molay, was burned at the stake. With MS
last breath he summoned the two puissant enc
mics who had compassed his fall, to follow and
face him before Gods tribunal, as they did
King Philip the Fair of France within three and
Pope Clement within twelve months. The same
year. 1914 brought the revival of another BROTH
erhood closely associated with the history of Pal
estine-the Knights HOspltalers, originally the
Brothers of st. John 1t was founded just before
the first crusade by certain Gerald Of Arnaf
on the lines of an earlier order, the members Of
which served as ministrants to the comfort Of
lepers and pilgrims in distress. under the patron
age Of ST. Lazarus. This order of the Hospital
Of St John at Jerusalem. to write out its full
name, later known as the Order Of the Knights
of Rhodes and as the Order of the Knights Of
Malta, is still very much alive In of its off
shoots In the East it counts descendants OF the
Sultan Saladin among its pensioners. and also In
the West it takes an active part in relief work.
During the great war, 1t supported at Etaples.
Between Boulogne and Montreuil large hut hos
pitak where many Of those wounded in the Ger
man drives toward Amiens and the channel ports
and In General Foch's decisive counter-offensive.
were cared for.