The New York herald., 1921-12-25

! rooted stone building, partly cut out.
think, in the natural rock of which this
limestone country abounds.
'It was crowded with men and boys
asleep among the animals. The OK
and the ass were patiently munching.
A number of camels knelt upon the
ground chewing the cud-I wonder
| for the first time why camels are
never represented in Nativity pictures
but only in those of the Epiphany
and a single lantern threw a dim light
on the scene. The managers in which
the animals were eating-such as had
mangers-were built into the wall,
and made a space something like a
niche for statue. 1t seems strange
that no one has painted this kind Of
manger in a picture Of the Nativity,
because it is decoratively so suitable
for the setting Of principal figure.
Suddenly I realized the significance
of the scene. 1t was on such a night
and in such place that Christ was
born. Nearly two thousand years in
the unchanging East have made no
difference in external things. The
Church of the Nativity stands like a
fortress on the hillside, eloquent of
Divine Power; this dimly lighted cara
van stable spoke of the Divine HUI
mility."
Still on the subject of Bethlehem.
4 he writes: 1.-The landscape of Bethle-
hem is in itself parable. Christ was
born where the wilderness gives place
to life. The desert shall rejoice, and
blossom as the rose. 1t shall blossom
abundantly, and rejoice even with Joy
and singing"
From Bethlehem Mr. Maxwell went
into the Wilderness and Miss Slattery
went down to Jericho"
Have you ever visualized Isaiah's
simile?' asks the former. 1.-The voice
of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert highway for
our God?' had thought, and ] be-
lieve most people think, of some neg
lected and sandy waste, something
like the Sahara. perhaps. overgrown
with scrub. But the force of the illus
tration becomes ten times stronger
when you realize what the word desert
and wilderness can mean in these
Judean hills. The hyperbole is ter
rife; the voice echoing through saw
age defiles and vast spaces of i'm
measurable waste-unanswered and
unheard: the making of a highway
out of these blind paths and pre-
cipitous descents where there is
scarcely a foothold for a goat-the
miracle of the conversion of this place
to make the crooked straight, and the
rough places plain"
Mr.. Maxwell passed through the
wilderness to the Dead Sea cleft and
wound up his pilgrimage in the Gar
den While this writer frequently
criticizes the markings In and about
Jerusalem he also furnishes rebuttal
for much general skepticism. He de
fends the story of Lots wife turning
to salt as follows: During this fear
full storm the salt marshes across
which Lot and his family were fleeing
would be white with driving dust and
salt. To-day can be seen encrusted
objects, and there are many pillars OF
salt, and the fact of Lots wife, turn
ing to meet the storm. being suffo
Gated and overwhelmed Is a perfectly
natural occurrence and not at all, as
many have tried to show thing that
needs an effort to believe"
dream of a ladder going up to heaven
had foundation in fact, the fact being
a mountain with formations resem-
bling steps. The story concerning
Elijah's eight mile run 70 Jezreel be-
fore Ahab's chariot is also explained
as follows: &c. through this gap
the wind pours with extraordinary
fury. From the fact that il was over
the sea that Elijah's servant saw the
cloud like mans hand rise UP we
may assume that the storm came
from the West. Then. taking into ac-
count the flowing nature Of an East
ern garment, even though tho prophet
girded up his loins, it is not difficult
to imagine the scene. The heaven
was black with clouds and wind and
the old man borne along before the
whirlng. driving tempest would make
so wonderful figure that all who saw
him would recount that the hand OF
the Lord was upon him as he ran be-
fore Ahab to the entrance of JezreoL"
This author discusses suggestivcly
4 the possible site of the crucifixion in
the chapter entitled the Tomb In the
Garden" The discussion is illustrated
by drawings and diagrams which help
much 20 clarity the subject. Indeed.
all the authors sketches and paint
ings. done in Palestine. convey no in
considerable amount of the atmos-
phere Of the country described on the
accompanying pages.
How did it look. that bit OF land
scape outside the walls of old Jeru-
salem2" he asks. How did IL look.
dark Golgotha, with it's gaunt gibbets
blackening the blood streaked sky as
twilight fell on the first Good F'riday7
Now in the place where He was cru
Gifted there was garden How did
it look, that fair green garden--para-
disc regained--in the clear dawn light
of the first Easter day?"
Mr. Maxwells. book is one OF the