Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-01-28

1851. We now go up stairs and
cross an Armenian section of the
church where their carpet Is turned
back SO 1t will be preserved, or so
Greeks or Romans won't walk on 1t
OR something! We enter the Ro-
man Catholic church Of St. Cathar-
inc, built, understand, by Emperor
Francis Joseph OF Austria in 1887.
Below we enter the cave "of the
holy innocents" and the chapel of
st. Joseph away down in the rock.
This is the chapel of St Jerome, who
translated the scripture mere in the
fourth century, giving the Roman
church its priceless version called
the Vulgate. The tomb Of Jerome
who died A. D. 420 is shown in one
of these rock cayerns away below
the level Of the church floor. We
went back again into the crypt of
the nativity and observed a wor-
shipping woman who kissed the star
in the floor about six tiraes and the
marble of The "manger" FIVE times
and the screen above it once
Next we went to the Milk Grotto"
connected with the history of
Christ by a story of Mary dropping
some OF her milk here. The tradi-
tion is to me absolutely worthless,
but the place is beautiful indeed.
Much of it is beneath the surface in
the rock, but part Of it is Of mason
ry and beautifully decorated as
chapel and altar. Now we walk out
toward the edge of the city and look
away across the country to lower
ground where is pointed out the
field OF Boaz where Ruth is said to
have cleaned ruth 2:1-23). The
field of the shepherds Lu. 2:8-20)
is down that way too. And now we
are riding back to Jerusalem in a
Ford, seeing the country somewhat
better than as we came down for we
are not going SO rapidly.
Possibly some will say, with so
much that is false and so many
things that are doubtful, what is the !
use Of going to Palestine at all?" It |
is not necessary and those who have !
no interest would perhaps as we'll
remain away even as those who go
ignorant Of the Biblical narrative ,
and drink in all they are told by |
guides might do better, but after |
all the traditions there |
still remains lot that is reliably |
identified with historic events reach |
ing far back into the past for this is
an ancient land. These mountains, !
Zion, Moriah, and Olives are un-
doubtedly the same as those we
read of in the Bible. This city is
standing where Jerusalem has al
ways been and there are some very
ancient remains here, while all with
in the walls, practically, is Oriental
and so different from things at home,
that your time passes quickly and
with much interest We know this
is the city of David and Solomon,
the city of the various temples, and
of the terrible Roman Seige and the
dispersion of Israel Costumes are
perhaps more after the western or
der now than formerly, but it is
place of peculiar interest, and / am
SO glad to have been able to see it
the second time. Of the missionary
aspect, shall perhaps write in an
other series of articles at a later
date, if God permit, but now I am
tired from writing, and preparation
of baggage for disembarking tomor-
row claims attention Nothing him
dering, the next article will deal
with our trip down from Jerusalem
by rail to Egypt and out of Port
Said up through the Mediterranean
traversed by Paul on his journeys,
the one which led to
Rome, into France. For the present,
goodbye.-Don Carlos James.