Evening star., 1937-12-25
O[YC|TYU UNDER
GUARD OF TROOPS
Terrorism Feared Over
British Plan to Partition
Palestine.
~ the Associated Press.


JERUSALEM, Dec. 25.-Strong con-
tinsents of British troops guarded the
Bethlehem pilgrimage today after re-
ports were received that 43 Arabs were
killed and more than 20 wounded in
. furious two-day battle in the Tiberias
region.
Only three British casualties were
reported in the battle ana they suf-
fered wounds.
Pilgrims of many creeds and races
thronged to the shrines of the Holy
City and nearby Bethlehem today to
commemorate the birth Of Prince of
Peace.
Pealing bells summoned Christmas
worsh1pers to masses said by West
ern. Greek and Armenian Christians.
Four thousand British troops pa
trolled the Moab and Judean hills. on
guard against marauding terrorists
Thousands of troops had reinforced
the guard over holy places since vio-
lence burst forth after announcement
of the British plan to partition
Palestine.
Martial Law In Force.
Virtual martial law still was in
force because of months Of bombing,
ambushing and shooting. which gov
ernment penalties had failed to halt.
Temporarily. however, bloodshed
was in the background as worshipers
streamed into the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre for high mass.
Many had made the overnight pill
grimage to Bethlehem to hear the
midnight pontifical mass by the
Pope's representative in Jerusalem,
his beatitude, the Latin patriarch. in
the l.6o0-year-old Church of the
Nativity.
A mass which started at midnight
and was broadcast to the world was
celebrated also in st. GATHERINGS, ad-
joining Christendom's oldest and most
sacred church. built on the traditional
site of Christs birthplace.
As the humble procession passed
through the famed grotto of the
Church of the Nativity. lit by smoky
lamps and candles. nuns watched over
the manger where tradition says Christ
was born.
Outside, crowds going from church
to church to pray wound along Bethle-
hens tortuous. narrow streets, still
much as Christ knew them. -
American Choir.
They streamed past the courtyard
where, last night, an American choir
joined in Christmas carols and to the
shepherds field where gospel singers
from Asbury College, Wilmore. KY,
had walked in the procession from
Jerusalem.
In the shepherds field outside the
town, where shepherds nov as then
watched their flocks. Protestants had
held last night their traditional serv-
Ices commemorating those shepherds
who 1887 years ago saw the angel
vision heralding the birth of the
Child in Bethlehem.
Crowds, too. had stayed to watch
the dawn Of Christ's birthday,
In l3 days, still another Christmas
will be celebrated in the Church of
the Nativity. the second of the l3
observed annually in the Holy Land.
On the night of January 6, the
Greeks. Syrians and Copts each will
fill their respective portions Of the
church for their respective services.
A lone Greek priest watched the
Western celebrations as a reminder
that tn Eastern Churches too, have
their place in Christendom.
All the remaining Christmas OBJ
servances are celebrated by the
Ethiopians whose monks live in huts
on the roof of the church.
Moslems Are Guards.
Curious figures during today's cele-
brations were the church guards who
have never worshipped in it. They
are Moslems who pray in a nearby
mosque. The Turks appointed Moslem
guards to end the fights which often
occurred between the csutodians of
the rival Christian bodies.
To enter the church itself, pilgrims
were compelled to bend almost double
through the main four feet high door,
way Originally the entrance was
in proportion to the building bu, the
Crusaders walled up most of it to
stop mounted Arabs riding in and
disturbing the worshipers.