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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 1908)
1 TO OIAVJ3r t'V TO QIVAgY y" 1 --i f v GOING TO BETHLJvHBM HT KVANCEI.IXE PES-OL1EU IT is rhristirms evf. Across the dark Judcan hills and valos resounds the r.iiping of the midnight chimes from tli ancient Church of the Nativity, in Bethlehem. Within the reat edifice numbers of pilgrrims and of natives clad in picturesque OrientBl costumes are kneeling prostrate before the little gilded ciatlle containing the imuge of the Babe which has suddenly, at the striking of the hour, appeared hanging above the chancel arch. From the great organ peals out the harmonious accompaniment to the an them sung by the monks in the Immense choir "Gloria in Kxeelsis." The cradle lth the "Bambino" is lowered and re ceived reverently by waiting priests and borne solemnly at the head of a proces sion descending to the little chapel where an altar marks the site of the wondrou birth which took place 2000 years ago. A large gilt star In the marble pavement recalls the advent of the shepherds to Hethlehem, led by the guiding star, to vtslt the Babe of whom the angels sang. Holding flaming torches and chanting sonorously, the priests and monks, pil grims and visitors gather in the chapel, on . the. stairway and around the low arched entrance and ehantlngly worship the Child of Bethlehem. Then the little cradle is reverently laid onto the altar, bedecked to receive it. Here it lies for a week for pilgrims and visitors to come and adore. Bethlehem, the little town to which the wise men came to visit the Christ Child, is today a quaint old village, situated on the hillside above the valley where Be douins lead their sheep to pasture in the "Fields of the Shepherds." As one approaches it on the road from Jerusa lem, it Is singularly picturesque. Its while limestone houses, with their flat roofs, rising onr above the other and clinging to the hillside, mrrounded by olive groves and vineyards, are surmounted by the massive walls of the ancient con vent and church which give to the town Its wonderful interest and make it the goal of pilgrims from all directions of the compass. The Church of the Nativity was built in Ti A. D. by Queen Helena above the grotto whicli was the stable of the inn to which Joseph and Mary came on that memorable night. The basilica is perhaps the oldest mon ument of Christian architecture In the vorld. The shafts of the column which support its fine architecture and its decaying roof are each of a single piece of marble more than two feet In diameter' and 16 feet high. They are surrounded by elaborately carved capi tals On the upper parts of the columns are faded frescoes with Greek and By- xantine figures of Saints. The column A . v,.-. v-- kc K va...a. 5i At ,4 vHI w-i 5; OW. CHieJiTrIeWEVP were taken from the ancient temple in Jerusalem. These and the mosaics on the walls and roof are made of cedar wood from Lebanon and reveal the former splendor of the church. On the road from Bethlehem to Jeru salem one meets many a living illustra tion of the flight of the holy family t3 Egypt. The mother in her blue gown, her whiti; veil covering hfrr head and falling gracefully over her shoulders, sits on the strong Arabian donkey holding her babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, while her husband walks slowly by her side, gukllng the animal from time .n time. In the mysterious life of the . Holy Child there is the silence of 30 years un broken excepting by the visit of the boy Jesus to Jerusalem at the age of 12. The Scriptures- give us but a short glimpse of the beauty of the character unfolding in the Boy during these years of seclusion. One picture is given us of filial devo tion and of respectful submission com bined with surpassing wisdom and at tainment of knowledge ' which caused him to be "in favor with tJod and man." The episode at 12 years of age in the temple in Jerusalem reveals the studious and meditative inclinations of the Child who soon became the Great Teacher of all mankind. Ih the quaint little village of Nazareth ho spent those childhood days of quiet seclusion. We can picture him on the beautiful hills on which Naxareth is sit uated, delighting in Nature's beauty and meditating on the task before him. To the fountain, now called the Vir gin's fountain, he doubtless went daily with his gentle mother, helping her carry the stone pitcher to be- tilled from the village well every morn and eve. In the fields we can see him gathering the firewood for the little earthen stove. Standing at the bench with tool In hand beside Joseph in the carpenter's shop he learned the trade by which he was known when he emerged from his soli tude with the knowledge and wisdom which could baffle rabbis, scribes and lawyers: "Is not this the son of Jo seph, the carpenter?" The carpenter's shop is shown to visitors In Nazareth. Above it is a Latin church in which a large painting represents the child Jesus helping Joseph, at the bench. Another chapel nearby, in a vaulted cave, ex hibits the traditional "Table of Christ," where he often had supper with hla disciples. The table is of solid rock standing three feet above the floor. The most prominent building in Nai areth is the Latin convent, rising above the other buildings and appearing like some grand medieval castle. Towering above it is a Turkish. minaret, giving the TIIE SUNDAY QREGOXIAX. PORTLAND, DECE3IBER 20, 1908. Seenes ' .' .. " - Tune- THE HC2ME OF BE.THAW-WHEEE, 3HtT VISITED ........ "St. . v,."-- MT . ' -"-.7V3 ' THE MOttxTT" OF OXZsSEsin town a touch of Oriental grace. E,ven here the star and crescent glitter beside the cross of Christ. Tall palms wave their green branches above f the white buildings, and stately cypresses " stand like dark pillars, forming an effective background. It is with ,a feeling of rev erence that one approaches the town, and one Ls filled with a sense of love for these vales where his voice so often resounded. The convent stands on the site believed by the Franciscans to be that of the An nunciation. It is surrounded by high walls. The gateway leads to a large courtyard where pilgrims in blue serge owns, fastened by leather girdles, pace up and down, telling their beads. The church Is somber and the sound of chant ing and the fragrance of incense issues forth at the hours of vespers and matins. Down In the sanctum ks a marble slab where a cross marks the spot of the an gel's appearance to the Virgin. Suspend ed from the roof hnngs a broken column about the position of which miraculous stories are told. The whole sanctum dnd vestibule are paved in marble. The light of many silver lamps shed a dim ra diance over the faces of pious monks on bended knee offering fervent paternosters to the Virgin Mary. All around are pil grims, some before the altar kissing the marble floor, others returning from the cave of Our Lady, carrying stones they have broken off the rocks, as precious relics. Before the altar is a painting de picting the tradition of the site. It was donated by the Empress of Austria. Behind the grotto of the Annunciation are several chambers hewn in the rock. One of these is "Mary's kitchen." Fur ther on is a room, the door of which ls walled up now. The monks tell us that it was tlLrough this door that the Virgin passed out to the village well. Thero is a story that the remainder of the "holy 1 t About fhe CiW3GiV,x entfKe Life oj- Jlim yVhotFe pntY Ml .;: ... gwTV -iwWi Wtj., TttE CM15IiAT C?HIU3 3M?ZAlSEJ"rH - ,. 2 house" was carried by angels from Naz areth to Loretto in Italy.v Though Josephus wrote of Galilee as being covered by towns, with not less than IjOO inhabitants each, yet today there are not more than 7000 or SOOO in habitants In Nazareth, the greater num ber of whom are Christians belonging to the Greek and Latin Churches. All around Galilee are sites connected with the life of Christ. As one stands today by the blue waters of the little pear-shaped lake a strange scene presents Itself to one's mind. A little boat is ris ing and falling on the gray waters tossed by white waves. Dark hills frown all around, shutting in the narrow lake from the rest of the world. Black clouds thun der from above. The little company of rowers are filled with fear. At the stern lies the Savior peacefully sleeping. In anguish the disciples cry out: "Master, save us, for we perish." Thqn, in gen tle tones of assurance are uttered these memorablo words: "Peace, be still," and the winds and waves at once subside. These blue waters of Galilee are yet at times subject to similar sudden and vio lent tempests, when houses along the shores' are engulfed by them. As we look upon this little lake, thoughts of these incidents stir our hearts and hold us spellbound to the spot, though its natural appearance has nothing particularly at tractive about It. The features which distinguish it from other lakes are its desolateness and its rugged bare hills ris ing abruptly from its banks to the height of 2000 feet above its waters. The dwellers in the quaint villages which dot the hills tawny Arabs in flow ing garments lend to the locality an ele ment of the picturesque and inspire the artist. Its ruins and it former grandeur are what appeal to the historian. But the life of the Master is what endears Galilee to us above all else. I J, , ) TtX& O'EA OF T ,TT ,BE -0 Bethlehem saw his birth, Nazareth his sheltered childhood. Jerusalem his works, his suffering and his death. But by the Sea of Galilee he was sought, loved and followed by the multitudes who were will ing torforego their repasts to listen to his teaching. Capernaum, the first place to which Chi 1st came after his baptism, is one of the cities which flourished and was of great importance of old and is now but a heap of debris anl ruins of in terest to archaeologists. Here stood the synagogue in which Christ preached the sermon on the manna in the wilderness. The remaining walls show It to have been a rectangular building, .readorned in the fourth cen tury, with a ' double row of columns, of which the broken pedestals remain. Part of an ancient Roman road is here to be seen, the main road from Da mascus to Tiberius, and the ruins of a Roman castle which crowned the hill overlooking the town, encircled by its graceful terraces. From the ruins of Capernaum ane has a wonderful view of the beautiful plain of Gennsaret, and the whole ex tent, of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan descending from the mountains and passing on its way to lose itself in the Dead Sea. As one sits on these ruins not a sound breaks the meditation of one's thoughts. The mute tor.trues of past, grandeur stfeak to one In the surrounding stillness. A Jong descending road from Nazareth leads out through fragrant valleys, be side rivulets and dells filled with bright anemones, to the modern village of Kefr Cana, a dismal Arab -village, though surrounded by blossoming or chards. - The ancient Cana Is now a deserted spot in a wild locality which forms a good hiding place for wild boars and Jackals. A Greek convent and chapel, not far off, commemorate the site of Christ's miracle, the turning of the water into wine. The monks show some earthen water-pots as relics of the feast. Naln, where , the widow's son was raised to life, is now nothing but a Mohammedan mud-hut village amidst many ruins. There are many rock-cut tombs in this locality. From Galilee, Christ returned to Je rusalem, no longer a child, but a man, who could draw the multitudes to hear him and to follow him. He walked through its long streets and climbed the" hillsides to the Mount of Olives and to Bethany, and from there he looked down on the Holy City and wept over it. The Jerusalem we enter today is not the city which he looked upon. That has vanished away long since. But the present town stands upon the foun dations of the old, so that the general aspect has not materially changed. We can easily follow our Lord in his walks to the temple or to Olivet and Beth any, and look upon the ruins which speak of his deeds of love to man. The present town has grown up on the debris of ancient cities which pre ceded it." Jerusalem Was built on four hills encircled by mountain ranges, recalling to our minds the Biblical de scription "As the mountains round about Jerusalem." These hills are picturesque and r-feJ'..r'J-,::' V grand. but yet the country looks dreary and desolate compared with that "flowing with milk and honey" promised to Israel. Few remains are left to tell of the beauty of which King David loved to sing. But it has an interest and an attraction above its mere topography, because the Master lived in it and loved it. " Like all ancient cities, Jerusalem is en closed by a wall with many gates. This fortification Is a mere relic of the past, for fhe gates are never closed now. Tlio eastward one has been entirely walled up by the Mohammedans. This is the "solden or beautiful" gate, leading from the temple area out on to the Mount of Olives. It is the one through which, in all probability, Christ passed most often on his way to Bethany. It is interesting to know tliiit the Prophet Rzckiel proph esied, many centuries ago. that this Bate would b? closed because "the Lord had entered in by it." As one approaches the city from the Jafla gate, the prin cipal entrance, it appears not unlike some modern town, for the larger Jerusalem extending outside the walls is what first meets the eye. w To obtain a true view of the old city one niust ascend one of the hills which surround it. Looking down from a heht above it one lias a fine view of the situation of ancient Jerusalem, which was once "the joy of the whole earth." I One is struck at once by the absence I of bright colors in the buildings and I roofs, most of which are of a rugged j gray or white stone. Many of the houses are flat roofed and others have a white limestone dome which stands out in a picturesque manner beside the tall white minarets. Above a Turkish muezzin rises a Christian Church spire wtyh a gilt cross shining in the sunlight, near to the silver crescent on the Mosque., Here and' there a solitars palm tree waves its branches In a 6tatcly manner, towering ov.lr the house-tops. Above the gleaming city t lie changeless blue of the Syrian sky affords the touch of color needed to heighten the beauty of the landscape. The deep green olive trees on some of the hills around form a sombre background to the whole picture. One realizes that to the. Turk also this is "The Holy City" "El Kuds." and one cannot help respecting the lib erality here depicted by an otherwise despotic and fanatic people in granting to both Jew and Christian the privilege of Taising their own monuments of wor ship in a land where daily is proclaimed the fact that "Mohammed is the Prophet of God." Five times a day criers ascend the long flights of steps to the -summit of these minarets and from thence call out, In loud voices, "There is but one God and Mohammed is his prophet." The most prominent buildings in the panorama are the Mosque of Omar and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The beautiful mosque stands on the site of Solomon's Temple, where Christ taught and healed. It is surrounded by a large open space where Saracenlo arches, domes and minarets proclaim it a Mo hammedan place of worship. The most important street in Jerusalem is named after Lsrael's poet King David. It runs through the town in an Irregular, winding manner, down long stairways of stone steps. Many archways and over hanging houses darken the descent. On either side are dingy shops, where the owner squats on a raised platform with his goods arranged on low shelves, in easy reach of his hand, while he drinks coffee and smokes his long nargile. The buyers in this narrow street stand below, and while they bargain lengthily, keep a watchful e3e on the strings of heavily laden camels and donkeys which brush past quickly, knocking the lingerers on all sides. Christian street, the second of the three thoroughfares, distinguished, by a name, is strangely enough composed of Jewish shops. It gradually leads down to the neighborhood of the Holy Sep ulchre, in the vicinity of which are Greek sellers of relics, rosaries and gilded pic tures of saints to be laid on the sacred tomb. The Via Dolorosa, or Street of Pain, is supposed to be the one Christ trod on his way to Calvary. It was divided into four "Stations of the Cross" where serv ices are held on Good Friday. An ancient arch across the street is named the "Ecce Homo," for here, tradition says, Pilate exclaimed: "Behold the Man!" A Latin church stands over the site below, which a stone pavement is exhibited, which is unmistakably part of the ancient road and shows the marks of chariot wheels and of the street games of the Roman soldiers. The houses within the walls are low and built closely together, one room forming the home of one or two large families. These houses often open into a courtyard which ls common property, and contains a well-Jthe only supply of water for the i ! city depends all the year around on the rain water gathered from the flat roofs In Winter. The housetops afTOrd a delightful walk or resting place during the long, cool, Summer evenings, many persons pre ferring to take up their mattresses and sleep under the stnrlit sky. Alt business is transacted between sun rise and sunset. Persons going out after dark are obliged io carry lanterns, by order of the Governor. Otherwise they are arrested by the soldiers of the Biiltun. The twilight is very brief and with dark ness perfect stillness broods over the city. All shops are burred, the streets are de serted and ahsolute quiet reigns. At the foot of the Mount of Olives, just beyond the valley, which separated the hill from t lie city, is the quiet little gar den of Gethseinane. The grand old olive trees alone remain as monuments of the past. When one stands with bowed liead under these an cient trees In the stillness of this solitary place and meditate n the sad events which took place here one Is Impressed with a now meaning ! the hymn, "'TIs Mldnlcht and on Olive's Brow. . . ." Outside the walls of the city and not far from the . beautiful Damascus gate stands a little hill. By Its very contour against the clear sky ' it proclaims Its name "Golgotha, the Place of a Skull." It presents a striking appenrance, having stratiRe. eyeless sockets, giving the mound a perfect resemblance to a human Fkull. A very impressive mark on the sacred hill is the rent made in the rocks by the jrrcat earthquake at the Crucifixion. One huge boulder still hangs over the preci pice 011 the hillside, apparently having been cleft from the larger half 011 t he hilltop. The most Important fca.turc of the hill is a precipitous declivity in which are three slots, evidently each an opening In which the foot of a rmss was placed, to facilitate the raising of It after the lwidy had been fastened on. Here, in full view of the city, stood the tlire" crosses, upon which hung the two thieves and between them the Great Teacher and Healer who had spent his days "going about doing good." Change of Date for Chrltnm. Puck. wish that Christmas day would coini some other time of year In Summer, when th' nhin th' swimiuin" days are here! Christmas came In August If then old Santa Claui might bring A bathln' uit er nhln' rod, er trap r patent swinK TIT things a feller ues In th' woods an' Bwlmmln' pool I'd have 'em new an' nhiny when they let me out of school; But Jest because it always comei aroun' th' same old day 1 sit th" tame old presents In th' earn old Christmas way! I never Bit a bat an' ball. If Christmas only came In Jure rd have nouh V keep th" fllr In th' name: Then, r mlEht Bit a pony, if Kris Kringie came In May, When 1 could feed him gra instead of daddy's blr of hay! If Christmas cme In April Santa CIaus'4 never tote Aroun' for every little b"V a f'mry overcoat, A cap an' hnots an' gloves -he'd bring- him romethiiiK he could us , When he leaves his coat at home an' pad dles round without his shoes! I'm w-aitin- fer. th' Summer an' I'm lonely fer th gprlns: But Santa liau ls comin', an' he'll never leave a thing To suit me In vacation, when they let me out of school A dog t' ketch a grlnnle, er a bobbin fer th' pool, A pony an' a cart f gather cider, wood an' frrain. An' haul th' girls f picnics in th' grove ut Shady Lane. Oli. I wish that tfsnta riaus would throw his furs an' sled away. An' come aroun' next Christmas on a load of Summer, hay! His ( hristmas f.lft. Puck. Could T hut offer Christmas gift" Ho paused.. nd his deep tones shook. They always did when he saw her lift Her eyes with that tranquil look. "Could I but hope" he grew bold again That your love. would be all my ow.n. To have and to hold you. In joy and pain. My treasure and mine alone Grant me thla happy Christmastide Your heart, with its precious freight. And be forever my love, my bride" And then as she saw him wait "But. what are you giving ,rnc?" she sal4; And elanR-y. at all, she was nt "I fail to pt-rcelve any gift instead, I think you are asking a lot!" Coldly Practical. Louisville Courier-Journal. His dulcet lyre He twanged with fire. And warbled to the dove. This was the lay He did essay: Oh. eo rim and be my love." The maiden heard His final word. Then with a scornful look, She asked tho swain Vi hiKh disdain: "Canst guarantee a cook?"