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!IiIJerusalem and its Suburbs.A letter in the Toledo Blade, datedat Jerusalem, Palestine, March 2d, 1867, gives the following description of the Holy City and its suburbs:“There about 25,000 people in Jerusalem, 9000 of whom are Jews. All except about 2000 of them, 1 am told, are very poor.. I said they do not go into the enclosure where their Temple stood, but they do go every Friday to a portion of the old wall that yet remains on the west side, supposed to be a part of the same that Solomon j built. And here is witnessed a scene)r)11Ion Friday of each week that I thinkwould touch the hardest heart. I went in company with several others, to see for myself. It is called -‘the wailingplace of the Jews.” There we sawthem of both sexes, all ages, in many kinds of dress, from satin to tatters and rags (evidently many of whom were pilgrims from distant lands aud of various languages,) many of them having in their hands the Old Testament Scriptures or prayer books. Some were seated on flagging, some kneeling, others grasping, as it were, those old stones in their arms, whileothers were beatiujr their breasts—all11reading or praying in a sing-song tone most o f them sobbing, with tears streaming down their cheeks likeyJrain; and all this “because of the desolations of Zion. ’ I was told that their lamentations wers after this man-i ner : “Oh God, the heathen are come I j into thine inheritance. Thy holy tem-i pie have they defiled. We are be-tj come a reproach to our neighbors ; a ' ! scorn and a derision to them that arelThere is a chapel here in which is shown a stone with a kind of a foot* print in it, which, says tradition, is that left by our Saviour when ascend- a ing on high. I did not feel the solemnity here that 1 did in the Garden ; for, when I read that ‘he led them as far as to Bethany, and there lifted upj ilt; his voice and blessed them (his disci- j v pies) and was parted from them and; aascended,’ 1 am in much doubt as to the place. Bethany lies nearly a mile from the mountain, and then to be told that he ascended from the exact top,creates doubt as to the true spot. However, this old mountain is full of interest to all mankind, aud we were well repaid for the toil in making the ascent. The chapel at the top is, like Mary aud Joseph’s, common to all oriental Christians.Descending in a circuitous route toBethany, we first approach the tomb of Mary and Lazarus. Going downointo the earth by many broken steps, about thirtv feet, we are shown whereV / *the three were deposited, though nothing now remains of their ashes that we could see. Next we passed up to their house—at least where it is said to have stood. Bethany is aas all Arab villagesiplace ol only 200 or 300 inhabitants, and is filthy, are.Leaving the town, were passing around the base of the mountain to 1 the westward, by the road our Saviour, 1834 years ago, passed over on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and crossing the valley of Jehosaphati which is Kedron, and entering the \y city by St. Stephen's gate near where r that holy man was chased up to heaven by murderous hands, were soon at our hotel, the Mediterranean, to restround about us. How long, Lord ?Wiit thou be angry forever?*’ etc.,jour weary selves for the night, etc. We were there at about four o'clock P. M., and saw as many astwo hundred engaged. This is keptArup from 9 A. M. to 5 or 6 P. M, O,how long will the ‘blindness that hap- regi:i pened unto Israel* in part obscure the I favolj mental vision to the fact that ‘the j hisMessiah hath alreav come,* and thev ! one* 1 *y I need not expect another ? Would | that ‘that fulness of the Gentiles were al- was readv in,’ that these that are the nat-ied ; ural branches might be speedily graft- stoo%7□□o ed in again! However, many of it, sGfthese are turning to the Lord, and it | has been my privilege to make the ac- j taiu quaintance of a number who have had their spiritual eyes opened, and theyMj are ifbw greatly rejoicing in Christtheir Saviour. The English Protes-omsi;to-dof tv i aspfr.aK.ItfullnI:e-itn-dx-cletbrilsai(• *audisetof (d-taut Episcopal Church is doing a good r j work here among this historic people, his also among the Arabs and others. | the I think its membership is from 400 to500, most ol whom are native prose-1 nev lytes. This effort is deserving the i sympathy of the Christian Church ol j whatever name and order, every- j tom where. I a dOn the morning of the 20th we gotjdislt;e_! an early start, and passed out at the j 1 3 1 amascus gate, on the west, and 1 fon j( j struck off to the southward, and arrived at the (said to be) prison of Jeremiah, about two hundred vards from the gate. It is an excavation in the solid rock, but don't look much like a prison. Bending our course eastward in about half a mile we were on the brow of the hill overlooking the j dri [ ‘brook Kedron,’ and in full view of tho I a Mount of Olives. Descending into Sir, the valley, we were soon passing in j gra front of the east wall of the city, and j per hall a mile Irom it, where undoubted- r ly is the original Gethsemane. Three bee rival gardens, oue Greek, one Latin, tal and one Armenian, are now there, all not claiming to be the original; all, how- j the ,u ever, are adjoining, and together don't faclt; embrace over one acre. Originally, | wh I perhaps, they were one. We entered; fee the Latin (Catholic), garden, and felt a a that we were now treading one of j the most sacred spots that was ever j~ allotted to sinful eyes to behold, and ,jr wished to whisper to all around: lv ‘Peace, be still! we are treading on l', holy ground.’ We turned to the 26th Pa; lj, chapter of Matthew, and there readsJr-ty*13itit,e-u tieInot1Cchi30i\vthat most touching of all utterances arcjj j that ever reached the ears of earthly , beings, our Lord’s prayer and agonyjj there. For a time we sat in silence,.jand then passed out, ever, I trust,nnipa;theis Ijlc! to remember the reflections there in- me:d,dulged.laiA few rods to the north are the do;ut tomb and chapel of Joseph and Mary,editsa singular looking place. Enteringby a large door, we passed down ahe j flight of steps, to the depth of about46miev thirty feet under ground. Here were rexlt;as)Stth-1 pointed out their resting places. This chapel is held in common by all of the Oriental Christians; each, however, have their separate altars and lights kept constantly burning.Coming out of this we were soon ascending the sacred mount, and doubtless by the same path or road so often trodden by the ever blessedeiTfcbeim-uc-geur-One, after the fatiguing toils and lab-Ccisfranubyneichorhe:heugur-:psea-thegrwlchors in the city and temple were over, j ha on his way to his seclusion on the brow of the mountain, or to Bethany,that little quiet village where lived his dear friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. IJp thi3 rugged path David clambered, bare-footed, with head covered, when escaping from Jerusalem, and the rebellion of his unnatural son Absalom, who had set up his opposition reign at Hebron. Ah, what holy men and prophets of’ old passedV(g1'om over this same ground that our sinfulmerth.0,-IUSroanrelt;diioniveticchbefeet were here pressing! By a slow and steady step we soon reached the summit. The ascent is, I think, on an angle of about twenty-five degrees and the height about 800 feet. From j 31 this point wc get a grand view of Je ye rusalem and the mountains round about her—the Dead Sea, the valley Jordan, and the mountains of Moab.beraiea
Newspaper Details
Barton Orleans Independent Standard
Barton, Vermont, US
Fri, Jul 19, 1867
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GB 13 Jun 2021
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Barton Orleans Independent Standard
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