MODERN JERUSALEM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 514, 22 May 1909, Page 15

MODERN JERUSALEM.

" SOME PEN PICTURES. SCENES IN THE MARKETS. (Br H. .T. D. Dbew.) It is an hour ■ before midday, - but aa. wa, pass insido tho Church of tho Holy Sepulchre, we enter gloom and shadow, and tho unaocnstomcd ey«s refuso to disccxn ohjccts. i. Outsit}®,' in tho conrtyard «f the Oknrch, wo had passed Araks, Men and ■ women, selling - their bead ornamenta,and' hely relics. Becoming soon 1 accustomed to tho darkness, wo see,: immediately before us, a largjo rcd marblo.slsb let'inta the.'floor. ' On this : ;ston© we aro told Christ was first hastily laid on beins taken d»irn from the Crase, though Baedeker informs its purchasers that ■the.stone cannot biast an antiquity-half aa ■ great as' that' claimed far-it. ■ But this criticism also is spyEed to atleart'half ! th® holy relics that are now around us. It is ■ just as well;'fer the present, at jeast, t« accept 'implicitly all that tho guida tells us. ■People,- mostly. Russian peasants, como i and reverently kneel at tno ride of ■ tho stone, Cross -themselves','.. and lay., first'their, forehead, then .their hps on tho worn and polished slab.:/ .Some, aa they entered, had Kissed the portals , of tho heavy .iron door of the hoary old church, and had been muttering, in deep meditation while yet many jfords ai>ay. ••••. ■■."• ■; • • We enter' further into ■ tho \Ohurch, . into the main chapel, which covers tho Holy Sop- . ulcliTe. .The. light;.here falls from windows in tho high dome, : and is/brighter. On ill : sides between.'.tho heavy pillars that support the dome, w-gloom and oven _ obscurity, and "were it . not far occasienal ' Bounds, that como as from. afar; wa might imagine that .the oenfines of the chapel, stood thoro-J' .a matter of fact, other chapols, and cloisters aro behind .tho pillars', 7 • ■ ."Soldiers-.in.: fea caps, and yed-edged muforms ' stand about/' leaning / silently upon their muskets, • regarding 'tno '■ scene around mechanically, "-and .with ■ uninteiwted ©yes. One feels' it is well that thoy aro present, for any<no is freo to enter.the Church, ana those dark places snggoit the possibility of ■ a sudden sharp stab for plunder s sake. A- small 'stono odifico m tho centre of tire chapel—a chapel within a chapol—immediately encloses tho Tomb, tho genuineness 'of which, however—l digress just once more— . few who have studied the subject without bias would car© ,to vouch far. At tho entrance'into this second, chapel .stand -.three c,gigantic. Candles,.hnlf-a-fo<)t- in diameter, or more, and high in proportion, one to Mir* for. tno Greek, and-the other two for the Latin/and Armenian .Churches.'. 7 •i Entering tho narrow opening ono , is at the sido of a stone on: which tho body of Christ was aiinointsd and ' prepared for burial. A woman also oomes in and wo two fill the narrow chamber. She falls on • hor knees and dovoutly kisses tho stone, makes tho-sign of tho Cross, and remains kneeling with face upraisod ■:. ■ ... ■■■-.. ■ . Tho Tomb of Christ. : They Tomb itself-is entered through yet Mother small opening.. . This receptacle SJiieen Helena discovered in the fourth cen T iury. Then it was but bar© rock; now tie interior is slabbed over with beautiful ' marWe,..th6: l«ff :roof; i» huag rith many . gold fwat-lamps, and fipresentations of angels, stand at the head' and at the foot. A silent, - jiet;'.watchful, Greofc monk constantly ot cupies tho inner end. As we wait to enter,'a woman is trying in vain to com-: pel her child 'to. kneel and adore the raised marble,: and the: priost at length speaks sharply to hor,- and .the .women,.and child hasten out and lot us in. Tho:atmosphere , is,'; full.; of., the sweetness of. mcftnso. With strange feelings of awe ono instinctively recalls that the place .whereon one stands' is, holy ground,. the very centre of the Christian world, the asis of Christendom! Watching., now :■ the. ' silent,.-forms '■ that solemnly enter, kneel, and devoutly press ' their lips tho Tomb, tho'feelings of awe become reVerenc^-reverance, for- tho great sacrednesa, of this spot (for. that of which it is the only, representation) of which millions think: sing,, and read; and .under the irresistible impulse of the'moment, you, cynio porhaps that you are of all around you, feol strangely apart, and begin to wonder if porhaps altlor : aflflthey maybe "right" and you "wrong.", „ Returning at l length dnt of the tomh we pauso for a few minutes near-the entrance and watch, the worshippers as thoy como and , go. The. majority are Greek Christians,. but now and then a Latin adherent,: distinguishable :by,- the less demonstrative devotional practice,. will enter along. the aisle, pause, and pasa into. tho. Tomb Chapel. ■ Russian worshippers predominate. An old peasant in sheepskin coat-and jack boots, stumps' in . slowly, vplanting , his staff absently before ■ him._: Avtho entrance to the Tomb ho drops .to his kiiees, .raises his eyes in silent prayer, then i bows • three times to : earth> • Thus he remains m prayer for sevoral-minutes, then pulls from his vestments a. dirty book and begins to read aloud. Meantime others are coming and going. A small, hardy woman, clad in a black quilted garment against whom the ; adversity of years has, buffeted in . vain, i walks up fussily, in jack boots, already , deop 'in prayer, and falls jto her knees. Thus tho worshippers como and. go, some with tears on their checks, others to make vows, perhaps to; intorcedo for loved ones far away, perhaps to ask that troubles may bo averted' and heavy burdens mado lighter, - 6ome to _ return emotional thanks for mercies received. Great is the faith of all in ■the power of prayer here uttered. An Arab :in.Turkish clothing,.A Bedouin from,beyond Jordan, a soldier of Turkey, sometimes a. high official of the city, perhaps European visitors, all enter aud worship. You may ;; behold 'beside them,ffor' none'scom ! to : notice you Before you, leavo the Church yon aro shown, other chapels and. altars, , and places . 'that _mark the 'events connected '-.with' the Crucifixion; and finally bright djlylight is . reached as you pass , out tho heavy doors—pass out from this placo of religions ecstasy, this contra of Christendom, and b&-hold-7-what?: At its ■ very portals dirt, squalor, and humin life in its lowest and vilest' form \. civilisation. which ■' tho.:' V/est cjaims a« ;tno, synonym of Christianity, entirely, absent. This contrast between tho precepts within and tho sights without hits one like-a blast from tho desert. Far oS the ,beai»s havo radiated, illuminedy and rofined, hut hero, the contro, is untouched. • Jerusalem, and Jorusalem alone, has many problems such as - this to offer, but ;for? • peoplo can: offer a solution.'. Streot Sconcs. Let us now .wait down Somo of the busy bazaars to tho Street of David. Probably! that_is a vague invitation to the but it will serve to depict typical street scones. Tho .dirty Btreots ' of Jerusalem aro/ever .changing and ever.interesting. _ ■ .i I'ii'st wo pasa a number of trinkot-sellers, sitting bositlo their waros at tho streot-sido, waiting to catch such porsous as ydursclf. Bead ornamontsi daggoiSj' old guns, and knick-knacks of various kinds, and much Arnb waio aro their chief stock-in-trado.. Wo turn next to tho. eastward and enter a narrow. lane, which, -as we look down it, vaulted over, with'arches and.'housts, appears to be a , wng, darksdma tunnel. '.For all practical pur- . ..vosea, .it is a.'tunnel, and littlo widor tlran those of a railway.- < It ig tkrenccd' irith people. The display of goods on eithor side still further diminishes tho'space, yet this is ono of tho principal and most frequented bazaars... Littlo caves each sida represent tho shops, and tho merchant stands insido and .sells from the back of Kis. wares, holding on, ns;-ho leans forward,/to a/'.'hanger,", sus-. ponded from, tho lovf' roof.' -It takes a full naif-day to mako a bargain with theso people, and possibly then another visit will be necessary to got tho price dowii to normal. Time is unknown to tha Arab. A penny is of more valuo thatf half a day. .- Also. ho is th» champion liar .. of; the Universe, and could - hold his own with any nation as tho user of profane' worda.. Here is a very gorgeous display of fittbgs ahd Caparisons for kdrsea, : camels, , and donkeys, all beautifully worked and made on the premises, "the obvioui eiivy of many wild-oyed wonld-be awners. _ Further oa you pass a cobbler at werk, assisted by wee children. Carpenters, skilled workers in olive wood aboundj'just visible in tho.'darkiicss of the cavo rccossfes. Their • princiDal work is turning out, mementos of

Jorusalem and holy relics, for which they got fair prices. -'A Uttlo boy is struggling with a large wheel, which a fretsaw up above, and, in defianco of tho labour laws of New Zealand, is breathing in lungs full of dust, instead, of sitting with otner boys in the'second primer class at school. Hero is B bake-house, one of many in theso dirtyj insanitary stroots, and there aro the baker's goods. He himself is busy at his oven, bnt his assistant is'cleaning up, unmindful of tho slush'that is' dripping into tho -'puff pnstry. A little more dirt makes small difference to the eater. In New Zealand it would entail six rioiitris' hard labour. Tiieso, bakers turn out very tolerable bread and pastry of various kinds and shapes, after the manner of tbo IVeuch pastry. Oiio'ring of bread at- a halfpenny, and a little for another naif-penny,' will provide an ordinary native workman with dinner. • • , , That green stuff in a bowl,, like chopped grass in milk 1 I once tasted some. "It bas a kind «f : pickle taste," said by tempter, an old Arab who had been in the West and could speak English. I shut my eyes, and took tb* smallest taste possible. • But, after all, it was hot so bad; kcins indeed chopped grass of a kind, and sour. goat'B *iilk. Ono» pennyworth (an ounce)' goes, a long way wiHi an Aram: ; ."they:only go in for cheap stuff, \ ami does so. long as it satisfies, had said-my'anoient friend. "But it: is injuriftiig. if much is takftD." In the. same shop at© sold tubbed olives and figa, bread, checso that ii€©ds to bo labelled such .to be intelligible, nuts, fruit, vogetables, and several curious mixtures, all known-to tho public as' "food." Confectionery m Cadbury's boxes also has place' on the shelves, but is' too dear a luxury for general use. Seeds,- '.barley, rice, and wheat complete tno stock of this general. storo. : i " . The drapers' shops are nr-other streets. These drapers are'the richer class of dealers. The'drapery is cloths and mantka of bright, gay cak>urs, such as 'correspond'so with the Palestine landscapes.. I have no doubt , tho latos who so daintily ■ dome a-shoppmg here • in' huge camel-skin shoes,' with nioelybrowned, uncovered legs, aro as keen and dis-, .criniinating bargainers as .their Chnstian| oeusins:in gay Paris, or London.;:. The Mohaamedan- dame may, perhaps, be easier to suit, since she examines the goods through her face protector, which, by the . way,, also prevents her daughters, after-the manner of the West, making eyes at tho assistant. The Whsat Market. r . Wo Will now stand in the Street of David, selecting a corner near ono of tho moneychangors, those relics of tho Bible have centuries of/ practice behind them in the art of getting rid of bad coins and , dealing out short change. We will watch the wheat market. This is the principal street of Jerusalem, about 8 to 10 feet wide ; and.paved'or oohbled. The stress of traffic is oven greater here than in tho bazaars. .While standing still, it is as well not to allow the Arabs to presa too closely upon one, for the Arab, like David Harum'a dog, carries numerous reminders upon him that he. is an Arab. ' The wheat market is a series of vaults or oaves, running back from a single wide opening." Wheat is brought here from all parts of tie ae far distant as the fertile plateaux of Moab. It. is not sacked, but lies loosely in huge heaps. Men, boys, and. women employ spare: time intermittently, winnowing oirb the dust. Here the populace buy their, family,supplies/ and, either-grind-' it. themselves, as did' their forefathers'(perhaps, to be more correct, their. ,«r. carTy it to the mill —one ,ef which is: driven by an oil'.engino within the city—and p&y the expense'with a portion of the wheat. • ''A - full ' measure, pressed, down, and running over," comes to one's: mind ss the purchasers fill'the-mea-sure, heap np the wheat in it, diddle their finger in the top, and pour in..inoTe grain, and so on; and finally manoeuvre to transfer the lot to their baskets. In the East it is 'the'privilege of the purchaser to heap up tho mefisuro, but he must be able al£o.'to transfer the pinnacle to iis.basket.7Hei will fight j minutes' with one'dipper of grain, and glory in a victory. . i . - Vignettes of the People. , < | : Observation' of ...these things has been difficult owing to,the throng, incessantly;passing and- repassing. ""'Some grimy' Arab -women stand and sit around us hoping to sell produce. A Bedouin, with harsh shouts, leads in two ianky, complacent; camels,' and still further reduces by issuing. instructions to them' to squat down one behindotho other while he shall unload two sacks of grain from each, and conduct a haggling sale with the dealers. .Seeming almost to recognise a long rest, the oamels lift their long emu-like heads and contentedly survey the surroundings. Crowds of people, hurraing and "squeezing past, como and go, but no one protests, and the oamels are not kicked. ■.... ;. . A girl waits patiently to got nor donkey past, and at length whips rt successfully ■through the'throug. . A succession of ' harsh cries, a nasal, "ngar;" uttered like a Kurriodly-ejected grunt—the Arab call for "make way for the donkey"—come up tho highway, crowing nearer and nearer, and' tho donkey coihes squeezing -Iti ot,gb the gap left by the camels, carrying on his back an open basketsack, filled with street refuse from some other part of the city. The slime drops from it as the donkey moves along. Turkish soldiers and police pass and repass,' and sometimes offioers,;but no attempt is made/to clear the road of obstruction.: '"Might is right!" constitutes the Jerusalem road law. After the donkey there comes a boy carrying long, rods of thin round iron, and he shouts the people out of the way.' 'The iclimax, however, is reached when a Mohammedan funeral approaches, from the direction of the Temple, and hustles past , the open coffin, displaying' the pale face . of. the shrouded corpse. .: '.. No one seems to oare about the surroundings; a foreigner there oreates less interest, than ho would in Now Zealand, inharmonious a3 he is with tho surroundings. Once only I saw an official clear the streets in Jerusalem. It was whem soino dignitaries from Constantinople, were'making a.tour of inspection, and the oity officials went before thorn as they selected the streets and descended liko a lino of "All Black"; forwards upon the hapless stallholders, obstructions, wares and goods frantically, right and left.; Still, no one protested! 7 , Out' near tho Jaffa gate ' some score of peasants, principally women, sell their vegetables, -brought from the gardens outsido : tho city and adjacent villages. Once' I saw some such vegetables washed in rater. that had supplied a Turkish soldier with, a_ hath and three family washings. A littlo ; higher dp a doad horse had reposed in the stream (the Brook Kedron) all flight, during a fall of rain, tho jackals and dogs meanwhile picking bis bones .clean! And yet it is surprising how popidar vegetables aro with tourists in Jerusalem. Tha Turkish Cafes. ' One frequent and characteristic sight I have omitted (indeed, I ha,vo only touched upon the fringe of Jerusalem' soenes), and it, ■is that of the Turkish cafes. There are scores of them soattored over the city, some in caves and some near the principal gates, tholatter .being of. greater, respectability.Stools are placed inside and . outside tho oafes, for tuo use of ono of which.you pay a metellik (id.), which also entitles you to a tiny cup of delicious Turkish 'coffee and a rost for an hour. At, the expiration of the hour you will bo -required to pay another metellik, and receive another coffeo. Thero are no hotel bars in Jerusalem, tui'd no'clubs Gossip' and scandal are talked . ;in cifes. .Should you desire a nagali you «iay hire ono ; for.a penny, using your own mouthpiece if :yoncare, and your '.own. little wisp of strong ■Persian tebacco._ . ; Road sccnes in the suburbs are different from tboso insido u tho city Avails, and there 'is tamo semblance of srdcr preserved'in the 'traffic. But ! tho Arab , cabman, drives fast and furiously, takes every possible chance, attd no probaolo count of danger.to lite and 'limb. '' ! ; Ono dear old English lady, a teacher'in a girls' seminary, may often bo scon seated ; side-saddle, on her fat mouse-grey .donkey, .trotting in a business-liko way down the narrow side-walk of the Jaffa road, tho people., .respectfully making way for hor. 'Tho hitch' ,'posrts for horses are also up against tho 'shop doors; and for these and many other reasons, when the' "West" goes East to Jorusalem, the "West" is often discovered indignantly up against tlho. "East," ! •