At the Holy Places.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7765, 17 March 1905, Page 4

At the Holy Places.

THE SHOWMAN SPIRIT IN MODERN JERUSALEM.

1 ' Colonel Henry Knollys was grievously disillusionised on his visit to Jerusalem, and an article 'from his pen in the January " Blackwood " contains .revelations that might well be called scandalous. Especially discouraging! he found the alleged propinquity of the alleged scenes of closing incidents of our Lord's life. ." The area I have, described," he says, " is represented, approximately, by 40 paces by 50 paces—for better realisation, say, by the size of an average lawn of a sihall English country house. Withinthis scope have been huddled together not only the imaginary positions of scattered " occurrences, such as scourging, imprisonment, crowning, nailing to the cross, anointment, and two separate meetings, but Gol-i gots& ami; the sepulchre, of which I will speak later. This niarshalliiTt; on "the stage for scenic display, this crowding on to the boards, this ly- - tag-localisation of the most sucred and momentous events of Christ's life, produce an impression of out- . rage on reverence and a painful scepticism. Stop telling me such tables; we . will leave ibis place and walk to Calvpry ; is" it- fitr fiistant ?, i» my indignant interruption of in\ galjtoling showman. -Ifc unblushingly reiterates his shiblmleth. 'What I have told you is all true and beyond all question,' adding, * This is the way to Calvary—upstairs ; you know the Bible says the svpulchp' ' icjohely adjacent to which we are standing) ' was nigh unto the place of crucifixion. 'lllis way ; lirst floor for Golgotha.' " Walking up a lew steps, about 15 feet above the level of the church, pavement, we reach an eminence,, ivtrtly ..enclosed, roofed over, and subdivided into small lnean chapels. It is not "known wii<*ther it is natural or artificial—it is even a question of reasonable controversy among scholars whether or not the genuine Golgotha lay in this

. neighbourhood. In the apse of one ' a of the phap?l9 is a ground aperttiru - V sparkling with tinsel lining-, wherein, ■- | poor, credulous, bigots insist, whs iv.* inserted Ihe cross, Unit " bitter ir f cross" to which thosp blessed feet - nigh nineteen hundred years ago, were nailed for our advantage. -' Jerusalem itself was no less disap- . . pointing. " The town is surrouiitl- ■ | ed toy a wall of Ho feet high ; the ' | buildings are semi-ruinous, and ..look j: f s<|ualld and mean ; some of the t streets are vaulted over ; others are . Barrow and crooked ; all are soininv, „ \ fnuddy in damp weather, and in liiif t • weather choked ' with pungent dust i and stifling with the aroma of dead %• 3 dog. The shops are for the most ft ' j part mere rubbish, and there is au j undue preponderance of blackguaj-d----lfe-| looking wine-shops. The population |f x V amounts to about 60,000, and never V " during my Panderings in Europe, r " Asia,. Africa, and.America, haw 1 . _"J mien ho largo a collection of de.-.[>ie-W,. J able, scoundrelly scum. Turks, IS--» Jews, Syrians, Arabs, and mongrel 1 p \Jjevnntines hade each contributed j( \ their quota to o community nbich IHoundsditeh or the Seven Pinls I '• {would {blush to own ; thievish ami I hang-dog, on the look-oui in rob!I j'* and to stab whenever they can so do I f r without . peril to their dastanlly it' selves." !< S- _ !