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RAMBLES 
 
 THROUGH EUEOPE, THE HOLY 
 
 LAKD AND EGYPT. 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. A. ZURBONSBN. 
 
 ST. LOUIS, MO. 1903. 
 Published by B. HERDER. 
 
 17 South Broadway. 
 
r^.n 
 
 THt LIBRARY OF 
 CONGRESS, 
 
 Two Copies 
 
 ReceiveO | 
 
 JUN 10 
 
 1903 
 
 l"*, Copyfight 
 
 Entry 
 
 XXo. No. 
 
 4 /3 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 COPY 
 
 B, 
 
 Copyright 1903, by Jos. Gummersbacli. 
 
 — BECKTOLD— 
 
 PRINTING AND BOOK MFG. CO. 
 ST. LOUIS, ftlO. 
 
To His Feiends and Fellow-Membeks 
 
 OF THE 
 
 "W. C. U." 
 
 WITH WHOM THE AUTHOR SPENT MANY 
 
 PLEASANT HOIJES OF 
 
 FEATEENAL INTEECOUESE 
 
 AT ANNUAL CONVENTIONS 
 
 THE FOLLOWING PAGES 
 
 AEE INSCEIBED. 
 
CONTENTS: 
 
 Page. 
 1 
 
 Germany 
 
 Austria and Hungary ... 30 
 The Balkan States . . • .46 
 
 Turkey ^^ 
 
 Constantinople 67 
 
 From Constantinople to Jaffa . . 95 
 
 Jaffa 110 
 
 From Jaffa co Jerusalem . . . 117 
 
 Jerusalem 123 
 
 A Visit to Bethlehem . . .169 
 Jericho, Dead Sea and Jordan . . 177 
 From Palestine to Egypt . . 198 
 Cairo and the Pyramids . . .206 
 Alexandria to Italy . , » . 226 
 
GERMANY. 
 
 Nations as well as individuals have their 
 characteristics and peculiar traits which 
 serve to differentiate them from the rest of 
 the world, and these characteristics affect 
 the very atmosphere and appearance of a 
 land. The traveller in G-ermany is at once 
 impressed with an all-pervading sense of 
 law and order, of stability and permanence. 
 The people live frugally and economically, 
 extravagance and needless waste being un- 
 known, while the pleasant mutual inter- 
 course of their social life and their sober 
 habits immediately strike the observant 
 visitor in their midst. Their manners are 
 courteous, civil, considerate and frank. 
 
 Among the institutions of the country 
 the most conspicuous, if not the most im- 
 portant, is easily the army, and well may 
 the nation be proud of its magnificent fight- 
 ing force of more than half a million well- 
 equipped and well-drilled troops. The 
 Grerman soldier, whether on or off duty, is 
 
 (1) 
 
2 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 ever the model soldier, as the scrupulous 
 cleanliness of his uniform and accoutrements, 
 and his perfect military bearing plainly 
 demonstrate. The heroic deeds of the army 
 in 1870 are fresh in the memory of the 
 present generation, who do not forget that 
 it reunited Germany, regained her lost pos- 
 sessions, established a new empire and, more 
 than all, impressed upon the world the im- 
 portance of armed neutrality in maintaining 
 peace. By means of her large standing 
 army Grermany has held the balance between 
 peace and war, and she will continue to do 
 so for an indefinite period to come. 
 
 During this time of peace, the interior re- 
 sources of the country have reached a high 
 plane of development. Hardly a square 
 foot of arable land now awaits the pressure 
 of the plow. During the spring and summer, 
 when we made our tour through the country, 
 it might have been compared to a great 
 and beautiful garden. Orchards, fields and 
 meadows were replete with the promise of a 
 bountiful harvest, which, to the satisfaction 
 of the unwearied toilers, was fully realized. 
 Rarely have I seen such abundant crops as 
 were gathered this summer in Grermany. 
 
GEEMANY. 6 
 
 Hitherto untillable soil, such as marshes, 
 turf and heather lands, is being converted 
 into pastures, meadows and yielding acres ; 
 so that the poor and small farmer of years 
 gone by to-day enjoys comparative wealth 
 and ease as the reward of his thrift. The 
 agricultural districts may be visited without 
 difficulty or inconvenience, for no country 
 in the world has better highways or pubhc 
 roads than the ''Chausseen" in Grermany. 
 These form a net-work of macadamized 
 roads, fringed and ornamented on both 
 sides by shade or choice fruit trees, which 
 link even the smallest towns and hamlets 
 throughout the Empire. With such facilities 
 it is not surprising that we met with many 
 pedestrians, who, instead of employing the 
 railways or other means of conveyance, 
 journeyed long distances on foot. Out-of- 
 door exercise, long walks and mountain 
 climbing together with a frugal but solid 
 diet greatly contribute to the health of the 
 average German. 
 
 The subject of diet naturally brings to 
 mind the German national beverage, beer, 
 about which so much has been said and 
 written. Whatever be its merits or demerits 
 
4 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 this much, is certain, that, its manufacture 
 being controlled and superintended by the 
 state, no injurious or poisonous ingredients 
 are permitted to enter into its composition, 
 no chemicals of any kind are substituted 
 for hops and malt. Moreover, I take de- 
 light in stating that during the whole time 
 of our stay in Grermany rarely did we en- 
 counter a drunken man, and never did we 
 hear indecent or profane language. All 
 popular demonstrations, such as the public 
 fairs and '^Schuetzenfeste" were conducted 
 with strict decorum and sobriety. 
 
 Manufactures are flourishing and con- 
 tribute greatly to the present prosperity of 
 the Fatherland, which now ranks third as 
 a manufacturing country. Exports increase 
 every year, and the trade-mark ' ' Made in 
 Germany" is met with in all markets of 
 the civilized world. In machinery and foot- 
 wear, however, particularly in the first, our 
 own American products are superior to those 
 of any other country. No matter in what 
 rural district in Grermany you may be, you 
 will find American plows, cultivators, har- 
 vesters and binders. The German sewing 
 machines are inferior to our ''Singer," 
 
GERMANY. 
 
 ''White" or "Home," American bicycles 
 and auto-mobiles are in great demand, Mary- 
 land, Virginia and Kentucky tobaccos are 
 valuable import articles, and American 
 furniture is also sold abroad, but chiefly 
 in England, where it is much sought after. 
 The present embargo placed by Germany 
 on American meats is much to be regretted. 
 It presses most heavily upon the poorer 
 working classes. Owing to the exorbitant 
 price of meat, it is a luxury on the work- 
 ingman's table. Clothing is good and cheap, 
 a fine tailor-made suit of the best serge or 
 worsted goods costing but from ten to fifteen 
 
 dollars. 
 
 In speaking of G-ermany's products one 
 must not omit the greatest of them all, the 
 huge ocean steamers. England may still 
 justly claim the title of ''Mistress of the 
 Seas," but in point of size and speed, her 
 merchant vessels are now eclipsed by the 
 recently built leviathans of the German 
 lines. The "Deutschland," " Kaiser Wil- 
 helm der Grosse," "Kronprinz," "Kaiser 
 Wilhelm der II," etc., are all equipped with 
 the latest inventions for insuring safety, 
 comfort, ease and enjoyment, and have at- 
 
6 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 tained unequaled success and speed. Fully 
 three-fourths of all the travellers and tourists 
 crossing the Atlantic take passage on these 
 veritable ocean grey hounds, which on every 
 trip bring from two to three thousand pas- 
 sengers to American shores, covering the 
 distance in a little more than seven days. 
 To those who have never seen these monster 
 vessels, the following figures may be of in- 
 terest, and will convey some idea of their 
 colossal proportions. The ''Kronprinz," 
 which accomplished her maiden trip to New 
 York a few months ago, is 663 feet long, 66 
 feet wide, 43 feet deep, and has a capacity 
 of 15,000 tons. Her 214 rooms for first 
 class passengers contain 406 beds and 198 
 couches. The second class accommodations 
 include 102 rooms with 312 beds and 37 
 couches. 750 people can be carried third 
 class, or steerage. The crew from the captain 
 to the cabin boy numbers 522 persons. 
 1900 electric lights illumine the ship and her 
 bunkers carry 4550 tons of coal. 
 
 The coal deposits of G-ermany, which are 
 apparently inexhaustible, lie chiefly in what 
 is called the ^^Euhr Grebiet," hence it is 
 Ijere we find the great industrial centers of 
 
GEEMANY. / 
 
 the country. Pittsburgh compared to Essen 
 and its vicinity is but a child. 
 
 AH railway, postal, express and telegraph 
 service in the Empire is under state owner- 
 ship and operation, and a uniformity of 
 minimum charges extends throughout the 
 land. Railway travel is far cheaper than in 
 the United States because of its classifica- 
 tion. People of limited means and saving 
 habits may without the least impropriety go 
 third class, in which case their coaches lack 
 upholstered seats, but have instead wooden 
 benches. The speed of European ''D" trains 
 (limited express) is equal to ours making 
 thirty-five or forty miles an hour. ■ The ease 
 and comfort to which we are accustomed are 
 woefully lacking. There is no newsboy, or ice- 
 water, and the coaches are small — scarcely 
 half the length of ours — divided into several 
 coupes, each seating eight persons who face 
 one another. As soon as the coupes are filled 
 and before the train leaves the station the 
 conductor, there called '^Schaffner," locks 
 the doors, and the passengers are caged and 
 cooped in until the next station is reached. 
 This procedure naturally engenders a certain 
 feeling of insecurity and uneasiness in view 
 
8 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 of possible accidents. The utmost precau- 
 tion is taken, however, and at the passing 
 of every train the respective section foreman 
 is required to signal by means of a small 
 flag to engineer and train-master that the 
 division has been duly inspected, and every- 
 thing is as it should be. The block system 
 is generally in vogue. All the stations, most 
 of which have good restaurants annexed, 
 are handsome and convenient and are de- 
 cidedly superior to our oftentimes primitive 
 and miserable looking shanties. 
 
 The same regard for the public welfare 
 which obtains in the management of the 
 railroads is also to be observed in the laws 
 governing the everyday life of the people. 
 For instance, no child is allowed to remain 
 away from school without a written and valid 
 excuse from the parents; it is forbidden 
 under penalty of a heavy fine to smoke or 
 to light a match in stables or hay lofts ; all 
 vehicles moving on the public highway after 
 dark must show a light; in dry seasons, 
 when there is not sufficient food and water 
 in the fields and pastures, the owners of 
 cattle must stable them or suffer the penalty 
 of the law, etc., etc. Who would not cheer- 
 
GEEMANY. 9 
 
 fully subscribe to such wise enactments'? 
 Prudent and paternal measures are also 
 adopted for the aid of the indigent, the 
 sick, the helpless and the aged. There are 
 not only institutions for their accomoda- 
 tion, but they are given state assistance in 
 the shape of monthly disbursements of 
 small sums of money. Servants and em- 
 ployees whose record for honesty and faith- 
 fulness is untarnished are entitled, when 
 they reach a certain age, to a liberal pension. 
 One may meet with cases .of impecuniosity 
 but never with cases of starvation, for all 
 classes of the people, no matter what their 
 calling may be, are more or less looked after 
 by the state. The taxes, in consequence, 
 are rather burden-some, especially for the 
 middle classes. 
 
 There is in almost every city, town and 
 village a society whose object it is to beautify 
 and ornament the public roads, streets, parks 
 or unused squares. The associates plant 
 trees and shrubs, lay out lawns and flower 
 beds, and erect fountains and resting places. 
 Under their able management many a for- 
 lorn and unsightly spot has been magically 
 transformed. If the public-spirited men in 
 
10 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 our own smaller communities would only 
 adopt similar measures, we could in the 
 course of a few years greatly beautify our 
 towns and villages. The necessary effort 
 would not be great, and the results would 
 more than repay the out-lay. Another at- 
 tractive feature in Grerman cities is the num- 
 ber of window gardens bright with flower- 
 ing plants and vines. 
 
 One of the fashions of the day which first 
 attracts the notice of the traveller in G^er- 
 many is the mania for collecting illustrated 
 postal-cards which are used more there than 
 in any country in the world. German social 
 usage, unlike that in America, does not 
 frown upon the use of such cards in polite 
 correspondence. Moreover the government 
 has encouraged their use by admitting to 
 the mails any card of reasonable size. Thus 
 it is permitted to take any ordinary card, 
 write ^ ' Deutsche Reichspost " on it, stamp 
 it, and mail it, and this privilege has been 
 used so extensively by publisher and public 
 that the annual increase in receipts of the 
 Grerman mail is enormous. The first illus- 
 trated postals bore lithographed designs 
 which were generally inartistic and common- 
 
GEEMANY. 11 
 
 place, but these were soon superseded by 
 the advent of half-tones and photogravures, 
 and to-day innumerable beautiful views, in 
 many respects more satisfactory as souvenirs 
 and very much cheaper than photographs, 
 are everywhere to be had. They are sold 
 chiefly by the book sellers and newsdealers, 
 but may be seen in the windows of almost 
 all the shops, while the dry-goods houses 
 and groceries use them for advertisements. 
 A lively trade in these cards is also carried 
 on by street-venders, whose monotonous cry 
 of ' ^ Ansichts-Karten ' ' is less agreeable to 
 strangers than it appears to be to the native. 
 The vender has a wire frame in which he 
 displays his wares. These consist of views 
 of the streets and principal buildings in the 
 cities, of mountain, river and lake scenery 
 in Grermany and Switzerland, and of scenes, 
 not altogether fanciful of students' duels 
 and bouts, dances among the peasantry, 
 and '' Schlachtfeste," or roast pig carnivals. 
 Were the customer choosing diamonds he 
 could not go about it more critically or with 
 greater enthusiasm than he exhibits in the 
 selection of these postal-cards for which the 
 dealer is also prepared to furnish the ''Brief- 
 
12 'EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 marken" or stamps. Illustrated postal-cards 
 were introduced in Germany some ten years 
 ago, and their popularity has been very great 
 for the last five years. At present it is uni- 
 versal, and G-ermans spend for postal-cards 
 what Americans spend for magazines. Kot 
 only does the traveller to distant points mail 
 them to his family and friends, but they are 
 dispatched from beer gardens, restaurants 
 and concert halls in the same city, or from 
 a neighboring town where the writer happens 
 to be passing the evening. In the latter case 
 every member of the party adds some words 
 or at least signs his name to the missive 
 whether he know the person to whom it is 
 addressed or not. The cards cost from one 
 to ten cents according to their quality which 
 ranges from the chromo-lithograph to a well 
 executed etching. 
 
 Doubtless sentiment has as much to do as 
 anything with this wide-spread use of postal- 
 cards on the part of the Germans, but the 
 fact that the German public is not a news- 
 paper reading public is another cause which 
 is at once apparent. There are far fewer 
 newspapers in Germany than in America, 
 and, moreover, the German newspaper is. 
 
GERMANY. 
 
 13 
 
 as a rale, small, poorly printed and without 
 enterprise, being sold chiefly to regular sub- 
 scribers. Many people never buy a news- 
 paper, and read those only which are kept 
 by the proprietors of the gardens and cafes 
 for the accommodation of their customers. In 
 many G-erman cities of from fifty to a hund- 
 red thousand inhabitants single copies of the 
 newspapers cannot be bought except at the 
 publishers office or at the newstand at the 
 railway station. In cities like Berhn, Ham- 
 burg, Leipsic, Frankfort or Munich other 
 conditions prevail and street car passengers 
 are often seen reading their favorite journal 
 which they have purchased from a corner 
 stand. But though the people as a whole, 
 and women and children in particular, do 
 not read the news-papers to any extent, and 
 though the heads of fifty families may use 
 the one or two papers of a single beer 
 garden, and read yesterday's issue with as 
 much satisfaction as today's, yet it must 
 not be supposed that Grermany, which gives 
 to the world a larger number of scientific 
 journals than any other country, has not im- 
 portant newspapers containing adequate ac- 
 counts of the relations between the national 
 
14 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 and local governments and able articles 
 bearing on the various political movements 
 and the other daily topics of moment. Berlin 
 alone can boast of some seven hundred 
 journals, forty-five of which are daily pub- 
 lications. Many of these are displayed on 
 the wire rack of the vender together with 
 a far greater number of papers from other 
 centers than would ever be seen in the arms 
 of an American newsboy. The leading news- 
 papers of such cities as Cologne, Hamburg, 
 Munich, Frankfort, Leipsic and Vienna are 
 there as are the French journals, the London 
 dailies, the Paris edition of the New York 
 Herald and often copies of the New York 
 Tribune, Times or Nation. A good deal 
 of news is conveyed to the public free of 
 charge by means of what are called "Plakat- 
 saeulen,'' or placard pillars. These are 
 several feet in circumference and about fif- 
 teen feet high, and bear on their ever- 
 changing surfaces railway time-tables, no- 
 tices of special excursion trains, programmes 
 of theatre and opera and advertisements of 
 games and festivals. There are many of 
 these pillars in all German cities, and while 
 dispensing much information to the public, 
 
GEEMANY. 15 
 
 they do not disfigure the streets as do our 
 American bill-boards. 
 
 Objects of prime interest and importance 
 in every Grerman city are the markets, which, 
 though sometimes well housed, are gener- 
 ally held in open market-places, long the 
 heritage of the people. To these markets, 
 with their wares spread out upon the coble- 
 stones and bricks, go the hotel and res- 
 taurant proprietors, the lady and the maid. 
 Every Grerman housewife prides herself on 
 the appetizing and nourishing dishes she 
 can place before her household by means 
 of judicious marketing and careful cook- 
 ing. Her success depends first and fore- 
 most, however, upon early visits to the 
 market, a wise selection of the best that 
 the stalls contain, and a clever bargain 
 with the dealers, who want the best price 
 they can get, but can usually be induced 
 to sell for just what the article is worth. 
 The result of all this care and personal 
 supervision is that the table of almost any 
 restaurant, '^Wirthshaus" or pension offers 
 an assortment of fresh vegetables and good 
 meat not often surpassed in private homes 
 in America, and so much better than our 
 
16 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 average boarding house as to put it com- 
 pletely to shame. Grermany, however, has 
 not the profusion of fruit that we have, 
 and attractive fruit is either conspicuous by 
 its absence or to be bought only at very 
 high prices. One disagreeable custom which 
 prevails in foreign hotels and pensions and, 
 indeed, confronts the traveller in Europe at 
 almost every turn, is the tipping system. 
 There is an amusing story in one of the 
 recent magazines, called '^The man who 
 gave no Tip," which aptly illustrates this 
 bugbear. In truth, nothing is more annoy- 
 ing than this miserable form of robbery 
 which is especially practised in the hotels. 
 When the moment of your departure arrives, 
 and you take up your satchel and start for 
 the train, the whole swarm of servants, the 
 porter, the valet, the waiter, the chamber- 
 maid, the bell-boy, the boot-black and the 
 coach-man all fall in line, each determined, 
 to the best of his ability, to fleece the poor 
 victim who has to run the gauntlet. Ex- 
 periences of this kind are conducive to any- 
 thing but enjoyment, yet they must be sub- 
 mitted to, all protests to the contrary 
 notwithstanding. Unfortunately the custom 
 is rapidly growing in our own country. 
 
GEEMANY. 17 
 
 Every variety of landscape is to be found 
 within the limits of the Empire. The Black 
 Forest and the Harz are incomparable in 
 grandeur. In the former I spent the Grlorious 
 Fourth together with some friends from St. 
 Louis, Mo. Sitting under the shade of ma- 
 jestic forest trees near a thundering, foam- 
 ing mountain torrent, with a starry flag 
 fastened above us, we all joined in singing 
 ' ' Hail Columbia. ' ' Then there is the famous 
 "Father Rhine" who passes sparkling to 
 the sea between banks rich in historical in- 
 terest as well as in natural beauty. Hoary 
 castles, impregnable fortresses, opulent cities 
 and fair vineyards are reflected in the clear 
 waters. The trip from Mayence to Coblentz, 
 which my travelling companion and I in- 
 cluded in our itinerary, permitted us to view 
 many a place immortalized in song and 
 story. I have only to mention Bingen, 
 Ruedesheim, the Lorelei Cliff, the Mause- 
 thurm, the Niederwald-Denkmal to arouse 
 the enthusiasm of my readers. These places 
 are the favorite haunts of the army of 
 tourists which invades Europe every sum- 
 mer. The yearly influx of Americans, both 
 naturalized and native-born, into Glermany 
 
18 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 is sometliing enormous, and during the sea- 
 son it is almost impossible to secure passage 
 on any steamer except by reserving it for 
 weeks before hand. A statistician for one 
 of our great dailies has estimated that six 
 millions of American money are annually 
 expended in Europe by travellers and 
 tourists. 
 
 Bonn, another landmark on the banks of 
 the Rhine gives the stranger opportunity of 
 learning something of that famous type, the 
 German student. Laying aside all prejudice 
 and national pride, few will deny that Gler- 
 many is the center of science at the present 
 day. Her many well equipped universities, 
 colleges, academies and gymnasia have made 
 her so. Students from other countries in 
 large numbers attend the Glerman schools. 
 Among our fellow passengers crossing the 
 ocean were several young American physi- 
 cians all bound for Grermany, there to com- 
 plete their studies by taking a post-graduate 
 course under some eminent scientist or spe- 
 cialist. The attention of an American in a 
 Grerman university town is first attracted by 
 the squads of fine looking, rosy com- 
 plexioned, scar- cheeked students strolling 
 
GERMANY. 19 
 
 about the streets. They are dressed in the 
 best Grerman style, carrying canes and wear- 
 ing caps of vivid colors — white, blue, green, 
 yellow, red and purple — and, oftentimes, 
 having ribbons of three colors which pass 
 from shoulder to hip. These young men 
 are the corps students, or members of the 
 university societies. The corps resemble 
 somewhat the Grreek letter societies of Amer- 
 ican universities, but differ from them es- 
 sentially. They originated in the old national 
 associations called ' ' Landsmannschaften " 
 named from old German provinces or tribes. 
 The corps with yellow caps is the Suebian, 
 whose colors are black, yellow and blue. 
 The Rhine corps wear the dark blue cap, 
 the Westphalians greeu, and the Saxons, 
 black. Each corps forms an association 
 which extends to every university in Ger- 
 many. The members are, without excep- 
 tion, wealthy and aristocratic young men 
 who hold themselves aloof from the other 
 students . They consider themselves the elite 
 of the university, and assume the right to 
 represent it on all occasions, arranging for 
 all the '^Feste" days, the funerals of the 
 students, and every demonstration in honor 
 
20 *EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 of the professors, whether it be a big torch- 
 light procession or a still bigger drinking 
 bout or '^Kneipe." There are in the uni- 
 versity other societies like the ''Burschen- 
 schaft/' which was originally formed to 
 rival the corps. At first it was not intended 
 to be exclusive, but later on it became a 
 select society and is now as restricted as the 
 corps. 
 
 When Grerman students enter the univer- 
 sity, at the age of eighteen or twenty, they 
 begin a life of freedom and enjoyment en- 
 tirely new to them. They leave their homes 
 and the gymnasia where for nine years they 
 have been undergoing the most rigid prep- 
 aration for their higher education, and 
 where they are hedged in by severe discipline 
 and a firm set of rules. They have scarcely 
 been out of sight of their parents or teachers, 
 and the hard grinding work of the gymna- 
 sium has kept them so busy that they have 
 not had much time for amusement. The 
 laws of the gymnasia forbid them to go to a 
 beer garden or hall unaccompanied by their 
 parents or some older person. After this 
 severe early training, they go to a university 
 city, choose their own rooms, course of 
 
GERMANY. 21 
 
 study and professors, and set about their 
 work, or, if it pleases them, and it usually 
 does, they do no work at all. The reaction 
 from their former rigid routine sets in, and 
 they enter upon a life of freedom, pleasure, 
 idleness and, sometimes, debauchery that is 
 absolutely unknown to students in an Amer- 
 ican university and horrifying in the ex- 
 treme to an American woman. To many 
 of these corps students unrestrained indul- 
 gence means the thorough enjoyment of 
 youth, life and friendship. Their aim is to 
 attain proficiency in drinking and fighting. 
 With these ideas it is natural that they 
 should seek to cover themselves with scars 
 and glory by fighting duels. To fight is a 
 condition of membership in a corps, and in 
 all friendhness and good feeling they are 
 sworn to draw, periodically, one another's 
 blood. The causes of these duels are ex- 
 tremely insignificant. Sometimes a trivial 
 remark, like '^ dummer Junge " — stupid fel- 
 low — or a careless tripping on another's foot, 
 or perhaps merely a fierce glare of the eye is 
 sufficient to call forth a challenge to arms. 
 Ordinarily these duels are perfectly harmless 
 except when the cause is a real insult ; this 
 
22 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 is expiated by a saber duel that sometimes 
 ends in death. With no ill will between the 
 contestants, there is sufficient cause for fight 
 in the fact that they belong to rival corps. 
 The thirst for blood seems at times to be 
 epidemic. Members of the same corps never 
 fight together, but every month or so certain 
 members from different corps are matched 
 against one another, and whichever organi- 
 zation scores the greatest number of points, 
 or, perhaps, scars, wins the most glory. 
 And so the mutual cheek-gashing goes on as 
 it has for years past and is likely to for 
 years to come; for the Glerman student, un- 
 like our under-graduate, finds no vent for 
 his surplus energy in foot-ball and base-ball. 
 Duelling is forbidden in every German 
 university, and in North Grermany the pun- 
 ishment is very severe, but the good-natured 
 South Grermans allow great laxity in the en- 
 forcement of the law regarding the ordinary 
 "Mensur," which is always fought outside 
 of the city. The result of this leniency is 
 that there is a great influx of students from 
 the North German universities to Heidelberg 
 and Freiburg. If by chance the students 
 are caught in the very act of fighting, they 
 
GERMANY. 23 
 
 sometimes have to suffer the penalty; but 
 when the day after a duel they appear in the 
 streets and at lecture in skull caps with strips 
 of court plaster adorning their foreheads or 
 cheeks from ear to nose, or perhaps with the 
 nose itself in a wad of cotton and black silk 
 supports reaching over the ears, then the 
 professor looks knowing, the students ex- 
 change sly winks, and the towns people take 
 it as a matter of course. 
 
 The Emperor is a warm admirer of the 
 corps system and the duelling. At a students' 
 meeting at Bonn, in May, 1891, he said: 
 '^I hope that as long as there are Glerman 
 corps students, the spirit which is fostered 
 in their corps, and which is steeled by 
 strength and courage, will be preserved, and 
 that you will always take delight in the 
 rapier. There are many people who do not 
 understand what our 'Mensuren' really 
 mean, but that must not lead us astray. 
 You and I who have been corps students 
 know better than that. As in the middle 
 ages manly strength and courage were steeled 
 by the practice of jousting or tournaments, 
 so the spirit and habits which are acquired 
 by membership in a corps furnish us with 
 
24 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 the degree of fortitude which is necessary 
 to us when we go out into the world, and 
 which will last as long as there are German 
 universities." 
 
 I may here mention an odd custom, or, 
 rather, fad which has become general in 
 imitation of the Emperor's habit. It is a 
 special manner of cultivating the mustache. 
 Instead of combing it as heretofore sideways 
 or downwards, it is now being brushed 
 straight upwards. This style is called, "h 
 FEmpereur," and evinces intense patriot- 
 ism. 
 
 The architectural monuments in the Grer- 
 man cities are an inexhaustible source of in- 
 terest and instruction, not only because of 
 their venerable ages, for many of them date 
 their construction from the middle ages or 
 even earlier, but also because of the priceless 
 art treasures and historical relics which they 
 contain. The first city which we visited, 
 however, after leaving our steamer, was 
 not a Grerman city at all, but Antwerp in 
 Belgium, whose noble cathedral harbors the 
 paintings of Rubens (t 1640), Van Dyk 
 (t 1660), and others. This church is five 
 hundred feet long, two hundred and fifty 
 
GEEMANY. 25 
 
 feet wide and has a spire four hundred and 
 forty-four feet high. The pulpit and con- 
 fessionals here and in St. Paul's are among 
 the most wonderful specimens of wood carv- 
 ing extant. At Bremen the chaste and much 
 admired cathedral dates its origin from the 
 time of Archbishop Adalbert in 1160. In 
 the crypt is the historic ' ^ Bleikeller , " a 
 vaulted room possessing the peculiar prop- 
 erty of keeping bodies in a state of preserva- 
 tion. Enter, and you behold the bodies of 
 men and women in open caskets, which 
 were laid there three and four hundred years 
 ago, yet, though somewhat mummified or 
 ossified', natural and life-like expressions still 
 linger upon their pallid features. The Ratli- 
 Haus, city hail, with its world renowned 
 wine cellar, was built in 1405. Bremen, like 
 Antwerp, is conspicuous for its transatlantic 
 shipping, its parks and fine monuments. 
 
 A city of no mean pretensions, one of the 
 oldest in all Germany, conquered by Charle- 
 magne in 772, is Miinster in Westphalia. 
 Though they cling tanaciously to the tradi- 
 tions and customs of their forefathers, the 
 inhabitants are keeping pace with modern 
 progress and development. This is evidenced 
 
26 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 by the fine boulevards, electric street rail- 
 ways, zoological gardens, historical museum, 
 university, new churches and other improve- 
 ments. Miinster is replete with historical 
 reminiscences. Here, after the Thirty Years 
 War with Sweden, terms of peace were 
 signed in 1648. Within her walls the ex- 
 cesses of the Anabaptists took place in 1534. 
 The iron cages that contained the bodies of 
 Johann van Leyden, Knipperdoelling and 
 Krechting, may be seen at the present day 
 suspended from the Lamberti spire. The first 
 Bishop of Miinster was St. Ludger of Fries- 
 land, whose date is 802. The old cathedral 
 church was built under Bishop Grerhard in 
 1277. 
 
 Musty documents tell us the history of 
 many other Grerman cities which were 
 founded at or near the time of the inroads 
 of the Romans upon the territories of the 
 Cimbri and Teutons. Among these are Co- 
 logne, Treves, Aix-la-Chapelle, Mayence and 
 others. 
 
 In Cologne, the matchless queen on the 
 banks of the Rhine, we made our first stop 
 on our journey to the Orient. This city had 
 its origin in a camp which was pitched upon 
 
GEEMANY. 27 
 
 its site by the Romans in the time of Marcus 
 Agrippa. Agrippina, daughter of Grerman- 
 icus and mother of Nero, induced her hus- 
 band, Claudius, to found a colony there in 
 51 A. D. The town then received the name 
 of Colonia Agrippina, which it retained for 
 •many centuries. Today it is a populous 
 beautiful and wealthy city. The cathedral of 
 Cologne, begun about the middle of the 
 thirteenth century, is by far the most superb 
 and imposing Grothic structure in the world. 
 The original architect is unknown. After 
 many intermissions in the course of its build- 
 ing, it was completed only some twenty 
 years ago. The largest of the bells weighs 
 twenty-seven thousand pounds, and was cast 
 from cannon captured in the Franco-Prus- 
 sian war. The length of the edifice is five 
 hundred and eleven feet, its breadth two 
 hundred and thirty-one feet, and the towers 
 are five hundred and eleven feet high. This 
 majestic and colossal structure is the pride 
 of G-ermany, and justly so. Every traveller 
 in Europe goes to see it. Cologne exerts a 
 magnetic influence upon the visitor which 
 makes him, time and circumstances permitt- 
 ing, prolong his stay within her hospitable 
 walls. 
 
28 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Having had our passports endorsed by 
 the local Turkish consul, we sped onwards 
 towards our distant gaol, passing Mayence, 
 Aschaffenburg and Wiirzburg and pausing 
 at Niirenberg in Bavaria, a city of mediaeval 
 type and character, the native place of the 
 great Albrecht Diirer (1528), and Hans 
 Sachs (1576). Here our first objective point 
 was the old castle. We visited the gruesome 
 chamber of horrors with its instruments of 
 torture. We saw thumb, ankle and leg 
 screws, the rack, wheel, chair and stove, 
 masks, swords and thongs, all in use in the 
 time of Gustavus Adolphus. In the court- 
 yard stands an old Linden tree planted by 
 Empress Kuuigunde in 1120. Near by is a 
 deep well which it took convicts thirty years 
 to drill, and from which secret subterraneous 
 passages lead to dungeons and prison holes 
 where conspirators and political prisoners 
 were immured. The public market place 
 with its famous fountain well repays a visit 
 as do the church of San Lorenzo and the 
 Frauenkirche. The traveller should not 
 fail to take luncheon at the Bratwurst-Glock- 
 lein, probably one of the oldest inns in all 
 Grermany. It is a smoke-begrimed, dingy 
 
GERMANY. 29 
 
 little place, consisting of a small kitchen and 
 room. Every piece of furniture, however, 
 utensils, floor, ceiling and windows, bear 
 witness to its extreme age. Here gathered 
 the notables of the town before Diirer and 
 Sachs were born, and these in their turn be- 
 came patrons of the Grlocklein. Their large 
 tin mugs are kept today on the same shelves 
 where their owners used to place them five 
 hundred years ago. 
 
 But we had to curtail our stay in Niiren- 
 berg. We left the interesting city rather 
 reluctantly, and hastening onward arrived, 
 by way of Passau where we crossed the 
 Austrian boundary and custom house, at 
 the town of Linz, situated on the banks of 
 the Danube. 
 
AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY. 
 
 Crossing the Bavarian boundary line at 
 Passau, we entered the domain of Emperor 
 Francis Joseph. The Austro-Hungarian 
 monarchy is the empire of Southern Central 
 Europe. It consists of two main divisions , 
 Austria proper and Hungary, each of which 
 has its separate legislature and administra- 
 tion, though they are united under one mon- 
 arch and have a single ministry for matters 
 of common interest. It is only since the 
 accession of the present ruler that the two 
 countries have been actually consolidated. 
 The fundamental law which divides the 
 monarchy into two states bears the date of 
 December 21, 1867. The crown is hereditary 
 in the house of Hapsburg as that of Ger- 
 many is in the Hohenzollern house. The 
 present beloved and venerable chief, Fran- 
 cis Joseph was born August 18, 1830, and 
 succeeded to the throne on December 2, 1848. 
 His consort, the Empress Elizabeth, fell a 
 victim of the assassin's dagger, a few years 
 
 ago. 
 
 (30) 
 
AUSTEIA AND HUNGAKY. Bl 
 
 The total area of the empire is 240,381 
 square miles, about five-sevenths of which 
 are mountainous. The Alps cover almost 
 the entire southern belt of the Grerman prov- 
 inces, their highest peaks being the Ortler 
 (18,852 feet) and the Gross-aiockner (12, 
 776 feet). Then there are the Carpathian 
 mountains, whose chain extends for about 
 eight hundred miles. These bold and rug- 
 ged granite cliffs arise to a height of more 
 than eight thousand feet above the level of 
 the sea. The Sudetic mountains with the 
 Bohemian forest and the Ore mountain form 
 an almost uninterrupted range of granite 
 and gneiss formation. Of the streams the 
 Danube is by far the most important. It 
 is in fact the main artery of the Austrian 
 Empire, and may at no distant period be- 
 come for Southern Europe what the Mis- 
 sissippi is for our Southern states. It flows 
 from east to west. Steamboats were first 
 introduced on the Danube in 1830. 
 
 The German language is chiefly used in 
 Austria. In Hungary the Magyar or Slavic 
 tongue, divided into some twenty different 
 dialects or idioms, obtains. The capital 
 cities of this dual monarchy are Vienna in 
 
32 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Austria and Buda-Pesth in Hungary, both 
 situated on tlie banks of the Danube. 
 
 Arrived at Linz, we registered at the 
 hotel '^Zur goldenenKanone," satisfied the 
 cravings of the inner man, and then took 
 a walk through the principal streets and 
 parks of this important Austrian city. We 
 saw, in course of construction, the great 
 cathedral church which was designed by the 
 late incumbent of the diocesan see, Msgr. 
 Eudigier, and the cost of which is being 
 defrayed by contributions from the entire 
 country. Msgr. Eudigier was a man to 
 whose intrepidity and fearlessness in the 
 cause of peace and justice Austria owes 
 much. His remains rest in the crypt of 
 the church beneath the sanctuary. Sur- 
 mounting the marble sarcophagus is a life 
 size figure in bronze of the great bishop. 
 
 Some seventy-five miles west of Linz, 
 snugly nestling among the hills and forests 
 is the cloistered retreat of Schlagel Abbey. 
 Hither we went, desiring to see an invalid 
 friend, Msgr. A. Zeininger formerly pro- 
 fessor at Milwaukee. We were warmly re- 
 ceived and most hospitably entertained 
 during several restful, pleasant days. It 
 
AUSTEIA AND HUNGARY. 33 
 
 was with reluctance that we departed, and 
 our visit will ever be remembered with 
 pleasure. 
 
 In Austria as well as in Germany there 
 are extensive forests of oak, beech, pine and 
 hemlock. They are partly public domain 
 and partly private property. In either case 
 the laws regarding forest preservation are 
 strict and general, and cover all forest lands 
 whether in valleys or on the mountain slopes. 
 For every tree felled either in the spring or 
 autumn a healthy sapling must be planted 
 the next season. These young trees are 
 supplied and delivered to applicants, free 
 of cost, by the government. On our trip 
 through Grermany as well as here at Schla- 
 gel, on the outskirts of the Bohemian Forest, 
 we had object lessons in this wise and pru- 
 dent policy. When will our government 
 awake to its duty in this regard, put a stop 
 to the wanton destruction of our fine timber, 
 and inaugurate measures for the preserva- 
 tion of our valuable forests? Savages live 
 lavishly as long as their stock of food lasts, 
 even though they know that afterwards they 
 must starve. We say they can never climb 
 out of the savage state until they learn to 
 
34 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 provide for the future. Yet in regard to 
 our forests, which are without doubt the 
 most indispensible products of the soil, we 
 have acted very much as the Comanche 
 Indian does with respect to his store of 
 food. The value of the product of our forests 
 is not less than eight hundred millions of 
 dollars a year. Our supply of white pine is 
 rapidly diminishing, and other valuable spe- 
 cies will be as ruthlessly wasted when the 
 pine is gone. When the inevitable timber 
 famine comes, it will be a more serious ca- 
 lamity than would be the failure of any other 
 crop for ten consecutive years. Far-seeing 
 people have long ago raised their voices in 
 protest against this vandalism, and scientists 
 are a unite in saying that our frequent and 
 long-continued drouths are in part attribut- 
 able to the disappearance of the forests and 
 clearing of the timber lands. A remedy 
 should be applied, and is to be found in the 
 method adopted in European countries for 
 the preservation of the forests. If these 
 precautions are not taken we will have rea- 
 son in the future to rue our presejnt neglect. 
 On Saturday morning, May 25, we bid 
 adieu to Linz. A stately river steamer, the 
 
AUSTEIA AND HUNGAEY. 35 
 
 ''Buda-Pestli" lay at the wharf. Even be- 
 fore the time for starting her decks were 
 crowded with a motley assemblage of pas- 
 sengers. We joined them, for our objective 
 point was imperial Vienna and for that place 
 was the vessel bound. It was an ideal day^ 
 bright and balmy, and the surface of the 
 transparent waters was placid and tranquil. 
 All things augured a pleasant and enjoy- 
 able journey. We had looked forward to 
 this journey with much pleasure, and our 
 anticipations were fully realized, for the 
 Danube is, next to the Volga, the largest 
 river in Europe, and, unquestionably one of 
 the most picturesque, surpassing in some re- 
 spects even the Rhine. At times the banks 
 broaden out into level plains clothed in the 
 verdure of pastures and cultivated fields, 
 and, again, they rise directly from the water's 
 edge and culminate in lofty mountain peaks. 
 Here the eye rests upon carefully worked 
 vine-yards, gardens and pretty villas ; there 
 the ruined walls of some ancient feudal castle 
 tower above the dense foliage like an eagle's 
 nest perched upon the mountain summit. 
 The landscape offers in constant variation 
 the calm and smiling beauty of the valley or 
 
36 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 the awe-inspiring grandeur of the heights. 
 Amazed at these marvels of nature, the pas- 
 senger stands motionless against the guards, 
 drinking in the romantic beauty of the scene. 
 We Illinoisans were carried away with en- 
 thusiasm over the wonders displayed by the 
 Danube as we moved eastward on its blue 
 waters. 
 
 There were but few — perhaps half a dozen 
 English-speaking persons among the pas- 
 sengers. Towards dusk, when the shades of 
 evening were falling we drew near Vienna, 
 the "Donaustadt," Austria's capital, a city 
 of 1,670,000 inhabitants, the third largest on 
 the continent, of which the Viennese merrily 
 sing: 
 
 '^Es gibt nur a Kaiserstadt, 
 Es gibt nur a Wien." 
 
 Vienna is one of the most attractive capi- 
 tals of Europe. The Ringstrasse, a series of 
 boulevards lined with palatial buildings and 
 planted with trees, forms a belt around its 
 greater part. This and the almost equally 
 fine streets crossing it constitute the favorite 
 quarter of the wealthy. Among the prom- 
 inent edifices on the Ringstrasse are the 
 academy of fine arts, the conservatory of 
 
ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL, VIENNA. 
 
AUSTRIA AND HUNGAEY. 37 
 
 music, the museum of arts and industry, 
 military head quarters, the parliament 
 house, the city hall and the imperial muse- 
 um. The most important square is the 
 Stephansplatz upon which the cathedral 
 faces, and which is the center of the city. 
 St. Stephen's Cathedral, considered one of 
 the most magnificent specimens of Gothic 
 architecture, dates from the fourteenth cen- 
 tury. It is three hundred and fifty-four feet 
 long, two hundred and thirty feet broad, and 
 its spire reaches a height of four hundred 
 and seventy feet. Among the other notable 
 places of worship is the Capuchin church, 
 which contains the burial vault of the im- 
 perial family, and the Votivkirche, erected 
 in 1856 in commemoration of the Emperor's 
 escape from assassination in 1853. The 
 Prater is the principle promenade and resort 
 for the Viennese, and is five miles long. It 
 contains six main avenues. There are to be 
 found amusements of all sorts, band con- 
 certs, panoramas, theatres, rustic kitchens, 
 wine and beer gardens and the race course. 
 The Volksgarten and the city park are 
 favorite rendez vous. Charming scenery is 
 encountered in the environs of the city. The 
 
38 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 heights of Leopoldberg and Kahlenberg com- 
 mand a view extending to the Styrian Alps 
 on the sonth and the Carpathians on the 
 east. The famous gardens of Schoenbrunn, 
 the summer residence of the Emperor are 
 wonderously beautiful. Vienna is mentioned 
 in history as early as the second century. 
 In 1485 it was captured by Corvinus, and 
 was heroically defended against Sultan Soli- 
 man in 1529. Again in 1683 the valor of 
 Stahremberg and the timely succor of John 
 Sobieski of Poland saved the city from a 
 second invasion of the Turks. Our stay in 
 Vienna occured during the Pentecost holi- 
 days which are for the Viennese one con- 
 tinuous round of pleasure. During these 
 days all work is suspended, and every one, 
 no matter how limited his means may be, 
 joins in the general dizzy whirl. It was no 
 small relief to us both to spend a few quiet 
 hours in our room at the hotel ^'Zur golde- 
 nen Ente." 
 
 One of our last visits before leaving 
 Vienna was to the American consulate, 
 where we were cordially received by the 
 gentleman in charge. We obtained all the 
 necessary information regarding passports, 
 
AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY. 39 
 
 routes, etc., and after an hour's interesting 
 conversation, we waved a parting salute to 
 the stars and stripes floating in the morning 
 breezes over the consulate, and, hurrying 
 back to the hotel, took dinner, drove to the 
 station, and were on our way to Hungary's 
 capital by two o ' clock . Speeding over fertile 
 plains that promised a rich harvest, past 
 numerous towns and villages, we arrived at 
 our destination that evening, May 28th, at 
 seven and established our head quarters at 
 the '^Erzherzog Josef." This city is, like 
 Vienna, picturesquely situated on the banks 
 of the Danube. Three fine bridges span the 
 river, uniting the twin cities, Buda andPesth. 
 Overhanging the river and planted on the 
 summit of the Blocksberg is Buda-var, an 
 impregnable fortress, and the royal castle. 
 Further east, hard by the river side, are the 
 elegant and beautiful houses of the parlia- 
 ment undoubtedly among the finest in the 
 world. Local traffic and interurban com- 
 munication is carried on by electric street 
 railways. The streets are well paved and 
 the parks, zoological gardens, commercial 
 emporiums, banks, spacious hotels and pa- 
 latial residences all combine to make of 
 
40 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Buda-Pesth one of the foremost cities of 
 Europe. The population at present is 505,- 
 763. It was here that for the first time we 
 felt creeping over us a feeling akin to lone- 
 liness. This was but natural, for we had 
 suddenly come into the midst of a people 
 with whom we had no point of contact — 
 whose language and customs differed radi- 
 cally from our own. Wherever we turned 
 Magyar accents greeted our ears. The Slavic 
 tongue was the spoken and printed medium 
 of intercourse. Here and elsewhere when 
 English or German was insufficient, we had 
 recourse to French which always stood us in 
 good stead. 
 
 And here let me remark that the traveller 
 who has command of but one language, is, 
 in foreign countries, placed entirely at the 
 mercy of others. He will be defrauded, over- 
 charged, and taken advantage of in various 
 ways. An example of this came under our 
 notice. A gentleman and lady from Chicago 
 were travelling in Europe. We met them in 
 the Roman catacombs just after their return 
 from Pompeii and Vesuvius. Ordinarily the 
 carriage fare from Naples to these places does 
 not exceed twenty or twenty-five lire. Our 
 
AUSTEIA AND HUNGARY. 41 
 
 Chicago grain merchant and his wife, how- 
 ever, ignorant and not at all suspicious of 
 the crooked ways of the wily Italian, were 
 compelled to part with some one hundred 
 and twenty lire before their drivers con- 
 descended to take them back to their hotel, 
 where they arrived at half -past two in the 
 morning. 
 
 The majority of educated people in Europe 
 understand and speak French. For centuries 
 it has been recognized as the official language 
 by foreign courts and governments, and its 
 study is compulsory in almost every high 
 school, gymnasium and college. 
 
 We experienced some difficulty in corn- 
 forming to Hungarian customs during our 
 brief stay in the country. At hotels and 
 restaurants bread and butter is only served 
 by request. For coffee you must go to a 
 regular ^'Kavehaz." In the absence of a 
 regular bill of fare you will be treated three 
 times a day to ^'goulasc," the national dish, 
 whilst ''bor and ''sor" accompany every 
 meal. Hungary is the home of the far- 
 famed Tokay wine 
 
 The monetary system in Austria and Hun- 
 gary is rather perplexing and complicated 
 
42 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 for a stranger. One of the first things to 
 learn when visiting a foreign land is the 
 coinage and its value. This knowledge will 
 obviate many difficulties and greatly facili- 
 tate whatever business one may have to 
 transact. In the Austrian Empire there is 
 very little gold in circulation because of its 
 scarcity and consequent premium. At Pas- 
 sau, where, it will be remembered, we crossed 
 the frontier, we gave gold at the bank to be 
 exchanged for Austrian currency which we 
 requested might be also in gold. The clerk 
 regarded us an instant with big questioning 
 eyes, as if he had misunderstood our de- 
 mand, then, with a broad smile, he ex- 
 plained that such a thing as paying out gold 
 was almost unknown to bankers in Austria. 
 They had no gold. For our precious metal 
 we received paper bills and departed wiser 
 men. The various coins which circulate in 
 the Empire are Filler, Heller, Kreuzer, 
 Krone and Gulden. 
 
 Here in Hungary and further east in 
 Roumania and Transylvania is the home of 
 the G-ypsies, the terror of children, a no- 
 madic, vagabond people who wander over the 
 face of the globe, but have nowhere a fixed 
 
AUSTEIA AND HUNGAEYj 43 
 
 abiding place. They practice the arts of 
 fortune telhng and palmistry. Industry is 
 not very highly developed among them, be- 
 ing confined chiefly to the tinkering of cheap 
 hardwares, and turning a few articles in 
 wood. They are experienced horse traders 
 and are said to be great thieves. They have 
 little or no religious belief and there are no 
 words in their language to signify Grod, the 
 soul or immortality. Marriage is a temporary 
 bond with them, and the limits of consan- 
 guinity are not respected. The Grypsy phys- 
 iognomy is Asiatic in type, with tawny 
 complexion, quick black eyes, jet black hair, 
 high cheek bones, slightly projecting lower 
 jaw and fine white teeth. Their bearing and 
 posture somewhat resembles that of our In- 
 dian. I had an opportunity of studying 
 these characteristics while travelling from 
 Schlagel to Linz, as two gens d'armes 
 boarded the train with a band of shackled 
 and handcuffed Grypsies, two men and three 
 women, whom they were taking to police 
 headquarters. My curiosity being aroused, 
 I went the entire distance in the same coupe 
 with them. The Grypsies are ignorant of 
 their own origin, and, as history has failed 
 
44 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 to record their migrations, there are many 
 different opinions on the subject. Some con- 
 tend that they are from India, and were 
 driven thence by the ravages of Tamerlane 
 in 1398, and that they belonged to the 
 Soodra caste or to the Pariahs. Others as- 
 sign Lower Egypt as the place of their 
 origin. My aversion to them dates from the 
 early days when as a child I was often 
 frightened by these venders of mouse traps, 
 and even now there is hardly a child who 
 will venture near the camping grounds of 
 these roving Grypsy bands. 
 
 In our country much has been said and 
 written concerning the emancipation and 
 enfranchisement of woman, her relations to 
 society, to politics, and to the world of bus- 
 iness. Our American women exercise fully 
 and freely all their prerogatives and privi- 
 leges. Their sisters in Hungary and the 
 eastern states of Europe are less fortunate, 
 nay, the lot of the women of the poorer 
 classes is deplorable, and demands ameliora- 
 tion. Will my fair readers believe that I saw 
 women carry the bricks aiid mortar for the 
 construction of a four- story building, unload 
 railroad cars, break stone and macadamize 
 
AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY. 45 
 
 the public highways and plow in the fields ? 
 I spite of their great physical exertions they 
 all seemed healthy and robust, contented and 
 happy. 
 
 Throughout our overland journey we 
 travelled on ^''D" trains distinct from the 
 "Orient Express." This latter is transcon- 
 tinental, starting from Brussels, and mak- 
 ing connections at all the most important 
 European centers. The cars are fitted with 
 all modern comforts like our palace cars. 
 Only those holding first class tickets and 
 paying an additional charge of thirty per 
 cent are admitted to these trains. When 
 about to leave Hungary, my friend and I 
 seriously considered the advisability of tak- 
 ing the "Orient Express" for Constantin- 
 ople. After carefully weighing the pros and 
 cons, we decided to continue our travel as 
 leisurely as before on the "D" train, which 
 would arrive only three hours later, and 
 which carried dining and sleeping cars. On 
 the afternoon of May 30th, we bade fare- 
 well to Buda-Pesth, and, taking the train at 
 twenty minutes of three, we were soon push- 
 ing onward towards Servia. 
 
THE BALKAN STATES. 
 
 The road which leads from Buda-Pesth 
 across these eastern states is popularly known 
 as the ^ 'Baron Hirsch Eoad, ' ' because Hirsch 
 seems to be the principal stockholder, and 
 with his millions the road is, in the main, 
 operated. We were no longer caged in and 
 cooped up. As these coaches are provided 
 with narrow passageways which led through 
 the entire length of the wagon and per- 
 mit free access to all the coupes. We had 
 interesting travelling companions on our 
 journey eastward. Let us scrutinize them 
 more closely. There was a gentleman from 
 Buda-Pesth, a cattledealer by profession, 
 if such it may be called, who proved to be 
 very agreeable and loquacious, and enlight- 
 ened us on many points regarding his own 
 country which had been obscure or un- 
 known. His son, a lad of some nineteen 
 summers, and a piano virtuoso, was, he 
 said, to make his debut in the United States 
 that summer. The old gentleman had al- 
 ready visions of future success and fame for 
 (46) 
 
BALKAN STATES. 47 
 
 liis boy, and was confident that he would 
 return a milhonaire. Another passenger, 
 and one who had travelled much, was a 
 beardless Viennese who spoke fluently five 
 languages. His demeanor was at all times 
 courteous and polite, and in conversation 
 he displayed considerable knowledge of the 
 Orient. Then there was a Greek- American 
 from New York, sent out by his house to 
 buy oriental pelts and hides. He, too, helped 
 no little to make the hours of railway travel, 
 often so wearisome, pass pleasantly by. A 
 German civil engineer in the employ of the 
 Hirsch road and stationed at Adrianople was 
 another well-informed and obliging member 
 of the party, whilst three bright children re- 
 turning home from a German school in 
 charge of a governess, dispelled by their 
 mirth the last vestige of ennui. They chatted 
 in Greek, French and German. 
 
 By seven o'clock that evening we had 
 reached the last town on Hungarian terri- 
 tory, and from that time until our arrival at 
 Constantinople our passports and luggage 
 underwent rigid examination by the frontier 
 police and customs officials both on entering 
 and leaving each country. Here in the East 
 
48 EUROPE J THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 it is as difficult to leave a country as it is to 
 enter it, and a passport is an absolute neces- 
 sity without which you cannot proceed on 
 your journey, but are either detained, sent 
 back or perhaps even imprisoned. The 
 Hungarian officials opened the inspection 
 seance. By it they intended to satisfy them- 
 selves that we were not escaping criminals 
 or political fugitives attempting to flee the 
 country and thus evade the arm of retrib- 
 utive justice. After dispelling from their 
 minds any and every doubt by exhibiting 
 Uncle Sam's credentials, we were permitted 
 to depart from the domain of Emperor 
 Francis Joseph and pass on to King Alex- 
 ander's realm, where, half an hour later, the 
 same performance was to be gone through 
 with again. The comedy was repeated with 
 scrupulous exactitude seven times in the 
 next forty hours, after which our pass-ports 
 showed various queer looking stamps and 
 odd hieroglyphics in the shape of endorse- 
 ments. Try as we might we were obliged 
 to give up and confess our inability to de- 
 cipher them. These characters were, for us, 
 as unreadable as the spoken jargon was un- 
 intelligible. 
 
THE BALKAN STATES. 49 
 
 Servia, which we entered on leaving Hun- 
 gary, gained its independence in 1829 after 
 a war with Turl^ey which lasted fourteen 
 years, and was erected into a kingdom in 
 1882. The executive authority is vested in 
 a king who is assisted by eight ministers. 
 The legislative body is the Narodna Skupsh- 
 tina or national assembly, a single house 
 composed of one hundred and seventeen 
 members elected by the nation. The present 
 ruler is Alexander I., born August 14th, 
 1876. He succeeded to the throne on March 
 6, 1889, when his father, the notorious 
 King Milan, who died in ignominy in Paris 
 last year, was compelled to abdicate. The 
 prince belongs to the Obrenovitch dynasty. 
 
 The area of Servia comprises 16,817 square 
 miles, and its population, about two and 
 a half millions, is a mixed one, consisting 
 of Serbs proper, Wallachs, Gypsies, Turks, 
 Bulgarians, Jews, Grermans and Hungarians. 
 The Serbs are among the most spirited of 
 the Slavic peoples. There is no recognized 
 nobility among them, and the peasants live 
 under the authority of a chief of their own 
 selection. The Servian language together 
 with the Russian and Bulgarian, forms the 
 
50 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 eastern group of the Slavic languages. It 
 is spoken by the Serbs, Bosnians, Herzego- 
 vinians, Montenegrins, Slavonians and Dal- 
 matians. The Servians hold religious com- 
 munion with the Greek Church, presided 
 over by a Patriarch. 
 
 The country is broken by ramifications of 
 the Carpathians in the north east, the Bal- 
 kans in the south east and the Dinaric alps 
 in the west. Most of the mountains are 
 covered by dense forests. The climate is 
 severe in the uplands but mild in the val- 
 leys. 
 
 Belgrade, meaning white city, is the seat 
 of government, and has seventy thousand 
 inhabitants. We arrived here on a clear 
 moonlight night, but the place presents 
 few interesting points. It is partly oriental, 
 partly modern in appearance, and, except 
 for its historical reminiscences, has little at- 
 traction for the stranger, who consequently 
 shortens his stay. Belgrade was long an 
 object of contention between the Christians 
 and the Turks. It was unsuccessfully be- 
 sieged by the latter in 1456 when John 
 Hunyadi defended it against Mohammed 
 II., but was taken by Soliman the Magni- 
 
THE BALKAN STATES. 51 
 
 ficent in 1521 and held until 1688 when it 
 was recaptured by the Elector of Bavaria. 
 Having again fallen into the hands of the 
 Turks, Belgrade was liberated by the gallant 
 Prince Eugene, after a prodigious victory 
 in which vastly superior numbers were com- 
 pletely routed and put to flight. 
 
 At Belgrade we partook of an early morn- 
 ing breakfast, and posted letters for home. 
 The day was as bright and sunny as the 
 preceding, and hilarity and good humor 
 reigned supreme in our coupe as we sped 
 through Servian territory and entered that 
 of Bulgaria. 
 
 Bulgaria is a principality, tributary to 
 Turkey. It covers 24,360 square miles and 
 has an estimated population of somewhat 
 more than two and a half millions. The 
 southern part of the country is almost en- 
 tirely overrun by branches of the Balkan 
 range. The dress of a Bulgarian consists of 
 a sheepskin cap, a short open jacket often 
 also of sheepskin, a broad girdle and baggy 
 trousers buckled at the knee with folds of 
 flannel wrapped around the legs. The chief 
 occupations of the people are agriculture and 
 cattle raising. Grain is produced in large 
 
52 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 quantities and the wine is extensively culti- 
 vated. Bulgaria and the adjacent province 
 of Macedonia are thought to be the cradle 
 of the Slavic languages. Belonging to an- 
 cient Bulgarian literature is a translation of 
 the Bible made by saints Cyril and Me- 
 thodius, the apostles of Bulgaria in the tenth 
 century. At present the religion is that of 
 the Grreek church. Sofia is the capital city. 
 On September 7th, 1886, Prince Alexander 
 of Battenberg was forced to abdicate, and 
 after a short interregnum the Sobranje 
 or national assembly, unanimously elected 
 Prince Ferdinand of Saxony as their prince. 
 He assumed the reins of government Au- 
 gust 14th, 1887. 
 
 But we must not tarry on the way, as the 
 journey before us is a long one. 
 
 We remained at Sofia but a short time as 
 the city contains little that is attractive. It 
 resembles a large village. From Bulgaria 
 we passed into Eastern E-oumelia which is 
 now known as Southern Bulgaria. It is an 
 autonomous province of Turkey, united to 
 Bulgaria by act of the people who, in 1885 
 deposed their governor and proclaimed the 
 union. Prince Alexander assumed adminis- 
 
THE BALKAN STATES. 53 
 
 tration and since then the Eastern Roumel- 
 ians have sent representatives to the So- 
 branje. The province contains 13,500 square 
 miles. Phihppopel is the former capital. 
 At this place the bright and cheerful child- 
 ren with their governess bade us adieu, and 
 as we had already parted with our Buda- 
 Pesth friend, the cattle dealer, and also with 
 the German civil engineer, the young Vien- 
 nese, the Greek- American, my friend and I 
 were sole occupants of the coach. We were 
 now travelling on the "Zaribrod" railroad, 
 which runs from Sofia to Philippopel and 
 then into Turkey. The people whom we 
 passed along the route began to assume the 
 appearance of the subjects of the Sultan. 
 The sheepskin cap of the Bulgarian gave 
 place to the red fez of the Turk. The small 
 jacket, ample trousers "and leggings were 
 superseded by the Ottoman costume, the 
 indescribable trousers being buckled arround 
 the ankle. Throughout the Balkan region 
 it was no uncommon sight to see a horse 
 and cow harnessed to the same plow or 
 wagon. Storks, the traditional family birds, 
 congregated in large numbers in meadows 
 and marshes, fields and gardens. This would 
 
54 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 seem to be their home. We had already 
 met with them near Bremen and in Baden, 
 but not in such force as here. The early- 
 fruit was ripe. Great black cherries of su- 
 perior flavor and sweetness were offered for 
 sale at every stopping place. After a con- 
 tinuous and tiring journey of fourty-two 
 hours from Buda-Pesth we at last sighted 
 the domes and minarets of our long de- 
 sired goal, Constantinople, where we ar- 
 rived on Saturday morning, June 1st, at a 
 quarter after seven. 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 The Ottoman Empire extends over por- 
 tions of eastern Europe, western Asia and 
 northern Africa, and is composed of the ab- 
 solute possessions of the sultan and his 
 dependencies. Turkey proper is divided 
 into European Turkey, covering a hundred 
 and fourty thousand square miles and hav- 
 ing 5,600,000 inhabitants, and Asiatic Tur- 
 key embracing seven hundred and sixty 
 thousand square miles with a population of 
 16,500,000 souls. The will of the sovereign 
 is absolute unless it conflicts with the pre- 
 cepts of the Koran. The succession to the 
 throne is vested in the oldest prince of the 
 house of Osman. The present ruler is Abdul 
 Hamid II., who was born, September 22, 
 1842, and has reigned since the deposition 
 of his brother Murad, August 31, 1876. The 
 deposed sovereign is said to be still living in 
 prison. 
 
 Military service is obligatory for all Mos- 
 lems, but at the end of five months service 
 (55) 
 
56 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 the soldier may purchase his release froin 
 the remainder of his term in the nizam or 
 army. Those who are not Turks are not 
 liable to service, but must pay a military ex- 
 emption tax known as the ''bedel." 
 
 Polygamy is sanctioned by the Koran 
 which, however, limits the number of wives 
 to four, and requires that evidence be given 
 of the ability to support them. 
 
 And here one may ask, what is the Koran? 
 It is the sacred book of the Mohammedans, 
 their supreme authority in matters of reli- 
 gion, and their code of laws, moral, social 
 and civil. Its contents are taken from the 
 ancient traditions of the Arabs, the Hebrew 
 Bible, the New Testament, the Jewish Tal- 
 mud and other sources. It may be summed 
 up as a mixture of Paganism, Judaism and 
 Christianity, prepared for his followers by 
 the self styled prophet, Mohammed, who 
 claimed to have had supernatural visions 
 and revelations during a period of twenty- 
 three years. These revelations are recorded 
 in the form of dogmas, conversations with 
 Grod, rules of conduct, threats and promises. 
 
 Mohammed, the founder of the Mussel- 
 man religion was born at Mecca in Arabia, 
 
TUEKEY. 57 
 
 November 10, 570, and died in Medina, 
 June 8, 632. His Mohammedan biograpliers 
 say that his birth was accompanied by mir- 
 acles ; that the sacred fires of the Persians 
 were extinguished; that the palace of the 
 Persian King was shaken by an earthquake ; 
 that Lake Sawa was dried up, and that many 
 other prodigies took place. His parents were 
 poor, and in his youth he gained his liveli- 
 hood as a shepherd in the neighborhood of 
 Mecca. Later he became a linen trader and 
 as such entered the service of a rich widow, 
 Khadijah by name. He soon won her affec- 
 tions and became her husband. Some years 
 after this Mohammed began to resort to a 
 cave on Mt. Hara where he gave himself up 
 to religious contemplation. Here, during 
 the epileptic attacks to which he was subject, 
 he received his visions and revelations and 
 was at last, as the Koran teaches, trans- 
 ported from Mecca to Jerusalem and thence 
 to heaven. Legends are current to the effect 
 that the Koran was brought to earth by the 
 Angel G-abriel, that it was written on the 
 skin of the ram offered by Abraham in the 
 place of Isaac, and that it is covered with 
 silk and ornamented with gold and pearls. 
 
58 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 The fundamental dogma of Mohammed- 
 anism, and the only one which it is necces- 
 sary to profess in order to be considered a 
 good Moslem is; ''There is but one God and 
 Mohammed is his Prophet." The wife of 
 Mohammed was his first convert. He was 
 driven from Mecca and fled then to Yath- 
 rab or Medina, where the number of his 
 followers increased enormously. From this 
 flight which is called the "Hegira, ' ' the Mos- 
 lem dates the new era. In Arabia tribe after 
 tribe trooped to his banner which was one 
 of fire and sword. He proclaimed a holy war 
 against the Eastern Empire, and made his 
 last pilgrimage to Mecca at the head of 
 40,000 adherents. 
 
 The Moslems hold that all who believe in 
 the unity of God will enter paradise. Their 
 practical religion, which they call "din," 
 insists, nevertheless on these things : purifi- 
 cation and prayer, almsgiving, fasting and 
 the pilgrimage to Mecca. They pray five 
 times a day, at sunset and at night-fall, at 
 day-break, at noon and in the afternoon. 
 The time of prayer is announced by the 
 "muezzins" from the minarets of the mos- 
 ques. We often listened to their call. The 
 
TUEKEY. 59 
 
 Turk recites his prayers wherever he may 
 happen to be, first turning his face towards 
 Mecca. On Fridays, however, the devotions 
 must be performed in the mosque. The 
 Sultan himself is obliged to conform to this 
 rule. Until recently the common mortal was 
 permitted on the occasion of these Friday 
 visits to the mosque, to view the blanched 
 and pallid features of his August Highness 
 and Imperial Majesty, Sultan Abdul Hamid 
 II., but this privelege has been withdrawn 
 owing to the fear of assassination. 
 
 During the entire month of Ramadan, the 
 ninth of their year, the Turks fast from 
 sunrise to sunset and give alms according to 
 their ability. The Koran strictly forbids 
 the eating of pork, the use of wine or any 
 intoxicant, gambling and lending money at 
 interest. 
 
 A pilgrimage to Mecca is the fondest 
 dream and greatest desire of every Musel- 
 man, and he will spend the earnings of a 
 lifetime to realize it. It is prescribed by the 
 Koran. Those who have accomplished this 
 journey are entitled to the prefix ''Hadji," 
 meaning holy, before their names. Tradition 
 has it that the beard of the Prophet was fiery 
 
60 EUKOPEj THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 red in color. In Constantinople you may 
 see groups of men, aged, for the most part, 
 filthy, disheveled, weather beaten and weary 
 in appearance, and all with red beards. 
 They are pilgrims, just returned from a visit 
 to the '^ Caaba," the holy shrine or house of 
 Allah at Mecca, having been nine months 
 on the way in accordance with the direc- 
 tions of the Koran. Whilst there each one 
 had his beard dyed. The duty of visiting 
 Mecca may be discharged by a substitute in 
 which case all the merit redounds to the 
 principal. 
 
 Islamism swept onward with rapid strides, 
 conquering the whole of Arabia within twelve 
 years. The battle of Bostra opened Syria 
 to the Arabs, Damascus fell into their hands, 
 and, soon afterwards, a battle near Lake 
 Genesareth decided the fate of Palestine. 
 Jerusalem capitulated on easy terms, and, 
 with brief interruptions, has ever since re- 
 mained in the hands of the Mohammedans. 
 Omar completed the conquest of Egypt, and 
 commenced that of northern Africa. In 
 the beginning of the eighth century, Tarik 
 crossed into Spain. One province after an- 
 other was speedily subdued, and for eight 
 
TUEKEY. 61 
 
 hundred years the Saracens retained dom- 
 inion in that country. Charles Martel, in 
 732, put a final check upon their progress in 
 western Europe. 
 
 The Turks are slow in discharging their 
 national obligations. Words supply the place 
 of cash, and debts are often paid in prom- 
 ises. America's long outstanding grievances 
 have not as yet been redressed, while France 
 forced a settlement of her claims not long 
 since by training the cannon of her warships 
 on the Isle of Mytelene. When the grim- 
 visaged French ironclads appeared in Turk- 
 ish waters cleared for action, the Sublime 
 Porte showed unwonted readiness to com- 
 ply with the oft repeated demands of the 
 French government, and yielded every point 
 at issue. This episode has revealed the 
 weakness of Turkey and her inability to 
 withstand an attack by sea. It is not hazard- 
 ous to state that the Ottoman Empire is at 
 the mercy of the great powers of Europe. 
 The gradual desintegration of its vitality is 
 apparent to the most casual observer, and 
 some statesmen predict that the downfall of 
 the Sultanate is not far off. Turkish office- 
 holders are notorious for their incapacity 
 
62 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 and venality, and many of them are open to 
 bribes. It can hardly be otherwise for we 
 were assured on good authority that the 
 majority of the officials receive but a quarter 
 of their pay, three fourth of it, of which 
 they never get a cent, remaining to their 
 credit on paper. 
 
 The most adroit and cunning subject of 
 the Sultan is the Armenian, who eclipses 
 both the Grreek and the Jew. In Turkey 
 proper he often prospers, holds official posi- 
 tions and acts as dragoman at the foreign 
 embassies, making a good living by means 
 of his linguistic attainments. In his native 
 country, however, his lot is deplorable by 
 reason of the severity of the Turkish officials 
 and the fearful ravages of the Kurds. Vast 
 numbers of maltreated Armenians are forced 
 to embrace Mohammedanism in order to es- 
 cape persecution and death, as the Mussel- 
 man respects no laws except those enjoined 
 by the Koran, which justifies, nay, directs 
 the persecution and annihilation of Christ- 
 ians. Any Turk who embraces Christianity 
 becomes outlawed and is subject to capital 
 punishment. 
 
 The native Christian subjects whether 
 
lUEKEY. 6S 
 
 Greeks or Slavs are for the most part mem- 
 bers of the Grreek church, the chief branch 
 of which acknowledges the Russian Czar as 
 supreme head. From this fact results the 
 great influence of Russia in Turkey. 
 
 The Jews in Turkey are generally poor. 
 Most of them are of Spanish origin, and 
 speak a Spanish dialect. With the excep- 
 tion of those whose wealth secures them 
 special privileges, they are forced to wear a 
 distinctive costume. 
 
 The Turks respect foreigners only when 
 they have official rank or are surrounded 
 with special protection. In other cases the 
 slightest provocation is sufficient to reveal 
 their innate prejudice against the ^ ^giaour," 
 ( Christian dog J , though when not influenced 
 by fanatical passion they are remarkable for 
 their dignity and courtesy and for honesty 
 in their private and business affairs. 
 
 Lacordaire has thus described the condi- 
 tion of woman beyond the reach of the in- 
 fluence of Christianity: ''Man has heaped 
 upon his companion every hardship and 
 privation which his ingenuity could suggest. 
 He has taken her captive, — he has shrouded 
 her with a veil, — he has hidden her in the 
 
64 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 most secluded portion of his house, — he has 
 denied her education and the pleasures of 
 the mind, and he has taken her in marriage 
 under the form of a chattel bought and sold 
 in the market place." These words aptly 
 picture the Turkish woman's position which 
 is altogether peculiar, not to say pitiable. 
 As far as her material welfare is concerned, 
 she is not as unhappy as her sisters in many 
 another pagan land, but morally speaking 
 she is almost annihilated. 
 
 The late Dr. Cooke, treating of this sub- 
 ject in his book, ''^Satanin Society" says: 
 '^It would seem that the sensuality of the 
 Mohammedans has aimed to destroy the last 
 vestiges of her moral nature, leaving only 
 the automaton, the physical being, the pas- 
 sive instrument. Their word designating a 
 certain class of wives has the same root 
 as another word which signifies utensil! 
 Horrible state of society ! Where every petty 
 despot lives like a bird of prey in his hole, 
 like a savage beast in his den ; where all the 
 sentiments which bud and develop under 
 the influence of woman in Christian lands 
 are repressed or destroyed, where the most 
 abject and disgusting egotism rules, where 
 
TUKKEY. 65 
 
 love is but gross sensualism, where paternal, 
 maternal and filial affection rise but little 
 above the instincts of the brute, where wom- 
 an passes her life enclosed within four walls, 
 or walks enveloped in a long veil, like a 
 phantom revisiting a world to which she no 
 longer belongs. Everyone shuns her. She 
 moves silently, sadly, lonely amid those 
 who treat her as a slave, as a being without 
 a soul, without intelligence incapable of lov- 
 ing, of feeling or of suffering. What is it to 
 be a Musselman? A human brute devoured 
 by egotism, in whom nearly every senti- 
 ment is extinguished. Never for him can 
 sweet memories of the cradle arise in his 
 heart, for the woman who gave him birth 
 and provided for the first wants of his ex- 
 istence, never dreamed of his soul, never 
 knelt by her baby to beg for him benedic- 
 tion from above, never directed his glances 
 to heaven, never taught his lips those sweet 
 prayers of childhood which ascend, with all 
 their perfume of innocence, to the throne of 
 Grod, nor those holy names to be invoked 
 when one has need of hope and of consola- 
 tion.'' 
 To this able description of the political 
 
66 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 religious and domestic status of the Turkish 
 woman we have nothing to add, save a gign 
 of sympathy for the unfortunate victim of 
 Mohammedan tyranny. 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Let us turn now to Constantinople in 
 particular, having considered the manners, 
 customs and laws of Turkey in general. 
 
 The city of Constantine is superbly situated 
 at the southwestern entrance to the Bospho- 
 rus and is divided by the Grolden Horn. The 
 site is so well chosen that, were the city held 
 by a first rate power, it would be of vast strat- 
 egic importance, commanding as it does both 
 the Mediteranean and the Black Sea and 
 communication between Europe and Asia. 
 The population is estimated at something 
 over a million. Byzantium was the ancient 
 name of the city. When Constantine moved 
 the seat of government thither from Rome 
 in 330, the name was changed. In the middle 
 ages the city suffered a large number of 
 sieges and assaults and in 1453 it was stormed 
 by the Turks, the last emperor, Constantine 
 XIII., losing his life in the defense, and 
 since that time it has remained in their pos- 
 session. 
 
 (67) 
 
68 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 The picturesque aspect of Constantinople 
 is celebrated throughout the world. The 
 favorable impression made by the beautiful 
 shores, set with villas and gardens, vanishes, 
 however, at the first glimpses of the interior 
 of the city. The old streets, so irregular as 
 to defy all attempts of the stranger at find- 
 ing his way, have as a rule no names, are 
 badly paved, have no lights at night, no 
 numbers on the houses, and in addition to 
 their general cheerlessness are the resorts of 
 thousands of homeless ownerless dogs. The 
 houses are for the greater part built of 
 wood, hence destructive fires are of frequent 
 occurrence. In 1852 an aggregate of three 
 thousand two hundred houses were destroyed 
 in this way, while in 1865 a still more 
 serious conflagration swept away eight thou- 
 sand houses, twenty mosques and a number 
 of public buildings. Again in 1870 and 
 1873 the city suffered severely by fire. 
 
 Among the best known suburbs are Pera, 
 Gralata and Scutari. The first is the center 
 for the higher classes of the Christians and 
 the place of residence of the foreign minis- 
 ters. It has fine hotels, schools, a hospital 
 and a French college. Galata is the princi- 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE . 69 
 
 pal commercial suburb and is constantly 
 thronged by busy merchants, clerks, porters, 
 seamen and so forth. Scutari is situated on 
 the Asiatic side. An immense number of 
 '^Kaiks" or small boats, facilitate com- 
 munication between it and Constantinople. 
 In Galata there are Khans and warehouses, 
 an imperial palace and the barracks of the 
 imperial guard. 
 
 In Pera and Gralata we found flourishing 
 communities of various religious orders. 
 They exist by treaty rights, are under the 
 protection of the flags of their countries, and 
 are allowed by the Turks a wide sphere of 
 action, and great latitude in the exercise of 
 their holy functions and charitable ministra- 
 tions. 
 
 We reached Constantinople on June 1st, 
 as I have said. Before being allowed to enter 
 the city it was necessary to run the gauntlet 
 of a number of customs and police officials. 
 The . questions, couched in French, were 
 somewhat after this sort : 
 
 Who are you"? 
 
 Where do you come from? 
 
 How long will you stay in the city? 
 
 To what hotel do you go ? 
 
70 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 For what purpose did you comel 
 The answers were noted down by two 
 officers. Our credentials were then called 
 for and carefully scrutinized, though, I am 
 convinced, not a word in them was under- 
 stood. They looked significantly, however, 
 at the seal with the American eagle, and 
 with no more ado, dispatched passports and 
 statements to police headquarters. 
 
 This done the customs officers commenced 
 their work. They ransacked our few belong- 
 ings, unpacking and examining almost every 
 article, but found nothing suspicious look- 
 ing or dutiable until they came upon our 
 harmless guide books. Ha! Important dis- 
 covery! Our breviaries remained unmo- 
 lested, but the poor guidebooks were ruth- 
 lessly confiscated, carefully tied together 
 with strong twine and sent to customs head- 
 quarters. With a grim smile of satisfac- 
 tion, as though he had thwarted a plot or 
 saved the country by the timely discovery 
 of impending danger, the Turk motioned to 
 us that we might now go about our business. 
 I remonstrated with him at the confiscation 
 of our books. I argued, and even threatened 
 him with Uncle Sam's vengeance, but all to 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 71 
 
 no avail. The books were '^corpus delicti." 
 Our passports, duly viseed and endorsed by 
 the Turkish police were that day returned 
 to us at our hotel. Every stranger who en- 
 ters the city is immediately placed under 
 police surveillance. The officers of the 
 law can produce him whenever he may be 
 wanted. 
 
 Beckoning to one of the many boisterous 
 and impudent cabdrivers, who are ready 
 at all times to snatch your baggage from 
 your hand and tear the coat off your back, 
 we were soon on our way to the Pera Palace 
 Hotel, where, after breakfasting we were 
 glad to retire, and seek much needed rest 
 and sleep. Of our impressions of Constan- 
 tinople I will let my friend speak. I quote 
 from a letter of his. 
 
 '^ The old saying, 'the first impression is 
 the worst', was true in this case. Wearied 
 by our long journey, and in ill humor over 
 the loss of our guidebooks, we were in a bad 
 frame of mind to enjoy the beauty of the 
 place. The air which greeted our nostrils 
 was heavy from recent rains, and reeking 
 with unpleasant odors, while our eyes were 
 offended by thousands of dirty Turks and 
 
72 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 more thousands of street dogs. At present 
 things are brighter. Providentially I have 
 taken the worst cold I ever had in my life, 
 so that I have temporarily lost all sense of 
 smell, and, moreover, my innate love for 
 dogs has overcome another objection. Of 
 the Turk, however, I retain my first im- 
 pression. 
 
 Constantinople is called the city of the 
 dogs. Some declare that the dogs are the 
 most numerous class of the inhabitants. 
 They are pariah dogs with no masters and 
 no homes but the streets of the city. You 
 find them in packs of eight or ten, in pairs 
 or singly, on door steps, on the side walks 
 or in the middle of the streets. They sel- 
 dom enter a yard or house. They will not 
 stir from the spot where they lie. Pedes- 
 trians walk over them, and teamsters drive 
 around them. I have seen a cabdriver stop 
 his horse with a sudden jirk in order to al- 
 low a dog time to get out of the way. For- 
 eigners are not always so kind. Each dog 
 has his own street — his own territory which 
 he may not leave with impunity. Those 
 who have made a study of these dogs say 
 that one dog is the acknowledged leader of 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 73 
 
 a district, who patrols the streets of that 
 quarter, and woe to the nnhicky intruder 
 whom he may spy. The dogs are somewhat 
 of the shepherd breed, not quite so large as 
 ours, with yellowish gray hair. They are 
 of a cowardly, sulking disposition, and seem 
 utterly indifferent to man. They sleep all 
 day and seem to reserve all their fights for 
 the night. Then all differences are adjusted 
 and lucky are you if you are a sound sleeper. 
 For the Turk the dog is a sacred animal. 
 He never harms one, and believes his sins 
 are forgiven if he feeds a dog ; but the touch 
 of a dead dog renders him unclean. A few 
 days ago I watched the attempts of a Turkish 
 scavenger to remove the carcass of a dog. 
 The poor fellow worked an hour, trying to 
 lift the dog with a spade into the basked 
 strapped to the back of his little donkey. 
 He would get the dog almost to the height 
 of the basket, and then it would roll off like 
 a big potato from a teaspoon. At last it 
 occurred to him to wrap a piece of paper 
 around the hind leg, and then success was 
 his. The ungodly foreigners sometimes poi- 
 son the most vociferous of the dogs in order 
 to gain a little rest at night, and they would 
 
74 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 gladly push on the good work were it not 
 for the costliness of poison and the great 
 danger of detection. 
 
 The Turkish policeman is unique. As 
 soon as darkness sets in, he walks about the 
 streets, striking the cobble stones with a 
 resounding whack at every step, to warn 
 the prowling thief that he is on duty. A 
 better protection — for the thief could not 
 well be devised. The only thief he would 
 ever catch would be a deaf thief. Between 
 the howling dogs and the pounding police- 
 man to make night hideous, you are in a 
 quandry as to which deserves the largest 
 share of your anathemas. 
 
 The fire brigade is also a model institu- 
 tion. From the high Gralata tower over- 
 looking the city, the watchman detecting a 
 blaze will give vent to a fearful bawl. He 
 then runs down to the street and informs 
 the policeman of the whereabouts of the 
 fire. The policeman in turn does his duty 
 by informing the next officer in fearful bawls. 
 When the volunteer firemen have been suffi- 
 ciently aroused from their slumbers to realize 
 their duty, the ante-diluvian fire apparatus 
 is pulled out and they set off for the scene 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 75 
 
 of action. Arrived here, the chief of the 
 department will hunt up the owner of the 
 building, and haggle with him over the price 
 to be paid for saving his property. Not a 
 hand is turned until this all important af- 
 fair is satisfactorily settled, and then the 
 blaze is extinguished — if, in the mean time, 
 the building has not burned down. 
 
 The tax collector is a very obliging official. 
 He comes, as he is in duty bound, but you 
 tell him you are too poor, you cannot pay. 
 He will pity you for you poverty, and bow 
 himself out. He may come again sometime 
 later, but you are no richer. The next year 
 you are poorer still, and, of course, you 
 cannot pay. But if any improvements are 
 to be made no permission will be granted 
 until all back taxes are paid. Of course not 
 many indulge in the luxury of making im- 
 provements. 
 
 In fact everything is in a rickety condi- 
 tion. The pontoon bridges spanning the 
 Grolden Horn with their warped flooring 
 would disgrace our country mud roads. 
 And yet a stiff bridge toll is exacted. I am 
 told that the daily income of these bridges 
 amounts to ten thousand dollars. However, 
 
76 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 this income is not used for repairing the 
 bridges, but goes to the army. The landing 
 places for the steamers are like old store 
 boxes with roofs on them. 
 
 The city being built on the hillsides, and 
 the streets paved with cobble stones, trans- 
 portation by wagon is impracticable. Little 
 donkeys or small horses with huge baskets 
 strapped to their sides are used. These carry 
 everything, meat, bread, vegetables, bricks, 
 stone, mortar, garbage. Sometimes you may 
 see a train of them, one following another. 
 Then there are pack carriers, human beasts 
 of burden with a sort of pack saddle upon 
 their backs. You would be astonished to 
 see what great burdens they can carry. 
 Bending low and completely hidden by their 
 bulky loads, the wonder is how they can 
 pick their way along. With narrow streets 
 crowded by thousands of persons on foot, 
 dogs to step over about every ten paces, 
 pack mules and pack carriers to be avoided, 
 shouting cabdrivers behind you and perhaps 
 some persistent women begging at your el- 
 bow, you may easily imagine that this place 
 is not fitted for a pleasure stroll." 
 
 In the afternoon of the day of our arrival 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 77 
 
 we joined a party of tourists, some fifty in 
 number, for whose benefit the Dragoman's 
 Union had procured a permit from the Sul- 
 tan to visit the old palace, the treasury and 
 an unused harem. For every permit thus 
 issued three hundred francs must be paid in 
 advance. This is the "conditio sine qua 
 non," hence every one in the party paid his 
 share. Carriages were sent for us at one 
 o'clock, and we all met at a certain place in 
 Stamboul not far from the foreign offices. 
 Our first visit was to the palace of Dolma- 
 Bagdshe, not the Yildiz in which the Sultan 
 now resides. The attendants were very cour- 
 teous. We were ushered into grand recep- 
 tion rooms, where, after waiting a little 
 while, we were served with glasses of cool 
 water into which a small spoonful of syrup 
 of roses had been stirred. The afternoon 
 was extremely hot, and the drink was very 
 refreshing in effect. The chief attendant 
 now led the way through vestibules, halls, 
 parlors, rotundas, up the grand stairway to 
 balconies and royal reception rooms, the 
 beauty and grandeur of which defy every 
 attempt at portrayal. Fill your imagination 
 with the wonders described in fairy tales, 
 
78 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 and then multiply this a hundred times and 
 you may form some idea of the splendor 
 that dazzled our eyes. The sights in the 
 abandoned harem rivaled those in the 
 palace. Before leaving each person was in- 
 vited to partake of a tiny cup of strong, 
 aromatic coffee, such as only the higher 
 classes among the Turks use, and the brew- 
 ing of which only a Turk understands. This 
 attention was due to the fact that, for the 
 time being we were considered as guests of 
 the Sultan. 
 
 We crossed the Grolden Horn to the treas- 
 ury building in a Kaik. These Kaiks were 
 propelled by six brawny muscular rowers. 
 They were barefooted, clothed in long flow- 
 ing white robes open at the chest and wore 
 the inevitable red fez displayed by all Turks 
 from the Sultan to the lowliest of his subjects. 
 Arrived at the treasury building, we first 
 passed through a long double file of soldiers 
 and were then conducted behind the heavy 
 doors. Gruards were distributed throughout 
 the building, so that one was never out of 
 arm's reach of a soldier. ''This building," 
 exclaimed my friend, ''realizes the miser's 
 dream of wealth." Here were great bowls 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 79 
 
 filled with diamonds, rubies and pearls, 
 garments thickly strewn with precious 
 stones, golden swords whose hilts fairly- 
 blazed with diamonds and rubies, exquisite 
 works of art in gold and silver. There was 
 a golden throne, ornamented with mosaic in 
 precious stones, which had been captured in 
 Persia in the sixteenth century, another an- 
 cient throne made of ebony and set with 
 rubies, saphires and pearls, while suspended 
 from the walls and ceiling were a multitude 
 of objects of inestimable value, weapons, 
 helmets, turbans, robes, worn by the different 
 sultans from 1433 down to 1839, all of 
 which were bedecked with the rarest gems. 
 Under the guidance of the Sultan's adjutant 
 we inspected the contents of three rooms. 
 A fourth remained closed. It harbors the 
 mantle of the Prophet, his banner, staff and 
 sword and also some relics preserved from 
 the time of the Byzantine Empire — an arm 
 of St. John the Baptist enshrined in gold 
 and a portion of the Holy Cross. We re- 
 turned to the hotel that evening with the 
 consciousness of having spent a very in- 
 structive afternoon. 
 
 On our return from this expedition we 
 
80 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 happened to learn that the Lazarist Fathers 
 conducted a large school in Galata in con- 
 nection with St. George's Church. We paid 
 them a visit. They are a fine body of edu- 
 cated and intelligent men with many years 
 experience of Constantinople and the Orient. 
 The superior, a venerable octogenarian gave 
 us a cordial welcome and offered us accomo- 
 dations with the community. Realizing that 
 we could not spend our time amid more con- 
 genial and profitable surroundings, we had 
 our luggage transferred, and became their 
 guests during the remainder of our stay in 
 Constantinople. Among our pleasantest re- 
 collections are those which revive the happy 
 hours we spent at St. George's. 
 
 The Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul have a 
 large Orphan Asylum in the city and also 
 conduct a clinical institute of Ophthalmogy, 
 with which the most prominent occulists are 
 connected. Diseases of the eye are very 
 prevalent in the East and especially in Syria, 
 where it is caused by the dusty roads and 
 torrid heat. 
 
 We found an experienced guide by the 
 name of Roth, a native of Bavaria, who had 
 acted as dragoman in Constantinople for 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 81 
 
 twenty-eight years and knew every inch of 
 ground in that labyrinthine city. Moreover 
 he understood and spoke Turkish. This man, 
 who was an impecunious adventurer and an 
 adroit fellow, we engaged at ten francs a 
 day, all incidental expenses to be extra. We 
 might have done better with a Turk, G-reek 
 or Armenian, but, having agreed to the 
 bargain, we had to make best of it. 
 
 Our first excursion was on Sunday after- 
 noon, June 2, when we went to the famous 
 Galata Tower. From the top of this round 
 tower, which is a colossal monument of an- 
 cient times, one has an incomparable view 
 of Constantinople, the Bosphorus, the Grolden 
 Horn and the Black Sea beyond. The be- 
 holder is lost in admiration of the enchant- 
 ing panorama spread out before him. From 
 this tower a sentinel announces the approach 
 of ships and the outbreak of fires. 
 
 The remainder of this Sunday we spent 
 quietly in the company of our genial hosts. 
 The following days were given up to sight- 
 seeing. 
 
 ''When in Rome, do as the Romans do," 
 is a piece of advice which 'may often be fol- 
 lowed with advantage. Applying it to our 
 
82 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPTP. 
 
 present situation, we decided to conform in 
 some measure to Turkish customs. So we 
 each purchased a fez, which we wore from 
 that time until we embarked at Alexandria 
 for the return trip to Italy. In light checked 
 suits, and the Turkish fez, with briskly 
 growing beards we mingled everywhere with 
 the populace, and were looked upon as sub- 
 jects of Abdul Hamid. 
 
 The Museum of Antiquities, of great in- 
 terest to archaeologists and lovers of ancient 
 art, is situated in the gardens of the Se- 
 raglio, and contains marvelous treasures re- 
 covered from excavations made at Con- 
 stantinople, in Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and 
 Assyria. Among these the collections of 
 the Grerman archaeologist. Dr. Schliemann, 
 are of great importance. Here we saw the 
 sarcophagus of Alexander the Grreat, a most 
 remarkable work. The ornamentation of 
 the interior and the execution of the sculpt- 
 ure itself is of the highest order of artistic 
 excellence. This gigantic casket is attributed 
 to Euthykrates, a sculptor of the fourth 
 century, B. c. The broad sides and cover 
 exhibit in bold relief, hunting and battle 
 scenes with Alexander in the foreground. 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. S3 
 
 Among Constantinople's seven hundred 
 and fifty mosques the most conspicuous and 
 notable are the seven on the Seven Hills on 
 which the city is built. As a rule each 
 mosque has but one minaret or slender tower, 
 but these have four and even five. The largest 
 of all is the '^Hagia Sophia," the queen of 
 churches. This was the objective point of 
 one of our expeditions. Four graceful min- 
 arets adorn the building and the stately 
 cupola is surmounted by a large crescent. 
 The permission of the temple Sheik must be 
 obtained before entering. This was granted 
 upon payment of a fee and extra bakshish 
 as usual. 
 
 In the vestibule we were provided with 
 Turkish slippers, and removing our own 
 shoes, we tied these carefully on so as to 
 preclude all possibility of their slipping and 
 permitting the foot of a giaour to desecrate 
 the temple floor. No sooner had we crossed 
 the threshold than we halted, stunned by 
 the impressive grandeur and overwhelming 
 beauty of the interior. The walls are of 
 polished marble, the roof and arches be- 
 tween the columns inlaid with beautiful 
 mosaicworkin gilt. The sixty-seven columns 
 
84 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 which support thegalleries are partly of green 
 jasper, said to have been taken from the fa- 
 mous temple of Diana at Ephesus. The im- 
 mense dome rising one hundred and eighty 
 feet from the ground is supported by four 
 globular segments which in turn are should- 
 ered by four colossal pillars. A mystic twi- 
 light penetrates the superb stained windows. 
 Mohammedans on entering are required to 
 wash their feet in two great basins near the 
 portal. They squat here and there on the 
 floor, produce the Koran and begin to sing 
 aloud lessons or prayers therefrom, swing- 
 ing their bodies to and fro like the pen- 
 dulum of a clock. Here in the temple are 
 exposed the two warflags of the Prophet. 
 They are of a gray color with the crescent in 
 the middle, and are only removed from their 
 place above a pulpitlike platform to inflame 
 the warriors with hatred and fanaticism 
 when a religious war is in progress. The 
 ''Hagia Sophia" incomparable and unrival- 
 led in gorgeousness, was orginally founded 
 by Constantino in 325, rebuilt by Justinian 
 in 532, transformed into a mosque on the 
 fall of Constantinople in 1453 by Mohammed 
 II. , and renovated by the renowned architect 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 85 
 
 Fosatti in 1847. The Emperor Justinian 
 personally supervised the construction of 
 the church and, when it was dedicated, 
 it is said that he was so overcome by 
 its grandeur and beauty that with uplifted 
 eyes and outstretched arms he exclaimed, 
 ^'Grlory to Grod, who has permitted me to 
 complete this work. Solomon I have sur- 
 passed thee! " 
 
 One day my friend being indisposed, I 
 sallied forth with the dragoman alone. The 
 confiscation of our guide books had been 
 neither forgotten nor forgiven, and the ob- 
 ject of our quest that morning was their re- 
 lease from Mohammedan captivity. We 
 bore down upon the customhouse deter- 
 mined to conquer. There they were, our 
 proscribed and imprisoned friends, sharing 
 the doom of others of their kind, all wait- 
 ing to be liberated by their owners. After 
 a forceful parley with the official, success 
 was mine, and our faithful companions from 
 G-ermany were safely stowed in the inner 
 pocket of my coat. Jubilant over this vic- 
 tory we started for the ^'Achmed" mosque. 
 
 On the previous day some eight hundred 
 pilgrims had returned from their visit to the 
 
86 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Caaba. Worn and exhausted after their 
 wearisome journey, they had sought a night's 
 lodging under the colonade of the mosque, 
 where the motley crowd, some with fiery 
 red beards, were still congregated on our 
 arrival. As already stated, these ''Hadjis" 
 are rooted in their fanaticism, and the least 
 provocation is often suf&cient to arouse this 
 bitter feeling in them. Curiosity prompted 
 me to peep into the mosque, the elaborate 
 decorations of which are celebrated. Stepp- 
 ing over the sleeping form of a Hadji, and 
 passing through the vestibule, I stood on 
 the threshold of the temple. "For G^od's 
 sake, come back," I heard the dragoman ex- 
 claim, and so saying, he seized me by the 
 shoulder, and jerked me out. The Hadji 
 had been roused, and seeing -a giaour with- 
 out the prescribed slippers on his feet and 
 with no mosque sheik by his side, he had 
 sprung to his feet and with flaming eye was 
 brandishing a curved dagger in his hand 
 while he shouted, ''Advance another step, 
 and I will kill you ! ' ' Needless to say, I beat 
 a hasty retreat. 
 
 Our consumptive looking purses, losing 
 substance daily, now threatened to die of 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 87 
 
 inanition. That we might inject into them 
 the infallible elixir, we had recourse to the 
 Ottoman Bank, where our letters of credit 
 procured sure restoratives. This institution 
 is the most powerful in the empire. It was 
 here that the fearful slaughter of the Ar- 
 menians took place a few years ago. -, To 
 prevent a repetition of the treacherous in- 
 vasion of the bank by the Armenians, the 
 doors are heavily bolted, and a tall,muscular, 
 uniformed guard is stationed inside to an- 
 swer all calls. From his belt, which is filled 
 with cartridges, protrude two ugly looking 
 revolvers, whilst he carries a Winchester in 
 readiness. This armed guard conducts the 
 customer to the proper place, waits by his 
 side during the transaction of his business, 
 and again accompanies him to the exit. We 
 noticed the observance of similar precau- 
 tions in Cairo. 
 
 Every visitor should devote a day to the 
 Bazaar, which is famous the world over both 
 for its magnitude and the variety of the pro- 
 ducts which it presents. It extends over 
 three hundred streets, lanes and alleys. 
 Passing through apparently endless narrow 
 passageways arched and covered, we in- 
 
88 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 spected the bewildering display of mer- 
 chandise from the Occident and the Orient. 
 Turks, Jews, Arabs and Persians sit by their 
 handiwork and their wares, offering for sale 
 articles of gold and silver, linens and laces, 
 silks and satins, pelts, hides and furs, es- 
 sences of violet, rose and heliotrope, weap- 
 ons, pottery, spices, fruits, etc., etc. 
 
 The weight of a loaf of bread is deter- 
 mined by law, and in the bakeries one may 
 see government officials weighing the bread, 
 and rejecting all loaves which are under 
 weight. For these the baker must pay a fine. 
 This measure is certainly commendable. 
 
 In external deportment and appearance 
 the average Turk is a model. He is courte- 
 ous, obliging, honest and sober. A great 
 source of scandal, therefore, and one which 
 may account to some extent for the ab- 
 horence with which he regards the Christ- 
 ians, lies in the fact that in the Christian 
 quarter of the city the vilest illustrated 
 papers are often publicly displayed, low 
 places of amusement abound, honesty gives 
 place to fraud and theft, and murders and 
 suicides are of daily occurrence. No wonder 
 then that in the language of the Turk this 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 89 
 
 part of the city is designated as ^ 'swine 
 quarters." 
 
 Eastern fruit is very juicy and luscious. 
 When we were in Constantinople the market 
 was stocked with strawberries and cherries 
 which were sold at a low price. We never 
 tasted sweeter or better flavored fruit. 
 Citrons attain the size of a small cocoanut. 
 
 Coffee and lemonade are the favorite 
 drinks of the moslem, and in their prepara- 
 tion he is not to be surpassed. With these 
 before him together with his ^'nargileh" or 
 waterpipe and his cigarette the son of Mo- 
 hammed is supremely contented. In his 
 favorite posture, with his legs crossed be- 
 neath him, puffing at his nargileh or rolling 
 cigarettes between his nimble fingers, he will 
 sit all day long on the doorstep, before his 
 shop, or in the public square. Every sort 
 of business is carried on in public. The 
 lawyer sits behind his little table with his 
 law book before him, waiting for a client to 
 turn up ; the money changer has his stand 
 on the sidewalk ; the shopkeeper reposes in 
 the midst of his wares, puffing hard at his 
 pipe, and the barber may be seen lathering 
 the head of his customer with his saliva, for 
 
90 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 the Turk has the crown of his head shaved, 
 leaving only a small tuft of hair standing 
 above the forehead, which protrudes from 
 under the fez. All these and other func- 
 tions are performed in public. 
 
 When Emperor William a few years ago 
 visited his friend the ''Sick Man on the Bos- 
 phorus," he perpetuated the memory of his 
 stay by the donation of a beautiful public 
 drinking fountain, called the "EmperorWil- 
 liam Fountain." This stately monument is 
 a center of attraction, and typifies by its 
 massive granite blocks the strength and 
 durabihty of the Glerman Empire. It is a 
 costly gift, worthy of an emperor. 
 
 Not far from this on a public square, the 
 ancient Hippodrome, there still stand some 
 mute but eloquent witnesses to the greatness 
 and glory of bygone days. One is an obe- 
 lisk, a gigantic monolith, transported hither 
 in 390 from Hehopohs in Egypt by Theodo- 
 sius the Grreat, in commemoration of his vic- 
 tory over Maxentius. Another, the column 
 of the Bronze Serpent was erected by the 
 Greeks in Delphi after the battle of Platea 
 in 477 B. c, and brought to Constantinople 
 by Constantine. A third is the so-called 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 91 
 
 ''Burnt Column" in appearance not unlike 
 a huge smoke stack, also dating from the 
 time of the Constantines, and, finally, there 
 are the tremendous ruins of the aqueduct 
 constructed under the Emperor Valens. 
 
 Walking beyond the tombs of the sultans 
 we came to the Pigeon Mosque, a sacred 
 enclosure especially reserved for the pigeons. 
 So thickly do they cover the ground that 
 the flags are hidden from view. In exchange 
 for a few coins the sheik gives a small 
 measure of grain with which to feed the 
 pigeons. 
 
 A high church dignitary whose name was 
 favorably known throughout the city, Msgr. 
 Zaghikian, died after a short illness and was 
 buried on the third of June. We were in- 
 vited to assist at the funeral services in the 
 Armenian church. Many representatives of 
 church and state were in attendance, and we 
 found it difficult to secure a point of vantage 
 from which we might witness the solemn 
 and impressive ceremonies. The weird and 
 plaintive chanting in the Greek tongue rings 
 in my ears to this day. 
 
 A most agreable trip may be taken by 
 steamer to the suburban places along the 
 
92 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 shores of the Bosphorus. The vessel pursues 
 a zig-zag course, touching now the European 
 then the Asiatic side. The route is fringed 
 with villages scattered along the waterside, 
 and palaces, villas, picturesque gardens and 
 ruined fortresses lend interest to the scenery. 
 On the way the Tshiragan palace may be 
 seen. It is closed firmly against all possible 
 intruders and the uninitiated have never 
 penetrated into its mysterious chambers. 
 No one knows who lives behind those closely 
 screened and curtained windows. Perhaps 
 the deposed Sultan — if he be still in the land 
 of the living and have not long since shared 
 the bloody fate of Abdul Asis who in 1876 
 was dispatched in a neighboring palace 
 across the dark waters — may here be kept in 
 confinement. The edifice is a noble one 
 with an enormous frontage of twenty two 
 hundred and fifty feet. A little further the 
 Beglerbeg with its marble quay and land- 
 ing steps rises from the waves. As we ap- 
 proach the narrows, the surface of the sea, 
 hitherto calm, loses its placidity, and a 
 stream like current moves through the 
 waters. At this point two once formidable 
 forts stand watch over the city's harbor. 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 93 
 
 Rnmili Hissar on the European and Anatoly 
 Hissar on the Asiatic side. Even in their 
 present state of disintegration and decay 
 their appearance is stubbornbrowed and aw- 
 ful. Seated upon a throne in the living 
 rock, King Darius here witnessed the passage 
 of seventy thousand of his warriors over an 
 improvised bridge. Robert College one of 
 the best known American institutions of 
 learning in foreign lands overlooks this his- 
 toric spot. Pushing still further up the 
 Bosphorus past where a charming village 
 displays its beauty in the sunlight, our boat 
 pauses at Therapia where the foreign am- 
 bassadors and representatives have princely 
 homes. The steamer goes as far as the Black 
 Sea, passing the war vessels of foreign na- 
 tions which lie at anchor near the entrance 
 to the Bosphorus, and, returning, takes "the 
 same zig-zag course as before. 
 
 At Haider Pasha, another suburb which 
 claimed our attention, we saw the English 
 cemetery where the slain of the Crimean 
 war are buried. A stately shaft, flanked by 
 four angels holding palm branches aloft, was 
 erected in their honor by the personal liber- 
 ality of Queen Victoria. This cemetery is 
 
94 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 also the resting place of several Americans 
 who died in the Orient. 
 
 Our last visit before leaving Constantin- 
 ople for the Holy Land was to Kadikoeji or 
 Chalcedon famous in Church history as the 
 place of the general council in 451 at which 
 the teachings of Nestorius and Eutyches 
 were condemned. The church of St. Eu- 
 phemia in which the historic assembly was 
 held has since disappeared. The Christian 
 Brothers have here a flourishing school at- 
 tended by four hundered students. 
 
 We prepared for our departure by secur- 
 ing Turkish passports with which every 
 traveller in the Sultan's dominions must 
 be provided. The applications were en- 
 dorsed at the American consulate and for- 
 warded to the Foreign Office at Stamboul. 
 
 ^mmm 
 
FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 
 
 June 5th, the last day of our stay in Con- 
 stantinople had arrived. Our minds were' 
 so sated with varied impressions derived 
 from the strange sights in this interesting 
 and fascinating city, that we hailed with 
 relief the prospect of a short respite from 
 the hurry and activity of the past few days. 
 In one regard only was my curiosity destined 
 to remain ungratified. I had very much 
 wished to see the ' 'howling derwishes of 
 Scutari," but the day of our departure was 
 that of their weekly ceremony, so we had 
 either to postpone our sailing a week, or 
 forgo the sight of the derwishes, and wisdom 
 dictated the latter course. Our good friends 
 at St. Greorge's were sorry to have us leave, 
 and one of them went with us to the wharf. 
 On the way thither the great piles of or- 
 anges, pineapples, cherries and strawberries 
 displayed in the market booths were so 
 tempting that we each bought a basket of 
 strawberries and cherries to take with us. 
 After purchasing tickets at the office we 
 (95) 
 
96 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 went on board the elegant steamer, Sag- 
 halien, named for an island off the east coast 
 of Asia which is a penal colony of Eussia. 
 This boat belongs to the ''Messagerie Mari- 
 time," a French line, with headquarters at 
 Marseilles, whose vessels make weekly trips 
 from their sunny home in Southern France 
 to the various eastern ports of the Mediter- 
 ranean. Our tickets for Bey rout which 
 were second class, cost us two hundred and 
 eighty francs. It may not be amiss to state 
 here, for the benefit of any prospective trav- 
 eller in the East, that for one who has some 
 familiarity with the foreign languages and 
 is therefore independant, it is poor policy to 
 patronize the tourist companies. Under their 
 direction the cost is considerably higher, and 
 one is hampered and restricted by a fixed 
 program. At the wharf Turkish police 
 officials paraded up and down, while others 
 were stationed near the steamer, so that no 
 one should leave the city by this route with- 
 out showing his Turkish passports. Ours 
 which had been duly issued, signed and 
 sealed the day before at Stamboul were 
 found to be correct, so we mounted the 
 ship's ladder and were shown by the steward 
 
FEOM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 97 
 
 in attendance to our room. Here every thing 
 was neat and fresh from the carpeted floor to 
 the snowwhite linen which covered the beds. 
 No one shared our cabin, which, as is usual 
 on steamers, was arranged for four persons. 
 The crowd of passengers was a mixed one. 
 Turkish pashas with their wives and child- 
 ren huddled in improvised harems upon the 
 deck and guarded day and night by argus- 
 eyed body servants ; a troop of French actors 
 and actresses bound for Smyrna, a hard, 
 boldlooking, illnatured set whose forward- 
 ness earned for them many contemptuous 
 remarks; some French Sisters of Charity 
 destined for Nazareth ; several railroad en- 
 gineers with their families on their way to 
 Damascus, and an Anglican missionary with 
 his wife and poodle going to Haifa. It was 
 five o'clock when the ship's whistle gave the 
 final signal for departure. As we steamed 
 up the Bosphorus we had a last opportunity 
 of beholding the majestic city in all her 
 grandeur. Glradually she sank from sight, 
 the last minarets disappearing behind the 
 hills as we entered the Sea of Marmora. 
 Farewell, proud city of Constantino. Though 
 1 may never more feast my eyes with thy 
 
98 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 loveliness, thy beauty shall remain un- 
 dimmed by time among the pleasures of 
 memory ! 
 
 The Sea of Marmora, the body of water 
 lying between European and Asiatic Turkey, 
 is one hundred and seventy-two miles long 
 and fifty miles wide. It unites the Black 
 Sea with the Mediterranean Archipelago by 
 means of the Bosphorus in the north and 
 the Dardanelles in the south. The shores 
 present a picturesque aspect and are gener- 
 ally bold and precipitous on the Asiatic 
 side. Our passage on the Saghalien was 
 certainly ideal. Above us was the clear 
 azure of the sky, beneath us the deep ultra- 
 marine blue of the water. During the day 
 the rays of the sun were warded off by many 
 yards of outstretched canvas, while at eve 
 and through the night refreshing breezes 
 blew. Never have I seen sky and water so 
 beautiful and so fascinating as on this trip 
 through the Dardanelles, or Hellespont, and 
 the Archipelago. The service on board ship 
 was all that could be desired, and the cuisine 
 was excellent. 
 
 The morning of June sixth, we passed 
 through the Hellespont into the Archipelago, 
 
FEOM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 99 
 
 the Aegean Sea of the ancients. What scenes 
 from history and mythology this inde- 
 scribably fair passage recalled ! Two formid- 
 able fortifications, one on the European, the 
 other on the Asiatic side, command the Dar- 
 danelles at a point where the strait is only 
 eight hundred yards wide, and may be 
 closed by chains. Here Xerxes built his 
 bridge uniting the two continents, here Alex- 
 ander the Great crossed into Asia, and here 
 also the Crescent was for the second time 
 planted on European soil by Soliman in 
 1357. Lord Byron and Lieutenant Ecken- 
 head swam across the strait at this point on 
 the third of March, 1810, covering the dis- 
 tance in seventy minutes. 
 
 The Turkish government formerly insisted 
 that no foreign war vessel should pass the 
 Dardanelles, and this claim was recognized 
 by England, France and Russia, until, in 
 November 1858, the United States frigate, 
 Wabash, sailed through the straits and an- 
 chored at Constantinople, the commanding 
 officer maintaining that the United States, 
 being party to no treaty, were not bound by 
 any stipulations. At present there are no 
 restrictions upon the navigation of the strait. 
 
 :L.oFG. 
 
100 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 We made good progress for shortly after 
 noon, a multitude of buildings with their 
 minarets rose as it were out of the water. 
 First the ruins on Mt. Pagos became visible, 
 then sloping against the hillsides among 
 stately cypress trees the Mohammedan and 
 Jewish cemeteries might be seen, and finally 
 spread out panoramalike in all her elegance 
 and grace before the surprised eye of the 
 beholder was the city of Smyrna, the fame 
 of which is borne with her merchandise 
 throughout the world. It was here that St. 
 Polycai'p, the disciple of St. John the Evan- 
 gelist, suffered martyrdom in the year 155. 
 The general appearance of Smyrna is not 
 unlike that of Naples. 
 
 Our ship had scarcely lowered her an- 
 chors at a respectable distance from the 
 shore, when Turkish police officials boarded 
 her. 
 
 After half an hour's parley the signal was 
 given to an impatiently waiting crowd of 
 drivers, rowers, guides, hotel runners and 
 peddlers. Never have I witnessed such 
 pandemonium as when this helter skelter 
 mob was turned loose. With wild shouts 
 and deafening yells each tried to speed his 
 
FEOM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 101 
 
 Kaik on so as to be first to reach the ship 
 and fall upon the unsuspecting passengers as 
 vultures bear down upon their prey. Like 
 cats climbing trees so did these sunbrowned, 
 darkskinned, vociferous fellows chmb with 
 the aid of hands and toes, the ropes and 
 chains to reach the deck. While yet a long 
 way off they began to shout out the superior 
 qualities and merits of their Kaiks, hotels or 
 merchandise, and all this in a mixture of 
 many languages. Fruit venders, tobacco 
 and cigarette sellers, peddlers with large 
 packs of varied contents so'on swarmed over 
 the ship like bees over a clover field. From 
 a secluded place on the upper deck my 
 friend and I viewed this varicolored, an- 
 imated spectacle with much curiosity and 
 interest. The French actors and actresses 
 left us here at Smyrna where they were ad- 
 vertised to appear that night. — By way of 
 new acquisitions, however, we took on board 
 a motley crew of circus men and women and 
 their horses and paraphanalia. These people 
 were fortunately assigned to the steerage. 
 By means of steam derricks the horses were 
 hoisted upon deck that evening from flat- 
 boats which lay alongside of our steamer. 
 
102 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 It was almost midnight before our ship pro- 
 ceeded on her voyage. The city was ablaze 
 with electric lights, and strains of music 
 from theatres, ballrooms and public plat- 
 forms floated over the silent waters, while 
 the placid surface of the bay reflected the 
 myriad stars from above. Of such a night- 
 scene I. Zangwill has written the following 
 description published in Lippincott's Ma- 
 gazine : 
 
 SMYRNA HARBOR. 
 
 The stars stole over the sea, 
 
 And the ghostly moon deepened to a silver 
 crescent, 
 
 And the crimson ardors of sunset died lingeringly 
 
 In brooding haze of green and gold. 
 
 And the hills faded into dimness and dream. 
 
 And admidst the velvet darkness, 
 
 And soft scented airs 
 
 Of the spring night 
 
 A myriad of gleams twinkled : 
 
 The lights of the town answering the far sprin- 
 kled heavens 
 
 From as mysterious blackness. 
 
 The shadowy shipping scintillating with points 
 of fire 
 
 That the dark water 
 
 Gave back quivering. 
 
 The lights on the terraced hills climbing to 
 meet the stars, 
 
 Till the far spreading night palpitated as with 
 falliug stars 
 
FEOM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 103 
 
 That had netted themselves in rigging 
 
 And dipped themselves in ocean 
 
 And found a home for their shining in the folds 
 
 of the hills, 
 And in the ship anchored in the quiet bay 
 The sounds of chatter and scuffle, 
 Of Greek songs and Arab prayers. 
 Fell fainter and fainter, 
 Till the last wakeful occupant of the swarming 
 
 steerage 
 Passed from the scene of his discomfort and his 
 
 sorrows 
 Into the silence and peace 
 Of the many-twinkling night. 
 
 During the succeeding night and day our 
 boat treaded her meandering way through 
 the many channeled Archipelago, past the 
 islands of Chios, Kos, Leros and Patmos, 
 where St. John lived and wrote. She was 
 headed for the harbor of Samos on the island 
 of that name, where we cast anchor at nine 
 o'clock Saturday morning, June 8th, in 
 the immediate neighborhood of a Turkish 
 cruiser. The boats of the police and customs 
 officers flying the crescent, at once pushed 
 out from shore to meet us. They circled 
 around the Saghalien during the six hours 
 that we remained in port, and the move- 
 ments of all on board were watched. The 
 chief business here was the discharge of 
 
104 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 several hundred great, empty wine casks. 
 The wine of Samos will not soon find its 
 equal. This island contains two hundred 
 and thirteen square miles, and has two 
 mountain ranges traversing its interior. It 
 is an independent principality under Turk- 
 ish suzerainty. The prince of Samos, a 
 member of the Greek family, Voldarides, 
 pays an annual tribute of eighteen thousand 
 dollars to the Sultan of Turkey. The few 
 people who came aboard here were venders 
 of Turkish tobacco and cigarettes, oranges 
 and cherries. The tobacco is loosely done 
 up in packages of from one to five pounds. 
 That afternoon and the next day, Sunday, 
 passed very quietely. We sighted but one 
 steamer the whole day. 
 
 The forward deck where the steerage pas- 
 sengers congregated was the scene of great 
 confusion, disorder and untidiness. To an 
 American eye this is most unusual, but it 
 accords with the manners and habits of the 
 Orient. At night men, women and chidren 
 might be seen stretched promiscuously upon 
 the deck, on blankets, boxes or bundles. 
 Some regaled themselves upon the contents 
 of their ample provision sacks, others smoked 
 
FEOM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 105 
 
 pipes or cigarettes. In one spot a group of 
 Mohammedans lay muffled in their Khaftans 
 while not far off some uncanny youngsters 
 rolled noisily about the deck. Every inch 
 of available space was occupied. Occasion- 
 ally we picked our way through their midst 
 but it was always at the risk of stepping on 
 an outstretched arm or leg. The occupants 
 of our deck harems had by this time lost 
 some of their shyness, or was it that the 
 vigilance of their lords and masters was 
 somewhat relaxed on this occasion? Be that 
 as it may, the women and girls frequently 
 left their temporary homes behind curtains, 
 carpets and mattings, and discarding their 
 customary long veil ventured to show their 
 sallow pallid features to the outside world. 
 The proverbial beauty of the Orient was not 
 exemplified in them, however, and all, old 
 and young were habitual cigarette smokers. 
 On June 10th, at eight o'clock in the 
 morning, we arrived at Beyrout, a city of 
 about one hundred thousand inhabitants, 
 one third of whom are Moslems, the rest 
 Christians and Jews. It is on a triangular 
 promontory at the foot of Mt. Lebanon. 
 The situation is singularly attractive and 
 
106 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 beautiful. Beyrout recalls the valor and her- 
 oism displayed by the Crusaders on their 
 march to the Holy Land. In 1110 this, the 
 most important city of Syria, was captured 
 by Baldwin I. who made it part of the king- 
 dom of Jerusalem. It was captured again 
 by Saladin, and retaken by the Crusaders 
 in whose hands it remained until the over- 
 throw of their power in 1291. The chief 
 mosque of the city was originally a cathedral 
 church built by Baldwin in 1118. Among the 
 educational institutions the most important 
 is the great St. Joseph's University con- 
 ducted by the Jesuits, and attended by up- 
 wards of seven hundred students. This uni- 
 versity is without, a rival in the East. In 
 connection with it are a printing office, paper 
 factory and type foundry. Books in all 
 the Oriental languages as well as daily and 
 weekly papers and monthly magazines are 
 printed. Another magnificent and pompous 
 building, visible at a great distance and an 
 institution popular with all classes is the 
 university owned and conducted by theAmer- 
 ican Board of Foreign Missions. Christian 
 schools, hospitals and orphan asylums 
 abound in Beyrout. The great Bazaar is 
 
FKOM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 107 
 
 well worth a visit. It was iu Beyrout that 
 we first saw the camel used as a beast of 
 burden. The day was too oppressively warm 
 to make walking agreeable, and fatigue soon 
 overtook us. We then summoned a cab- 
 driver and comfortably seated in his vehicle 
 viewed the city, the old Roman ^ 'Felix Ju- 
 lia," from end to end. We dined at a Ger- 
 man hotel. The Germans at Beyrout are 
 about two hundred and thirty in number, 
 and are thriving and prosperous in the 
 mercantile pursuits in which they are en- 
 gaged. Our passports were again inspected 
 at this point. They were viseed, signed and 
 sealed by several officials, each of whom, of 
 course, received a fee. These endorsements 
 carried us safely, past the police and the 
 customs inspector and allowed us to con- 
 tinue our journey to Jaffa. We had our 
 luggage transferred to the Portugal, a vessel 
 of the same line, with which the Saghalien 
 made connections at this point. The Tickets 
 from Beyrout to Jaffa were thirty francs 
 each, first class. Before leaving we had the 
 privilege of seeing the Governor of Beyrout, 
 pay a visit to our fellow passengers from 
 Constantinople, the two lords of the deck 
 
108 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 harems, the Pashas of Jaffa and Jerusalem. 
 The boat which brought the Grovernor to 
 the Portugal was manned by twelve soldiers, 
 was lined inside with red plush and flew the 
 crescent. The greeting of the Turks is very 
 ceremonious and cordial. They bow pro- 
 foundly, almost touching the floor with their 
 fingers. Then they bring their hands up to 
 their foreheads, stroke their beards and cross 
 the hands upon the breast. They go through 
 with these maneuvres several times in rapid 
 succession. We also witnessed this demon- 
 stration at parting. Hitherto we had been 
 the only Americans on board, but much to 
 our surprise we that night encountered on 
 the Portugal two others, a Franciscan from 
 Paterson, New Jersey, a native of Philadel- 
 phia, Father Alphons, and, Dr. E. Schutz, 
 a German- American physician from Balti- 
 more. The former had been sent by his 
 superiors to Jerusalem as Custodian of the 
 Holy Sepulchre, while the latter was in quest 
 of health. We soon formed an offensive and 
 defensive alliance which was faithfully ad- 
 hered to during the succeeding days in the 
 Holy Land. The Portugal surpassed the 
 Saghalien in elegance and comfort, and ac- 
 cepted only first class passengers. 
 
FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO JAFFA. 
 
 109 
 
 We retired to our cabins that niglit pre- 
 pared to realize on the morrow the dream of 
 our lives — to set foot on soil hallowed and 
 consecrated by the footsteps of Christ. 
 
JAFFA. 
 
 Early in the morning on Tuesday, the 
 eleventh of June, everyone was astir aboard 
 ship. Far in the distance, dimly outlined 
 against the horizon, land was discernible. 
 Field glasses were produced, and all were 
 eager to catch the first glimpse of the Holy 
 Land. At five o'clock the vessel dropped 
 her anchor, but in the open sea, for the en- 
 trance to the harbor at Jaffa is on6 of the 
 most perilous in the world. Great rocks and 
 coral reefs bar admittance and threaten the 
 lives of the daring and venturesome. Lashed 
 to fury, the foaming breakers madly dash 
 against these formidable obstructions. The 
 law of the land prohibits captains to land 
 passengers unless the sea is calm. He must 
 bide his time or weigh anchor and make for 
 the next port. Notwithstanding these pre- 
 cautions, steamers have been wrecked and 
 a multitude of precious lives lost. We now 
 understood the import of the Dutch saying 
 "Na Jaffa gaan," as applied to a dangerous 
 journey. Fortunately for us the sea was 
 (110) 
 
 
 -ij 
 
Jaffa. Ill 
 
 now tranquil. Arabs soon swarmed on the 
 decks eager to take us in tow. After the 
 first rush had somewhat subsided, a young, 
 refined looking Mohammedan offered his 
 service. He had letters from Americans, 
 for whom he had acted as dragoman, ex- 
 pressing satisfaction with him as a guide 
 and testifying to his honesty. Him we en- 
 gaged, not only to row us through the peril- 
 ous channel to the harbor, but also to pilot 
 us during our tour in the Holy Land. 
 Mustapha Houpta, for such was the name 
 of our cicerone, was elated with his bargain. 
 His frail Kaik, propelled by four swarthy 
 natives, bore us safely through the maze of 
 reefs and swirling waters, and at last we 
 stood on the sacred soil of Palestine ! 
 
 The city of Jaffa is built on terraces upon 
 high cliffs which command an imperial view 
 of the sea. The air is laden with fragrance 
 wafted from grove and garden where vege- 
 tation is most luxuriant and figs, apricots, 
 oranges, citrons, pomegranates and dates 
 are grown in abundance. Off to the east is 
 a thriving Suabian colony, planted partly in 
 the valley of Sharon which extends to the 
 mountains of Judaea. 
 
112 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Jaffa is the ancient Joppe of the Bible. 
 Tradition and general opinion have it that 
 here Noah entered the ark, and eventually 
 found his place of burial. From this place 
 the Prophet Jonah was sent to Nineveh, but, 
 disobeying the command of Grod, took ship 
 for Tharsis. The cedars hewn on Lebanon, 
 for the construction of Solomon's temple, 
 were transported to Jerusalem by way of 
 Joppe. Simon, the Maccabee "took Joppe 
 for a haven, and made an entrance to the 
 isles of the sea." (1 Mace. 14, 5.) When 
 the men of Joppe had treacherously mur- 
 dered the Jews by drowning them in the sea, 
 Judas, the Maccabee burned their city and 
 their boats, and slew them that escaped from 
 the fire. (II. Mace. 12, 3.) The pages of 
 the New Testament also make mention of 
 Joppe, for the Apostle St. Peter here raised 
 Tabitha from death to life again, (Acts, 9, 
 40), and here remained in the house of 
 Simon, the tanner by the seaside (Acts 9, 
 43), In the twelfth century, Jaffa witnes- 
 sed the glorious deeds of valor and intre- 
 pidity of the crusaders, who reddened the 
 sea with their blood. Old fortresses and 
 crumbled walls still speak of this warlike 
 period. 
 
JAFFA. 113 
 
 After scaling the steps of the landing place 
 which lead up to the street, we encountered 
 another Turkish official , and again exhibited 
 our passports. In the immediate vicinity 
 of the landing is the Franciscan Hospice. 
 Thither Mustapha conducted us. Soon we 
 were hospitably received and made com- 
 fortable by the good Franciscans. Brother 
 Alfred seemed to take a special interest in 
 the American visitors who had arrived so 
 unexpectedly, for the season for travel in 
 Palestine was already over. After he had 
 satisfied himself as to our identity, we, in 
 turn, began to question him, asking first 
 what was his native land. To which he 
 comically made answer, ''Be jabers, and 
 don't ye know I am an Irishman!" Yes, 
 a real genuine Irishman ministered to us 
 here on the threshold of the Holy Land, 
 as he had ministered for forty years to 
 thousands of pilgrims from all parts of the 
 Christian world. We drove through the 
 city and surrounding country that morn- 
 ing, visiting the house of Simon the Tan- 
 ner, the burial place of Joseph of Arima- 
 thea and the surrounding garden, the new 
 Russian church, and other points of in- 
 
114 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 terest. The heat was stifling, and the roads 
 rocky and very dusty. They were hedged 
 in by hnes of tall cactus plants. 
 
 The long latent desire of the Jews to re- 
 gain national autonomy and establish them- 
 selves once more in Palfestine has never 
 been more active than at present. The race 
 the world over, in Russia, Roumania, Ga- 
 licia, the Balkan States, Italy, Spain and 
 oven America, are roused to action, and 
 cherish the hope that one day the plains, 
 mountains and valleys of Judaea will again 
 be peopled by the chosen, Israel come into 
 his own, and the Jewish nation be estab- 
 lished in the promised land. The longing 
 of the Semitic race for rehabilitation, and 
 for the regaining of national unity dates 
 from the days when Titus razed Jerusa- 
 lem. It existed at the time of the final 
 dispersion in the sixth century. It was the 
 dream of the abject, miserable Jews of the 
 middle ages, and the ambition of the race 
 when liberty dawned upon it in the Ipegin- 
 ing of the nineteenth century. Today the 
 dream is half materialized. For the first 
 time in eighteen hundred years the hopes 
 of a New Zion are in practical shape. The 
 
JAFFA. 115 
 
 plans are being engineered by men of com- 
 mon sense and financial power and ability. 
 Let us see what progress has been made 
 towards the ultimate realization of their de- 
 sign. In 1854, Sir Moses Montefiore formed, 
 with the permission of the Sultan, an agri- 
 cultural colony near Safed which has pros- 
 pered ever since. Others followed, and were 
 fostered and aided by such financiers as 
 Hirsch, Rothschild and Lachmann, so that 
 today there are about five thousand Jew 
 colonists in Palestine holding sixty-two 
 thousand five hundred acres of land. These 
 colonists annually increase, and the settle- 
 ments are in flourishing condition, raising 
 for export oranges, lemons, flowers for es- 
 sential oils and wine. Burgundy, Sauterne, 
 Cognac and the sweet wines are the kinds 
 chiefly produced. Dr. Theo. Herzl created 
 a great stir in Jewish circles by his pam- 
 phlet "Der Juden Staat," issued in 1869, in 
 which he strongly advocated the coloniza- 
 tion of Palestine. A congress of influential 
 Israelites convened at Basle in 1897 and 
 placed the movement on a sound financial 
 basis. The Jewish Colonial Trust with a 
 capital of two million pounds was instituted. 
 
116 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 and, with the sanction of the Turkish gov- 
 ernment, the colonization of Palestine is to 
 be prosecuted in earnest. In France the 
 Alliance Israelite Universelle pronounced 
 the plan feasible and guaranteed its coopera- 
 tion, and bodies in Grermany and Austria 
 joined the movement. Years, of course, 
 may pass, the present workers in the cause 
 may not live to see their dream realized, 
 the entire aspect of the movement as in- 
 augurated may change, but yet it is not 
 impossible that at some future time the 
 Jews will re-occupy the Holy Land. 
 
FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 The day of our arrival in Jaffa we dined 
 at the Franciscan Hospice with a Portuguese 
 Bishop from Cochin China, several clergy- 
 men and some Belgian noblemen who had 
 returned from Jerusalem and were about 
 to embark on a Russian steamer which 
 sailed that afternoon for Port ^aid. Our 
 dragoman, Mustapha, having attended to 
 tickets and luggage we were ready to leave 
 for Judaea's ancient capital at two o'clock. 
 The railroad, constructed in recent years, 
 extends from Jaffa to Jerusalem, a distance 
 of fifty miles or more, and so far is the 
 only one built in Palestine. It is the in- 
 tention of the company to prolong it to 
 the Dead Sea and the Eiver Jordan. Only 
 one train each way runs daily between the 
 two cities, and on this train such a con- 
 glomeration of passengers, such variety of 
 costume and language! The coaches were 
 rapidly filled with Turks, Bedouins, Fel- 
 lahs, Jews, Italians, Spaniards, French, Grer- 
 mans and Americans, and so closely were 
 (117) 
 
118 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 they huddled together, that I preferred to 
 ride on the platform during the greater part 
 of the journey. The seats, long benches, 
 ran lengthwise through the car, two in the 
 middle and two on the sides, and were so 
 placed that the passengers faced one an- 
 other. Jaffa was soon left behind and we 
 were passing through the fertile plains of 
 Sharon where, just now, harvesting was in 
 full progress. And a novel sight it was. 
 The Fellahs (Bedouin farmers) drawn up 
 in rows, sometimes to the number of twenty 
 or thirty according to the size of the field, 
 proceeded systematically to pull the grain 
 stalks up with their hands, bundle them 
 together in small sheaves and then cut them 
 off at the roots by means of a small sickle. 
 Before leaving the field at noon or even- 
 ing the camel is brought into requisition. 
 The beast is made to kneel and the grain is 
 tied with ropes and chains to his sides and 
 so brought to the threshing floor which is 
 usually some hard clean spot near 'the own- 
 er's house. A Fellah will, I dare say, put 
 as big a load upon his camel as our Amer- 
 ican farmer would put on a two horse farm 
 wagon. The beast thus loaded, looks like 
 
FKOM JAFFA TO JEKUSALEM. 119 
 
 a veritable moving grainstack. Threshing 
 is accomplished by having camels or oxen 
 tread out the grain, after which it is win- 
 nowed by throwing it against the wind. 
 Farm wagons are unknown, implements are 
 rude and primitive and the cultivation of 
 the soil careless and superficial. Quail seem 
 to be plentiful, as large coveys were seen 
 to alight at different times. Large herds 
 of camels and black goats grazed in past- 
 ures and on the mountain sides. I counted 
 one hundred and fifty-four camels in one 
 herd. The dwellings of the rural population 
 are of mud, or unburnt brick, and are not 
 unlike the adobe huts of Arizona and Mex- 
 ico. They are only one story high and have 
 but one apartment in which cattle may also 
 be housed. The roofs are flat and formed 
 of mud and straw laid upon branches of 
 trees and on the rafters. The windows are 
 small apertures, high up in the walls, and 
 are sometimes grated with wood. There are 
 no chimneys, but in the center of the roof 
 is an opening to emit the smoke, the fire 
 being built on the ground in the center of 
 the room. In front of the house is an en- 
 closure formed either by a thornhedge or 
 
120 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 a mud wall which serves to keep out an- 
 imals, and to insure a certain amount of 
 privacy. A marked characteristic of the 
 people is their hospitality. The Prophet in- 
 structs the traveller to steal a meal if he 
 is not properly entertained, and ''show 
 kindness to the stranger and to the son of 
 the road," is one of the precepts of the 
 Koran. This is generally carried out in 
 Mohammedan countries and it is unusual 
 for a Moslem to have to pay for his food 
 when traveling. 
 
 While I was riding on the platform and 
 enjoying the varied scenery, a young man 
 of modest mien with black whiskers and 
 dressed in a cassock joined me. He proved 
 to be a Maronite from Lebanon on his way 
 to visit the Patriarch of Jerusalem for whom 
 he had fetched from the mountain streams 
 of his Syrian home a basket of fine fish. 
 These he proudly displayed. The Maronites 
 derive their name from the Abbot Maron 
 who lived in the fourth century. Notwith- 
 standing oftrepeated bloody persecution by 
 the Turks, they have at all times heroic- 
 ally preserved and openly professed the 
 Catholic Christian faith. Their liturgy is 
 
FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 121 
 
 in the Syriac language, but ordinarily they 
 speak in the Arabian tongue. This young 
 man drew from, his note book a photo- 
 graph of himself and writing his name, 
 Haroutun Monavian, beneath it, begged me 
 to accept it as a remembrance. It still graces 
 my album. • 
 
 After passing several villages of mud huts, 
 we arrived at the first stopping place of im- 
 portance, Ramleh, a town of eight thousand 
 inhabitants of whom one thousand are Christ- 
 ians. Near by is the ancient Lydda where 
 St. Peter healed Eneas, and where, in the 
 twelfth century the crusaders raised a beau- 
 tiful church in honor of St. George, the 
 ruins of which are still extant. The country 
 about Eamleh is strewn with the remains of 
 ancient palaces, temples and dwellings. In 
 the distance they appear like the scattered 
 tombstones of great cemeteries. In fact, 
 along the whole route until the mountain 
 range is reached, the eye is met everywhere 
 by the vestiges of departed glory, wealth 
 and power. Kubah, Latrun, Bab-el- Wad, 
 Wadi Ali are folorn way stations without 
 the least attraction, where uncanny children 
 sell water to the thirsty. The mountains of 
 
122 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Judaea, through which our route lay, are 
 bleaky, dreary, rocky and barren, devoid of 
 forests or verdure. The only vegetation is 
 stunted trees and brush with an occasional 
 spare tufft of grass upon which the goats and 
 camels browse. Nearer and nearer we came 
 to our goal. To the left, hedged in by 
 mountains, opens the Therebinthian valley, 
 where David slew Groliath. The bed of the 
 brook whence the youthful champion chose 
 the pebble stones was dry, as were the other 
 water courses about Jerusalem. As the after- 
 noon wore on,a feeling of feverish expectancy 
 came over the crowd of travellers, most of 
 whom were peering through the car- windows, 
 trying with strained eyes and craned necks 
 to catch a first glimpse of the city of David. 
 The train rounded a curve, and before us 
 loomed the new Russian church on the 
 Mount of Olives, the ancient tower of David, 
 the black frowning walls of the city, the 
 cupola of the church of the Holy Sepulchre, 
 and a multitude of spires, minarets and 
 houses. At twenty minutes of six the train 
 stopped at the station, and with eagerness 
 and joy we alighted. At last we were in 
 Jerusalem ! 
 
JERUSALEM FROIV 
 
•^^JS, 
 
 — ■- - ^" .— — ^""S^-^X 
 
 
 
 ' fti^ 
 
 "■'"Si. "■ i-^ 
 
 HE SOUTH EAST. 
 
JERUSALEM. 
 
 What emotions and memories take pos- 
 session of the Christian heart at the men- 
 tion of Jerusalem. From the tender days 
 of infancy this name with its train of hal- 
 lowed recollections is familiar to us all, and 
 yet the singular privilege of visiting that 
 city, of entering her holy precincts, sojourn- 
 ing within her sacred enclosure, kneeling to 
 pray on those ever memorable spots where 
 the God-man, the Incarnate Word of the 
 Father suffered, bled and died for the re- 
 demption of a sinladen world, expiating the 
 fault of man and re-opening heaven's por- 
 tals, — such rare privilege is granted to but 
 few. Never can I fully appreciate, or be 
 sufficiently grateful for this signal favor, 
 which I, all unworthy, was now about to 
 enjoy. 
 
 Leaving the train, we engaged a cab- 
 driver to convey us to our lodging. Aside 
 from the numerous spacious and preten- 
 tious hotels under foreign management, the 
 stranger in Jerusalem finds national hospices 
 (123) 
 
124 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 where he meets at all times with kindly 
 treatment and where ho may stop at con- 
 siderably less expense. 
 
 The Knights Templar, Knights of St. 
 John, the Russians, French, Italians, Grer- 
 mans, all have such hospices in successful 
 operation. In them the pilgrim from dis- 
 tant lands is made to feel at home. His 
 needs are attended to, information and 
 guides supplied, and letters and news from 
 home await his arrival. With feelings of 
 great relief does the visitor cross the thres- 
 holds of these havens of rest which he ever- 
 more bears in grateful remembrance. Dur- 
 ing our week's stay in the Holy City, we 
 were the guests of P. Schmidt, the superior 
 of the Grerman hospice, a venerable, im- 
 posing old man, " of commandiDg figure, 
 who at the time of the visit of the Grerman 
 Emperor and Empress, was decorated with 
 the Imperial Order of the Crown, in rec- 
 ognition of the faithful services rendered 
 his countrymen during his stay of more 
 than forty years in Palestine. This good 
 man, of portly bearing and suave disposi- 
 tion, with kindly eye and flowing beard, 
 rises before my mental vision when far dis- 
 
JERUSALEM. 125 
 
 tant Judaea occupies my thoughts. His 
 Dame is ever linked in memory with our 
 stay in Jerusalem. To him and his two 
 fellow workers, to the kind sisters and the 
 faithful Arab servant, Hassan^ Salaam! 
 
 The primitive name of Jerusalem seems to 
 have been Jebus, or, poetically, Salem, and 
 its king, in the time of Abraham was Melchi- 
 sedech. At the time of the conquest of 
 Canaan by the Hebrews, the tribe of Judah 
 took the city and burned it, bat the strong- 
 hold probably remained in the hands of the 
 Jebusites for many years afterwards. Its 
 situation among the mountains, almost in 
 the heart of his kingdom, naturally excited 
 in David a desire to possess it. In the ninth 
 year of his reign he stormed the stronghold 
 of the Jebusites, ZiOn, called it the city of 
 David and made the place the capital of his 
 kingdom. (1046, b. c.) Since that time it 
 has been called Jerusalem. Under Solomon 
 the temple was built on Mount Moiiah. 
 Under the kings of Judah Jerusalem suffered 
 a series of vicissitudes, being captured and 
 re-captured, besieged, burned and destroyed. 
 In 586, B. c, Nebuchadnezzar demolished 
 the walls and principal buildings, and car- 
 
126 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 ried captive to Babylon all except the 
 poorest inhabitants. At this time we hear 
 the lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah, 
 weeping and mourning over the destruction 
 and misfortune of Jerusalem. Nehemiah re- 
 built the walls on the ruins of the old city. 
 From this period until the Macedonian in- 
 vasion in 332, B. 0., Jerusalem enjoyed com- 
 parative peace. In 63, b. c, the city was 
 captured by Pompey, the walls demolished 
 and thousands of the inhabitants slain. 
 Herod, being appointed king seized the city 
 in 37, B. c, and the massacre on that occa- 
 sion was as bloody as that under Pompey. 
 Herod, however, erected and beautified the 
 fortress of Antonia, improved and enlarged 
 the city, and rebuilt the temple on a more 
 magnificent scale than that of Solomon. 
 Jerusalem appears to have reached at this 
 period the zenith of her power and im- 
 portance. Then was the ''fulness of time," 
 around which all history groups itself, which 
 saw the birth, life and death of the Saviour. 
 About the year 66^ a. d., the Jews, goaded 
 to despair by the tyranny of the Romans, re- 
 volted, took possession of Jerusalem and 
 defeated a Roman army sent by Cestius 
 
JEEUSALEM. 127 
 
 G-allus, governor of Syria. This was the be- 
 ginning of the disastrous war which ended 
 in the complete destruction of Jerusalem. 
 In the year 70, Titus took the city after a 
 long and vigorous siege, and his soldiery, 
 maddened by the obstinate resistance of the 
 defenders, their own fruitless efforts and 
 great losses, spared neither age nor sex. 
 Titus himself was unable to control the fury 
 of his troops, and saw with regret the walls 
 levelled, the temple given to the flames and 
 the principal towers, which he had intended 
 to preserve as memorials of his victory, 
 demolished. Mount Moriah was literally 
 plowed over. ('-Not a stone shall remain 
 upon a stone.") According to Josephus one 
 million, one hundred thousand Jews perish- 
 ed in this siege, and ninety-seven thousand 
 were carried into captivity. Tacitus placed 
 the number of the slain much lower as the 
 estimated population was only six hundred 
 thousand. Under the emperor Hadrian the 
 city was rebuilt. At the time of the accession 
 of Constantine, Jerusalem had already be- 
 come the place of pilgrimage for Christians. 
 This emperor erected over the sepulchre of 
 Christ a beautiful church, which was, how- 
 
128 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 ever, burned in 614 together with the greater 
 part of the city, by Chosroes of Persia. Syria 
 with Palestine and Jerusalem afterwards 
 passed into the hands of the Turks. The 
 cruelties which the Christians suffered at 
 their hands roused the indignation of Eu- 
 rope, and the chivalry of Grermany, France 
 and England were led by Grodfrey de Bouil- 
 lon and others to the recovery of the Holy 
 Sepulchre from the infidels. Jerusalem was 
 stormed and taken on July 15th, 1099. 
 Godfrey was elected ruler of Jerusalem, and 
 his brother succeeding him took the title of 
 king. After this the city was repeatedly 
 taken and retaken by Christians and Turks, 
 until, in 1517, Palestine was conquered by 
 Sultan Selim I., and since that time Jerusa- 
 lem has been under the rule of the Ottoman 
 Empire. Such, in brief is the history of 
 that city, where the whole Christian world 
 loves in spirit to dwell, especially on Good 
 Friday and Easter Sunday. 
 
 The ancient site of the city, enclosed by 
 a continuous wall thirty-eight feet high, 
 strengthened by thirty-four towers which 
 cut it out in diamond shape, is small, cover- 
 ing about half a section of land. The roofs 
 
JERUSALEM. 129 
 
 of the houses are flat with small cemented 
 cupolas. There are no chimneys or win- 
 dows, but, instead of the latter, small barred 
 apertures. Many of the rooms look like 
 vaulted caves, floored, walled and ceiled with 
 stone, and those which open on the street 
 are of this character. There are no side 
 walks and the shops are vaulted holes in the 
 walls. The streets are winding and narrow 
 and remind of the Eoman catacombs. They 
 look like long tunnels. 
 
 A dense population inhabits Jerusalem 
 estimated at fifty thousand, thirty thousand 
 being Mohammedans. They pack and crowd 
 the narrow thoroughfares, through which no 
 carriage or vehicle can pass. In and about 
 the city heaps of debris, tumbled down 
 houses, disorder, dirt and uncleanliness are 
 everywhere to be seen. Were it not for its 
 hallowed and sacred associations vnth the 
 life and death of Christ, few people would 
 care to take the long journey thither, and to 
 me, the place would seem the most desolate, 
 dreary and lonely in existence. The people 
 derive their chief support from the caravans, 
 pilgrimages and tourists who come here from 
 the ends of the earth. Modern, like ancient 
 
130 EUEOPEj THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Jerusalem covers about two miles square. 
 Its altitude is some two thousand feet above 
 the Mediterranean. The distances in the 
 Judaean province are insignificant. Thus 
 from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is eight miles, 
 to the Dead Sea about twenty-five, to Da- 
 mascus, a hundred and thirty-five and to the 
 Mediterranean, forty. In one of our fast 
 trains you could traverse the Holy Land 
 from end to end in a few hours. There are 
 at present in the city walls, five gates that 
 are open. Two of these are on the south, 
 and one near the center of each of the other 
 walls. To the west is the Jaffa gate, the 
 chief entrance to the city ; on the north the 
 Damascus gate; on the east St. Stephen's 
 gate, called by the Mohammedans Bab-el- 
 Asbat, Gate of the Tribe, and on the south, 
 Zion gate and another obscure portal, the 
 Dung gate. The Grolden Grate on the east 
 side is now walled up and, against it a tower 
 has been built, where a Mohammedan is con- 
 stantly on guard, for the Jews have a tradi- 
 tion that their deliverers will some day enter 
 by this gate and restore to them the city 
 with all her ancient greatness and glory. 
 When the visit of the German Emperor to 
 
JEEU SALEM. 131 
 
 Palestine was in contemplation, the Turkish 
 government was approached with a view to 
 obtaining permission to open the Golden 
 Grate that through it the Emperor might 
 enter Jerusalem. The request was politely 
 refused. This ^ 'Porta Aurea" is a magnifi- 
 cent double gateway with finely sculptured 
 arches. At this point, tradition has it. Our 
 Lord made his entry into the city on Palm 
 Sunday. The gate opens upon the site of 
 the court yard of the ancient temple on Mt. 
 Moriah, where now stands the great Omar 
 mosque. To the west, at the Jaffa gate, is 
 the citadel, consisting of three high square 
 towers, separated from the city by a low 
 wall, and from the suburbs by a deep and 
 wide moat. The highest of these three 
 towers is called the Tower of David. The 
 lower part, rising in a solid mass, is prob- 
 ably a remnant of the tower of Hippicus 
 built by Herod. From the battlements is 
 obtained a view of the whole city, the Mount 
 of Olives, the Dead Sea and the mountains 
 of Moab beyond. To the north-east lies the 
 pool of Hezekiah, to the south, the garden 
 of the Armenian convent and to the west 
 the Jewish alms house built by Sir Moses 
 
132 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Montefiore. The tomb of David south of 
 the Zion gate is preserved by the Moham- 
 medans who have built a mosque over the 
 spot and who rigidly exclude all strangers 
 from its precincts. It is said that over the 
 cave a small room is built with a structure 
 about three feet high representing a Moslem 
 tomb and covered with green cloth. This 
 marks the spot under which the body of 
 David is thought to lie. At the foot of 
 Mount Moriah, outside the walls, are the 
 valleys of Hinnom or Gihon, and Josaphat 
 through which flows the brook Kedron. The 
 course was dry where we crossed it. When 
 mention is made of Mount Moriah, the 
 Mount of Olives and Calvary, let not the 
 reader imagine lofty peaks visible at a great 
 distance, and, perhaf)s, covered with eternal 
 snows. No, they are simply hills or slight 
 elevations with gradual slopes. 
 
 Having prefaced these remarks on Jeru- 
 salem's history and topography, we will 
 enter the city and visit her most important 
 shrines and sanctuaries, among which the 
 church of the Holy Sepulchre is pre-eminent. 
 
 To enter this church, the most sacred 
 structure in the world, which the Christian 
 
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM. 
 
JERUSALEM. 133 
 
 approaches with reverence and with awe, we 
 first traverse the court and the vestibule, a 
 spacious hall where Turkish poUce, soldiery 
 and guides squat upon a stone bench, smok- 
 ing, drinking coffee and conversing upon 
 the topics of the day. Their appearance is 
 little in accord with the thoughts and senti- 
 ments which crowd upon our minds at this 
 moment, and we pass them silently by, and 
 step within the great basilica which encloses 
 the tomb of Christ and Calvary's hill with 
 the place of the crucifixion. The mother of 
 Constantine the Great, St. Helen the Em- 
 press, caused the first church to be built here 
 in 335. It was destroyed by the conquering 
 Persians under Chosroes II. in 614. The 
 subsequent structure, erected by the strenu- 
 ous efforts of the Abbot Modestus, stood 
 until 1010 when it also fell before the in- 
 roads of the vandalizing hordes of the Khalif 
 of Egypt. The present basilica rests on 
 foundation walls built by the Crusaders in 
 1165, but the superb edifice erected by them 
 soon met, like its predecessors, with a dis- 
 astrous fate. 
 
 The church which today enshrines the 
 Holy Sepulchre was only completed in the 
 
134 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 beginning of the last century by tbe united 
 exertions of the Eussians and the French. 
 The portal through which we enter is a 
 double gateway with marble and granite 
 columns supporting richly sculptured archi- 
 traves, on which is represented Christ's tri- 
 umphant entry into Jerusalem. Over these 
 are finely carved arches. The first object to 
 draw the attention is a large polished slab 
 of stone in the floor near the entrance. 
 This is the stone of unction, covering the 
 spot on which the Body of Our Lord was 
 annointed and prepared for burial. 
 
 In this connection I must mention a beau- 
 tiful custom very generally practised. I 
 mean that of placing the garment for the 
 dead, the shroud, upon this stone in pre- 
 paration for its final use. It bears printed 
 upon it the outlines of the Body of the 
 Saviour. Many pilgrims observe this cus- 
 tom, and bear with them on their return 
 journey a long white linen shroud which 
 they have placed on that very spot where 
 the Body of Jesus was embalmed before 
 being laid in the tomb. 
 
 In the center of the rotunda beneath the 
 lofty cupola, is the Holy Sepulchre, in a 
 
JEKUSALEM. 135 
 
 chapel twenty-six feet long and eighteen 
 feet wide, built of polished limestone, and 
 surmounted by a dome of Russian architec- 
 ture. The facade is ornamented with marble 
 and limestone columns. Here are burning 
 many lamps of gold and silver. The first 
 chamber, eleven feet by nine, is the ''Chapel 
 of the Angel" where the Angel sat on the 
 stone after it had been rolled away from the 
 tomb on the morning of the Eesurrection. 
 In the center of this chapel resting on a 
 pedestal is a fragment of this stone, while 
 the other part we saw beneath the altar in 
 the Armenian convent church of Caiphas. 
 In the second chapel which is entered by a 
 low narrow doorway is the tomb of Christ, 
 extending the whole length and nearly half 
 the width of the apartment. It is raised 
 about two feet from the floor and covered 
 with a single slab of marble, the edges of 
 which are worn smooth by the devout kisses 
 of pilgrims, who for centuries have come 
 hither from every quarter of the globe. 
 Suspended from the ceiling are a number 
 of costly lamps and chandeliers which burn 
 the year round. Both apartments are al- 
 ways filled with pious worshippers. 
 
136 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Leaving the Holy Sepulchre and turning 
 towards the north, we stand upon the spot 
 where our Lord appeared to Mary Magda- 
 len after his resurrection. The Franciscan 
 part of the church, which we now enter, 
 harbors part of the pillar where Christ was 
 bound and scourged in the courtyard of 
 Pilate. The Franciscans have for centuries 
 been established near the Holy Sepulchre, 
 and are for that reason called its faithful 
 custodians. In connection with their mon- 
 astery, the good monks, our Philadelphia 
 friend. Father Alphons, 0. F. M,, among 
 them, have soup kitchens and a dispensary 
 for the poor. But let us return to our 
 description of the church. In the sacristy 
 we were permitted to handle the sword of 
 Godfrey de Bouillon, which is still used by 
 the Patriarch in conferring knighthood. 
 Proceeding eastward we came to a dark, 
 sombre looking Grreek chapel. This is the 
 ^ ^Prison of Christ," where he was detained 
 while preparations were being made for the 
 crucifixion. To the south, enclosed by mas- 
 sive walls, is Calvary or Golgatha, where 
 Christ died for the sins of the world. Here 
 is the most sacred shrine in the universe. 
 
JEKUSALEM. 137 
 
 The chapel here erected is rather low and 
 vaulted. Four small altars range along 
 its eastern wall. The light shines dimly 
 through the stained glass of the windows, 
 and a solemn silence prevails. It is reached 
 by a flight of eighteen marble steps. Here 
 stood the cross with its innocent victim sus- 
 pended upon it. A round aperture encased 
 with gilded metal marks the spot. Near 
 by, but south of it, is a deep crevice in the 
 solid rock, wide enough to admit a man's 
 arm. The place where the Body was nailed 
 to the cross, and where, afterwards, it was 
 laid in the arms of the Sorrowful Mother 
 are a few feet away. 
 
 The fifteenth of June is a date never to 
 be effaced from our memories, for on that 
 day my friend and I were privileged to cel- 
 ebrate mass upon the Hill of Calvary. From 
 the place of the cross we go down another 
 flight of stairs to St. Helen's church. Near 
 the site of the church, in a cave, the cross, 
 the crown of thorns, the nails and the in- 
 scription were discovered. 
 
 One may pertinently ask, how, after the 
 lapse of three hundred and twenty-six years, 
 the identity of the true cross could be estab- 
 
138 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 lished. In the cave spoken of above three 
 crosses were brought to light, but there was 
 nothing to distinguish the true cross from the 
 other two. The title, which was discovered 
 at the same time, lay too far away to be 
 of any use for purposes of identification. 
 Macarius, then Bishop of Jerusalem, had 
 the three crosses carried to the bed of a 
 sick woman whose life was despaired of. 
 At the touch of the third, she arose com- 
 pletely cured. According to some author- 
 ities among whom is the historian Socrates, 
 the touch of the sacred wood raised a dead 
 man to life. Other evidence was found in 
 the fact that the nail holes in the upper 
 portion of the cross correspond exactly with 
 those in the inscription board which had 
 been fastened there. 
 
 In the quadrangular church of the Greeks, 
 which faces the chapel over the Holy Sepul- 
 chre, and occupies the main part of the 
 basilica, is a small column which indicates 
 the center of the earth. All the holy places 
 I have described are located beneath one 
 great dome, that of the Church of the Holy 
 Sepulchre, and it is only with the "gracious 
 permission of the Mohammedan Turk" — ^ 
 
JEKUSALEM. 139 
 
 stain and stigma on the fair garb of 
 Christianity — that people of all religious 
 rites come to worship. 
 
 Having lingered over those holy places 
 which must ever be for the Christian the 
 most sacred and the most dear in all the 
 world, we turned our attention to a very 
 different object. The Omar Mosque is built 
 on the site of Solomon's temple on Mount 
 Moriah, a spot of great historic interest as- 
 sociated with events of Bible history. The 
 Moslems look upon this great shrine as 
 equal in importance to Medina and Mecca. 
 Permission to visit the Omar Mosque is not 
 easily obtained. We were obliged to file ap- 
 plications several days beforehand through 
 the American consulate, whence they were 
 taken by the dragoman to government head- 
 quarters. A certain hour was specified when 
 we were to hold ourselves in readiness. At 
 the time set we were waiting at the Damas- 
 cus gate for the official without whom no 
 one is permitted to enter even the outer 
 courtyard of these sacred Mohammedan pre- 
 cincts. This official is, moreover, accom- 
 panied by a guard of one soldier, and both 
 are in uniform. Until about half a century 
 
140 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 ago the Turks inflicted capital punishment 
 upon any Christian who dared to enter the 
 "Haram-es-sherif," the enclosed area upon 
 which the temple is built. We waited half 
 an hour or more for the special Kawasse and 
 guard, observing meantime the efforts of a 
 camel which was groaning pitifully under a 
 heavy burden and was unable to get to its 
 feet. At last our conductor appeared, and, 
 passing a number of Mohammedans who 
 had just filed out of the Mosque and were 
 now lined up in the street reciting prayers 
 from the Koran after setting their faces to- 
 wards Mecca and falling three times to the 
 ground to reverently kiss the soil, we were 
 ushered through the southern gate called 
 Bab-es-silsele, which opens upon the court- 
 yard. Here a group of marble columns held 
 in place by iron rods and rivets are seen. 
 They are the remains of a beautiful fountain, 
 and, together with some broken marble slabs 
 they tell of the perished greatness of the 
 time of the Crusaders. 
 
 To the notable spot where we now stood, 
 Abraham directed his steps, prepared, in 
 obedience to the voice of Grod, to immolate 
 Isaac, his son (Glen. 22, 2). David came 
 
JEEUSALEM. 141 
 
 into possession of it by purchase, and erected 
 thereon an altar, and offered sacrifice to the 
 Lord. Under the name ^'Zion" there is 
 also mention of the place of the temple as 
 in Ps. 47, 3, Isaiah 2, 3. King David con- 
 ceived the idea of erecting a temple on this 
 eminence, and this was carried into effect 
 by his son Solomon, 1012, b. c. There is 
 no longer any trace of the ancient temple, 
 though it is probable that much stone and 
 building material taken from its ruins were 
 used in the construction of the massive walls 
 which now enclose the Haram. Standing 
 upon the broad area surrounding the mos- 
 que, our thoughts went back to the days of 
 Our Lord's life on earth and to his visits to 
 his Father's House when he crossed this 
 very spot. 
 
 The hill is now covered with greensward 
 and planted sparingly with olive and cypress 
 trees, and is still the fairest feature of the 
 city. On a rectangular platform stands the 
 renowned Omar Mosque, Kubbet-es-sakhra, 
 ''Dome of the Eock." The building is an 
 octagon, each side of which measures sixty- 
 seven feet. It is surmounted by a light and 
 graceful dome on the top of which is a cres- 
 
142 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 cent. The exterior of the walls are covered 
 with tiles of white, blue and yellow glazed 
 porcelain, decorated with arabesque patterns 
 and inscriptions. Four doors lead to the 
 interior, which is about one hundred and 
 fifty feet in diameter. A corridor, thirteen 
 feet wide runs around the walls, having on 
 its inner side eight piers and sixteen granite 
 and marble pillars. Within these is another 
 corridor, thirty feet wide with twelve large 
 columns and four great piers which together 
 support the dome. Under this dome, sur- 
 rounded by an iron enclosure is the gigantic 
 rock on which the Jewish altar of sacrifice 
 stood. Beneath the rock is a cave which is 
 reached on the southeast by a flight of stairs. 
 Here the mosque sheik points out the altars 
 of Solomon, David and Abraham. 
 
 In the center of the mosque is a circular 
 slab of marble, which on being stamped 
 upon gives forth a hollow sound. The Mo- 
 hammedans call this the ''well of souls," 
 and say that the spirits of the departed as- 
 semble here twice a week to pray. There is 
 also a legend which the sheik will not fail 
 to emphasize, to the effect that Mohammed 
 on his midnight flight to heaven, alighted 
 
JEKU SALEM. l43 
 
 upon this rock from which he continued his 
 journey. The rock raised itself to follow, 
 but was prevented by the staying hand of 
 the angel Gabriel. The rock remained sus- 
 pended in midair and upon it, in bold out- 
 line is a giant hand which is pointed out as 
 the imprint of the hand of Gabriel. We 
 discovered a small metal plate fastened to 
 the side of the rock, and were told that some 
 hairs from the prophet's beard were kept 
 there. We had, as usual, been required to 
 change our shoes for the customary slippers 
 before entering the mosque. 
 
 Most wonderfully stained windows which 
 exhibit the greatest artistic skill and inge- 
 nuity, and are quite unequaled the world 
 over, dimly light the superb temple. Near 
 the entrance stands a lofty pavillion called 
 David's Judgment Seat and the Dome of the 
 Chain. The first name indicates that David 
 and Solomon sat in judgment on that seat,' 
 and the second refers to a chain which is 
 suspended from the ceiling and which, it is 
 said, will adhere to the hand of a perjurer. 
 TheKubbet-es-Sakhra, or Dome of the Rock 
 as the Omar Mosque is called by the Turks, 
 was built by Kalif Abd-el-Milik and his son 
 
144 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Walid during the years 685 — 705, and hence 
 is wrongly atcribnted to Omar. This build- 
 ing is the very culmination of Mohammedan 
 architecture, surpassing in the brilliancy of 
 conception and the perfect manner of its 
 execution anything that was ever designed 
 by Islam. Critics pronounce the interior or- 
 namentation to be of unrivalled beauty. 
 
 About four hundred and fifty feet south 
 of the Sakhra, in the south western part of 
 the Haram is the Aksa mosque, a gorgeous 
 temple of seven aisles, two hundred and 
 seventy-two feet long and one hundred and 
 eighty-four feet wide. It was originally con- 
 structed under the Emperor Justinian in 
 531 — 534, but in course of centuries it has 
 been greatly altered, enlarged and partly re- 
 built. In the rear of the mosque are two 
 columns peculiarly placed side by side, a 
 small space intervening. It would have re- 
 quired considerable squeezing for a lean 
 man to get through. In answer to our in- 
 quiries our rather corpulent sheik solemnly 
 declared that the man who could not pass 
 through that narrow space would be forever 
 excluded from joining the Prophet in Para- 
 dise. I have wondered ever since if our 
 
JEKUSALEM. 145 
 
 guide would ever enjoy the company of liis 
 master in the hereafter. West of this curi- 
 osity and opening upon the limits of the 
 Haram we saw a barred and grated window 
 to which innumerable bits of twine, rope and 
 rags had been attached by Mohammedan 
 worshipers. In case of sickness a piece is 
 taken away and burned, the smoke being 
 inhaled by the patient in the hope of thus 
 effecting a cure of the malady. 
 
 Between this ancient St. Mary's basilica 
 and the east wall of the enclosure, not far 
 from the Golden Grate are extensive sub- 
 terranean vaults called the Stables of So- 
 lomon. They are two hundred feet long 
 and one hundred feet wide and are reached 
 by a descent of eighteen steps. Twelve 
 rows of immense columns, each twenty-five 
 feet high support the roof. History tells us 
 that Mount Moriah was considerably en- 
 larged by Solomon and also by Herod. These 
 subterranean structures probably served as 
 props and supports. They are called stables 
 from the fact that the Crusaders used them 
 for stabling their horses, as there are many 
 indications, such as troughs etc., to prove. 
 How far these passages extend is not known, 
 
l46 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPf . 
 
 as only the part I have described is acces- 
 sible. 
 
 Standing in the open courtyard near the 
 Grolden Grate, we obtained a wonderful view 
 of the valleys of Hinnom and Josaphat with 
 Kedron below, the Mount of Olives, Be- 
 thany and farther to the front the road 
 leading to Jericho. Our visit having now 
 lasted about two hours, and our official and 
 his military escort showing signs of im- 
 patience, we each gave them the looked for 
 bakshish and bid the Haram with its' won- 
 derful scenes a lasting farewell. 
 
 We visited the bazaar in Jerusalem, but 
 found it anything but attractive. Its streets 
 are so narrow and winding, so obstructed 
 by booths and shops, throngs of people and 
 burros and camels laden with merchandise, 
 as to make the passage of the pedestrian 
 extremely difficult. Passing through these 
 busy quarters we come to a densely peopled 
 labyrinth of alleys and passage ways where 
 the air is impregnated with nauseous odors 
 emanating from foul caves, musty corners, 
 houses and shops, where a sunbeam never 
 penetrates, where squalor and filth reign 
 supreme, where the blessings of broom. 
 
JERUSALEM. 147 
 
 scrubbing brush, soap and water has never 
 been experienced, and where poisonous ex- 
 halations breed disease and death. This is 
 the Jewish quarter. The inhabitants live in 
 abject poverty and destitution often lacking 
 the wherewith to cover their nakedness 
 or still the cravings of hunger. They are 
 separated into two classes, the Sephardim, 
 who have goodlooking profiles of the Span- 
 ish-Portuguese type, and the Ashkenazim, 
 of pronounced Semitic physiognomy like 
 that of the German and Slavic Jews. Each 
 sect has its synagogues, schools and hos- 
 pitals, conducted according to the teachings 
 of the Talmud. The attire of the Polish 
 and Eussian Jews is most remarkable. In 
 the midst of the oppressive heat of summer 
 we saw them dressed in long flowing coats 
 and mantles of heavy cloth, fur caps and 
 ringlets or curls of hair hanging down like 
 pendants over their temples, one long curl 
 on each side. Many aged Jews leave their 
 native lands in Europe in order to die on 
 the sacred soil of their forefathers. Others 
 are attracted by the rich endowments and 
 generous aid of the wealthy philanthropists 
 of their race, but almost all live in com- 
 
148 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 parative distress and want. At the sight of 
 the conditions prevaihng here, the heart of 
 many an anti-Semite is softened by pity and 
 sympathy, especially if he witness on a Fri- 
 day afternoon the lamentations of the Jews 
 at the remnant of the temple wall which 
 stands at the eastern end of the Jewish 
 quarter, and which is known as the "wailing 
 place." Men, women and children, rich 
 and poor, young and old, press their tear- 
 stained faces against the cold blocks of the 
 quarry. They kiss and embrace them, giv- 
 ing vent to their feelings in pra3"ers and 
 tears. Loudly they call upon Jehovah to 
 restore to them the patrimony of their 
 fathers in all its ancient power and glory. 
 Their frames shake, they wring their hands 
 as if in utter despair. They tear their hair 
 and rend their garments, breaking into a 
 flood of tears, sobbing and crying as they 
 recite a litany of lamentations that would 
 soften the flinty bosom of the most obdurate 
 and prejudiced observer. We were deeply 
 touched and impressed by the zeal, earnest- 
 ness and sincerity of the wailing Jews at 
 the temple wall. Such intense and heart- 
 rending sorrow can only be compared to 
 
JEEUSALEM. 149 
 
 the grief which at some time in our lives 
 most of us have witnessed or perhaps shared 
 at the bedside of the dying. 
 
 In 1869, on the occasion of the visit of the 
 Crown Prince (the late Emperor Frederic) 
 to Jerusalem, a valuable piece of property 
 was presented by the Sultan to the German 
 government. It is the Muristan, or Hos- 
 pital Place, an area of four hundred and 
 eighty by four hundred and twenty feet, 
 (covered at the time of its presentation with 
 vast piles of debris. Oh this spot the first 
 settlement by the West was undertaken in 
 the time of Charlemagne. The German gov- 
 ernment at once prepared to clear the Mur- 
 istan and set it apart as the site of the 
 Church of the Redeemer, a handsome and 
 noble edifice erected in 1894, the expense 
 being defrayed by the voluntary contribu- 
 tions of German Protestants. The day of 
 the solemn dedication of the church will ever 
 be a red-letter day in the history of Protes- 
 tantism in Judaea. In the fall of 1898 a 
 splendid royal cavalcade, such as had never 
 been witnessed within the memory of the 
 oldest inhabitant, entered Zion's portals. 
 The Emperor and Empress of Germany ac- 
 
150 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 companied by a numerous suite, distin- 
 guished representatives of the army, navy 
 and civil service and an escort of soldiers 
 and marines arrived to dedicate the lately 
 completed church of the Redeemer. Turk, 
 Jew and Christian alike acclaimed the arrival 
 of the august pilgrims with sincere expres- 
 sion of joyous welcome. Even three years 
 later we found that a favorite topic of con- 
 versation among Mohammedans, Jews and 
 Christians was the brilliancy of the German 
 military pageant on the occasion of the Em- 
 peror's entry into Jerusalem. The church 
 together with the hospice and pastor's re- 
 sidence reflects great credit upon its pro- 
 jectors, royal protectors and generous sup- 
 porters. Both the Emperor and Empress 
 presented to the church velvet bound Bibles 
 appropriately inscribed which the sexton 
 shows to visitors. This church, though 
 symetrical and elegant in form, has one 
 great fault which seems to be irremediable. 
 The acoustics are imperfect. Various meth- 
 ods for overcoming this defect have been 
 devised and tried, but, so far, without effect. 
 Large fine wire nets intended to break the 
 sound of the voice have been hung in the 
 
JEEUSALEM. 151 
 
 edifice without producing any practical re- 
 sults. In all probability this serious defect 
 will never be rectified. 
 
 As the Sublime Porte had showed its ap- 
 preciation of the Prince's visit to Jerusalem 
 in 1868, the Sultan also recognized the im- 
 portance of the Emperor's pilgrimage to the 
 holy places in 1898. As a token of this 
 recognition another gift was tendered by 
 Abdul Hamid. This was the ''Dormitio," 
 a small strip of ground in Jerusalem where 
 the death of the Blessed Virgin took place. 
 From the earliest dawn of Christianity a 
 basilica had been built over this spot, but, in 
 the course of centuries, it had disappeared. 
 The holy place was gratefully accepted by 
 the monarch who presented it to his Cath- 
 olic subjects. They could not have received 
 a more welcome gift. At present, under the 
 auspices of the Palestina Verein of Cologne, 
 funds are being gathered by public subscrip- 
 tion for the purpose of erecting another 
 beautiful church upon this precious ground. 
 Work on the edifice will be begun this 
 spring and it will be pushed with vigor to a 
 speedy completion. 
 
 It must be borne in mind that the original 
 
152 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 level of Jerusalem is many feet below that 
 of the present day. In the course of nine- 
 teen centuries vast accumulations of debris, 
 increased with every new devastation of the 
 city, have gradually buried from view the 
 ancient streets and by-ways together with 
 many notable landmarks. Archaeologists 
 and Bible students have done much to open 
 up such places for research and investiga- 
 tion. The two famous brothers, converts 
 from Judaism, Father Theodor M. and 
 Father Alphons M. Ratisbonne, undertook 
 extensive excavations when they founded 
 the Zion convent, an institution for the free 
 education of orphaned waifs and poor child- 
 ren. To this excellent institution we made 
 our way, for, like other pilgrims to the Holy 
 City, we were desirous of seeing the very 
 ways trodden by the Saviour. We entered 
 a narrow passageway intersected by several 
 others. Small square tablets with inscrip- 
 tions are set in the walls to indicate the 
 several stations or stops of Our Lord on his 
 sorrowful journey to the place of his cruci- 
 fixion. There was his meeting with his sor- 
 rowful mother, his repeated falls beneath 
 the weight of the cross, the consoling of the 
 
JEEU SALEM. 153 
 
 weeping women by the wayside and the other 
 incidents with which we are familiar. This 
 passage is thought to be the "Via Dolo- 
 rosa," the same through which the rabble 
 dragged their meek victim. In commemora- 
 tion of the bitter suffering of Christ on his 
 way to Calvary, we may see on Friday after- 
 noon vast numbers of Christians, walking 
 this street and making the stations of the 
 cross. Upon this Via Dolorosa is an arch, 
 the "Ecce Homo" arch, from which Pilate 
 is said to have exhibited the bleeding figure 
 of Christ to the shouting blood-thirsty mul- 
 titude. This arch has withstood the ravages 
 of vandals and the inroads of time and is 
 still in a comparatively good state of preser- 
 vation. We asked permission to enter the 
 Zion convent and the Mother Superior her- 
 self conducted us through the halls of the 
 spacious building which just then resounded 
 with the silvery voices of happy children 
 singing a beautiful hymn. The basement 
 floor is part of the original street. It is 
 paved with square flag stones upon the sur- 
 face of which uneven and worn though it is, 
 the outlines of some Eoman games are still 
 traceable. Here the cross was laid upon the 
 
154 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 wounded shoulders of Christ, and that 
 unspeakably sad journey begun which cul- 
 minated in the awful hours on Grolgatha. 
 From the flat cemented housetop, an ex- 
 tensive view of the city and its environs is 
 obtained, but the excessive heat soon drove 
 us from that lofty observatory, and bidding 
 the selfsacrificing sisters and their hundreds 
 of little charges adieu, we sought the cool- 
 ness of our rooms in the Hospice. 
 
 Towards evening, when the heat of the 
 day had subsided, we again ventured forth, 
 this time to visit the Armenian Church of 
 St. James, which is built upon the spot 
 where the apostle was beheaded in the year 
 44, after his return from Spain, by the com- 
 mand of King Herod Agrippa I. In the 
 church yard is a deep cistern the water from 
 which is always cool. A grateful drink it 
 was on that hot day when the mouth was 
 parched and dry and the tongue adhered to 
 the palate from lack of moisture. In the 
 vestibule suspended from the wall were some 
 queer looking discs of iron and wood. 
 They are primitive Armenian bells, and are 
 sounded with a wooden hammer by the dea- 
 con at the beginning of service. The walls 
 
JERUSALEM. 155 
 
 of the church are covered with large paint- 
 ings portraying the chief events in the hfe 
 of the first martyred apostle. The residence 
 of the Armenian Patriarch, an elegant build- 
 ing of large proportions next claimed our 
 attention. After inspecting the beautiful 
 halls and reception rooms which were hung 
 with fine paintings and engravings, we were 
 ushered into the presence of the Patriarch 
 himself, who proved to be a man of rare 
 culture whose kindly features were an index 
 to the nobility of his heart. Near his resi- 
 dence, in the same Armenian enclosure, is 
 the place which tradition marks as the site 
 of the house of Annas the High Priest. 
 (See John 18, 13.) A convent occupies the 
 ground. From here we went to a little 
 church which marks the site of the house of 
 Caiaphas. A semi-circular stone in the al- 
 tar is pointed out as a fragment of the one 
 which closed the tomb of Our Lord. To the 
 right of this chapel is a narrow dark cell, 
 where the Saviour was kept the night before 
 the crucifixion. In the open space outside, 
 Peter denied his Master. (Luke, 22, 60.) 
 ^'En Nebi Daud," is the Mohammedan 
 name for David's tomb which is said to be 
 
156 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT,, 
 
 located under the Coenacle in a subterranean 
 chamber the entrance to which is strictly 
 guarded by Moslem sentinels and dervishes. 
 No Christian dares enter. It is reported 
 that this vault is very richly decorated with 
 costly tapistery, and that David's bones rest 
 in a marble sarcophagus which is covered 
 with rare oriental carpets. The Christian 
 pilgrim, however, is not drawn thither by 
 the thought of David's tomb, but because 
 here, according to authentic tradition, is the 
 place where, on the eve of His Passion, Christ 
 instituted the Sacrament of His Love, the 
 Holy Eucharist. We obtained permission 
 to enter the Coenacle (which has been re- 
 peatedly reconstructed), but were not al- 
 lowed to inspect adjacent chambers, or to 
 visit the upper story nor the basement, a 
 Moslem standing by to watch our move- 
 ments. The room is fifty feet long and thirty 
 feet wide with rather a low ceiling supported 
 by two pillars which divide it into two dis- 
 tinct naves. Here it was that Christ gath- 
 ered his apostles for the Last Supper (Luke, 
 22, 8-13), and where he washed their feet. 
 Here the Master appeared to his apostles 
 after His resurrection. (John 20, 19. ) Here 
 
JEKUSALEM. 157 
 
 the Paraclete, God the Holy Grhost de- 
 scended at Pentecost (Acts 2, 4.), and from 
 this hallowed place St. Peter preached the 
 new dispensation to Jew and Gentile. (Acts 
 2, 14.) Legend has it that the property 
 belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, who 
 granted it to the first Christians as a place 
 of worship and assembly. St. James (minor) 
 from here ruled the incipient Christian con- 
 gregation, as St. Panl attests (Gal. 2, 9). 
 
 Near the Coenacle are the Christian ceme- 
 teries, while those of the Jews and Moham- 
 medans are scattered over the valleys of 
 Gihon and Josaphat. To the east the triple 
 peaked Mount of Olives rises abruptly from 
 this valley which we cross on our return 
 from the Coenacle. The Hill of Evil Coun- 
 cil overhangs it on the south. Great cliffs 
 rising perpendicular from the valley form 
 this hill on the top of which is the Hacel- 
 dama (field of blood), or potter's field, the 
 ancient graveyard for the poor and un- 
 known dead which was purchased with the 
 silver accepted by Judas as the price of 
 the betrayal of his Master. These Jewish 
 and Mohammedan graveyards in the valley 
 of Josaphat and on the adjacent hillside 
 
l58 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 present a picture of utter abandonment and 
 desolation. Their mode of burial differs 
 from ours. The Jews and Moslems place 
 the bodies of their dead upon the ground 
 and a tomb is constructed about them. 
 Two stone slabs protrude from this masonry, 
 one at the head, the other at the foot. 
 Moreover, it is customary to have these 
 tombs white- washed from time to time. 
 With this explanation we can grasp the 
 meaning of Christ's words when He com- 
 pares the Pharisees to ''whited sepulchres." 
 The "^ Tombs of the Kings" attract much 
 attention. They are probably, with the ex- 
 ception of the "Stables of Solomon," the 
 most important subterranean structures in 
 Judaea. These monumental excavations, 
 cut in the living rock, are today the property 
 of the French Israelites, who purchased 
 them through the mediation of the Parisian 
 banker Pereier for thirty thousand francs. 
 By a flight of broad steps we descend into 
 an open courtyard, where the wellpreserved 
 remains of a superb arched entrance in the 
 Doric-Grrecian style are visible. From this 
 court we pass, or, rather, crawl, through a 
 small circular aperture which was originally 
 
JEKUSALEM. 159 
 
 closed with a Suone slab, like all the old 
 mortuary chambers. We now find ourselves 
 in a spacious central room the four aisles of 
 which lead into as many ante-chambers. 
 From these are reached the sepulchral 
 abodes proper, ranged in tiers one above an- 
 other. Some are vaulted niches, others long 
 deep stone troughs, and others still are 
 oven-like receptacles, all cut out of the 
 solid quarry. There is still much speculation 
 among archaeologists concerning the iden- 
 tity of the builders, nor do we know with 
 certainty for whom these indestructible cata- 
 combs were built, whether for the mem- 
 bers of the royal Herodian family or for 
 other distinguished persons. Notwithstand- 
 ing their almost absolute security, these 
 graves have been desecrated and plundered 
 of their contents, like the mighty mauso- 
 leums of the Pharaohs, the pyramids in 
 Egypt. Constructed in like manner, hewn 
 out of the rock and provided with cham- 
 bers and receptacles are the ''Tombs of the 
 Judges," which are probably the burial 
 places of the members of the Jewish San- 
 hedrim. 
 
 Standing at the Damascus Gate and look- 
 
160 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 ing eastward mountainlike rocks may be 
 seen, towering out of the plain, undermined 
 by vast caves and dungeons. These are the 
 quarries from which the stone for the build- 
 ing of the temple was taken. Tradition 
 points out 01] e of these caves as the place 
 where Jeremiah wrote the Lamentations. 
 
 We are famihar with the story of Father 
 Damien, so vividly told by Robert Louis 
 Stevenson. On Molokai, one of the islands 
 of the Hawaiian group, this truly heroic 
 man lived, as it were, entombed for more 
 than thirty years among those most un- 
 fortunate of human beings, the lepers. The 
 heart is moved to horror and pity at the 
 description of the bodily disfigurement and 
 the sufferings of these afflicted people. I 
 had never expected to behold the ostracized 
 victims of this most dread disease, but we 
 encountered some of them on the occasion 
 of our visit to the basilica of the Blessed 
 Virgin Mary outside the city gates which 
 enshrines the place of her entombment. 
 As we approach the sacred edifice, men and 
 women were seen leaning against the walls 
 and sitting on the steps. They were clad 
 in squalid garments and were gruesome 
 
JEEU SALEM. 161 
 
 sights to behold. In wailing and pitiful 
 tones they cry with hoarse voices for 
 "Bakshish ! Bakshish ! " ' But more pitiful, 
 nay, horrible and repugnant is their ap- 
 pearance. With stumpy arms from which 
 fingers and hands have decayed and fallen 
 away they hold out small tin cups to re- 
 ceive the alms for which they call. Their 
 faces are either shrunken and withered or 
 swollen and bloated with white, yellow and 
 green spots. Nose and chin are eaten away 
 by running ulcers and scaly sores. Their 
 feet have lost the toes. Such as these called 
 upon Christ for relief and filled with pity, 
 He healed and cleansed them from their 
 loathsome sickness. In His name Father 
 Damien nursed and consoled them for thirty 
 years, and the Sister of Mercy daily washes 
 and binds up their nauseating and repulsive 
 wounds. A more dreadful sight it is well 
 nigh impossible to imagine. We tossed some 
 pieces of money to them and hurried by 
 this scene of living death. There are homes 
 and hospitals for these poor creatures, but 
 it seems that begging is lucrative and more 
 agreeable to them than conformity to the 
 order and regularity of an institution. On 
 
162 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 the same principle many an old crippled 
 man or woman prefers to live and die in 
 the slums of our cities than to profit by 
 state or private charity. 
 
 St. Mary's Basilica faces upon a large, 
 open, paved court from which a flight of 
 fifty marble steps lead to the church's 
 portal, for the building rests upon a lower 
 level. In the eastern part of the church is 
 a small chapel where, according to tradi- 
 tion, is the tomb of the Blessed Virgin. 
 To the right of the steps which lead to the 
 entrance, the burial places of Saint Joachim 
 and St. Anne are shown, while to the left 
 is that of St. Joseph. Besides these we 
 find there the last resting place of Queen 
 Melisindis, the daughter of Baldwin II. 
 The present structure was erected in the 
 time of the Crusaders on the spot where 
 in the fourth century the original St. Mary's 
 church was built. The Armenians are in 
 possession of it. Near here, where St. 
 Stephen the Proto-martyrer was stoned, is 
 the novitiate of the White Fathers, the mis- 
 sionaries for the interior of Africa. This 
 institution was founded by the great French 
 Cardinal of Carthage, Msgr. Lavigerie, the 
 
JEEUSALEM. 163 
 
 African emancipator and abolitionist of the 
 slave trade. Through the garden of this 
 fruitful seminary one of the missionaries 
 led us to an immense grotto, overhung 
 with great mossgrown, ivycovered rocks. 
 Here is the Pool of Bethesda spoken of in 
 the Gospel (John, 5). This place is some 
 distance from the city proper, and the way 
 leads over very uneven and stony ground. 
 Before we take our proposed trip to Beth- 
 lehem, Jericho and the Jordan, there re- 
 mains one more sacred spot to be visited, 
 and that one most intimately associated 
 with Our Lord, the Mount of Olives and 
 Grethsemani. To these holy places the reader 
 will now accompany us. Early in the morn- 
 ing our dragoman, Mustapha Houpta to- 
 gether with his partner, Isa Lobat made his 
 appearance before the door of the Hospice. 
 Isa Lobat had considerable topographical 
 knowledge, and had acted as dragoman for 
 more than forty years. The guides brought 
 with them four donkeys and an extra Arab 
 boy whose office it was to whip and goad 
 the little animals to keep up their speed. 
 When we had successfully mounted, off we 
 trotted with Mustapha, Isa and the donkey 
 
164 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 driver behind running in even tempo. The 
 fourth donkey had been engaged for Brother 
 Lucas, 0. F. M. of the Convento di San 
 Salvatore, who had consented to accompany 
 us. It seemed to me at first that we four, 
 seated upon donkeys with three drivers 
 running and shouting behind must present 
 not only a comical but a very conspicuous 
 appearance. But this is the customary man- 
 ner of procedure. Even in Cairo when 
 a lady or gentleman rides a burro, a swarthy 
 Arab is always seen running behind, and 
 belaboring the obstreperous little beast with 
 a switch or stick. Of course ludicrous ac- 
 cidents often happen. The donkey is very 
 apt to retaliate in his own undignified man- 
 ner at some unexpected moment, — and there 
 you are on mother earth ! 
 
 Our cavalcade pursues its way towards 
 the Damascus Grate, through the narrow 
 winding streets of the ancient city, and is 
 soon beyond its walls. After crossing the 
 valley of Josaphat, the path gradually as- 
 cends. Huge boulders protrude from the 
 ground as if to obstruct the way. The little 
 donkeys carefully grope their way in single 
 file one close behind the other. We again 
 
JEEU SALEM. 165 
 
 passed the place where the lepers congre- 
 gate, but, as the hour was rather early they 
 had not yet made their appearance. Our 
 little caravan stopped before the gate of 
 the Garden of Gethsemaui, and leaving our 
 beasts in the care of the dragomen, we en- 
 tered the grotto where the Passion of Christ 
 began in His agony and bloody sweat. This 
 grotto is a natural cave of limestone forma- 
 tion, resting on natural columns and receiv- 
 ing air through an opening above. Here 
 the agonizing Saviour, resigning Himself to 
 the will of His Father, was strengthened by 
 an angel. (Luke, 22, 24.) Near by, but 
 carefully fenced in, and surrounded by a 
 most beautiful garden of flowers, stand a 
 number of veteran olive trees, gnarled and 
 twisted with age, which are said to have 
 existed since the time of Our Lord. Even 
 if this hypothesis be not true, it is more 
 than likely that they have sprung from 
 shoots of the original trees under which 
 Christ so often rested, and the Apostles slept 
 on the night before the crucifixion. The 
 largest of these trees, the trunk of which 
 is split in many places, has, by actual 
 measurement, a circumference of twenty- 
 
166 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 six feet. In this garden the Master was 
 betrayed by Judas, and taken captive. A 
 venerable Franciscan brother was working 
 in the flower beds on our arrival, and from 
 him we gratefully received some flowers as 
 a memento of our visit. Leaving Grethse- 
 mani and the '^Grrotto of the Agony," we 
 remounted and continued our way up the 
 Mount of Olives to the Church of the As- 
 cension. This sacred place is still in the 
 hands of the Moslem, but a bakshish easily 
 procures permission to enter. Upon the 
 smooth, polished floor is the great attrac- 
 tion, a footprint of Christ, encased in 
 marble. The outlines are plainly discern- 
 ible. From this spot the Saviour, forty 
 days after his glorious resurrection, trium- 
 phantly ascended into heaven. (Acts 1, 9, 
 12.) The genuineness of this relic seems to 
 be undoubted, as St. Jerome makes mention 
 of it, and also Silvia in 390. All the Christ- 
 ian bodies, the Catholics, Greeks, Syrians, 
 Kopts and Armenians here solemnly com- 
 memorate Christ's ascension. There is one 
 more place of interest on Mount Olives not 
 far from this church. It is where the Sa- 
 viour taught his apostles the Lord's prayer. 
 
JEEUSALEM. 167 
 
 (Luke, 10, 11.) By tlie munificence of a 
 French lady, the Duchesse Aurelie Latour 
 d'Anvergne, this site was purchased in 1868, 
 a fine church and convent built, and the 
 whole placed in charge of the Carmelite 
 nuns who have been there ever since. In 
 a large gallery adjacent to the church the 
 Our Father is engraved on thirty-two tab- 
 lets in as many different languages. 
 
 As oar excursion was to last several hours, 
 and involved much tedious riding and climb- 
 ing, we had been provided with a plentiful 
 luncheon by our kind hostess. Seating our- 
 selves in the shade of an old wall, we called 
 for the knapsack which had been tied to one 
 of the saddles. What was our chagrin to 
 find that it had been rifled of its contents 
 with the exception of a few ham sandwiches. 
 The dragomen, thieving scoundrels, had an- 
 ticipated our feast. We offered the remnants 
 to a hungry looking Arab boy who stood 
 watching. The little fellow greedily ate the 
 bread, but threw away the ham, for the 
 Koran forbids the Mohammedan to eat 
 pork, as the Talmud does the Jew. On 
 our return to the Hospice, the recital of our 
 discomfiture was greeted with hearty laugh- 
 
168 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 ter. A bountiful dinner restored our shat- 
 tered forces and our good humor. 
 
 On the summit of the Mount of Olives, 
 the Eussians have built a fine church whose 
 lofty spire commands a view of the sur- 
 rounding country as far as the Jordan. It 
 is a remarkable fact that of late Russia has 
 acquired possession of a number of sites en- 
 dowed by nature with singular adaptability 
 for defense. There is an opinion, which 
 the facts seem to warrant, that under the 
 cloak of religion, the Muscovite selects these 
 places with ulterior design because of their 
 military and strategic value. Sooner or later 
 Turkey must be absorbed by the Eussian 
 Empire, a consummation which has been up 
 foremost in the minds of Eussian rulers since 
 the days of Peter the Great and Catherine, 
 and -towards the realization of which Eus- 
 sian diplomacy and statecraft is constantly 
 tending. The acquisitions of Eussia in Pa- 
 lestine are all strongly fortified and sur- 
 rounded by massive walls which give them 
 the appearance of veritable strongholds. 
 '^In time of peace prepare for war" seems 
 to be the principle upon which the Czar's 
 government is now proceeding in the Holy 
 Land. 
 
A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 
 
 ''Let us go over to Bethleliem." Thus 
 the shepherds spoke after the angel had 
 announced to them the glad tidings of the 
 birth of the Saviour. (Luke, 2, 15.) We 
 too were animated by the desire of going to 
 Bethlehem to kneel and pray upon the spot 
 where the Divine Babe first saw the light of 
 day. On the morning of June twelfth we 
 set out, the driver and the two dragomen 
 perched on the front seat of the carriage, 
 while Dr. Schutz, Father Postner and my- 
 self occupied the two within. After leaving 
 the Jaffa gate and passing the valley of 
 Grihon, we reached a macadamized road, 
 one of the few good roads in Palestine, 
 which leads to Bethlehem and thence to 
 Hebron. It is one of the oldest and most 
 historic highways in the world. Abraham 
 passed this way when in obedience to the 
 command of Grod he sought Mount Moriah 
 there to immolate Isaac his son ; Mary and 
 Joseph travelled this road bearing the child 
 for the- presentation in the temple, and over 
 (169). 
 
170 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 it the three Magi journeyed from Herod's 
 palace to the stable of Bethlehem. The road 
 winds over a cultivated plateau rich in re- 
 miniscences of Bible history. We passed 
 the ^'Well of the Magi," where the star re- 
 appeared to the wise men. To the right 
 in the distance the town of Mizpali is pointed 
 out, where the prophet Samuel annointed 
 Saul as king. The monastery of Mar Elias 
 we also pass. It marks the spot where the 
 prophet Elias slept. Here a large stone may 
 be seen which bears the imprint of a human 
 body. This is greatly reverenced by the 
 Mohammedans who claim that it is the rest- 
 ing place of the prophet. Before arriving 
 at Bethlehem we stopped at a pathetic and 
 striking memorial of early times, the Kub- 
 bet Eahil or tomb of Eachel, a little square 
 building covered with a white dome and 
 situated in the midst of a Mohammedan 
 cemetery. It is much venerated by the Mos- 
 lems as well as by the Jews, and its walls 
 are covered with the names of travellers. 
 Jacob, journeying southward, had stopped 
 long at Sliechem, a place about two days 
 journey from Jerusalem, offered sacrifices 
 at Bethel, about half a day's journey north 
 
A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 171 
 
 of Jerusalem, and had nearly reached Beth- 
 lehem when his wife Rachel was overtaken 
 by childlabor and died in giving birth to 
 Benjamin. (Gen. 35, 16.) The account in 
 the Bible is brief, but it is not difficult, stand- 
 ing on the spot, to realize the tragedy of 
 four thousand years ago. Indeed here is 
 food for reflection. These hills, valleys and 
 fields, the sun, sky and air, the distant view 
 of the Mountains of Moab with Nebo across 
 the Dead Sea, all these are as they were in 
 the days of the patriarchs, the prophets and 
 Christ. Jacob and Rachel, David, Boaz and 
 Ruth, John, Mary and Joseph and Our 
 Lord himself saw them just as we see them 
 now. Thoughts like these filled our minds 
 as, after resting at Rachel's Tomb, we con- 
 tinued our journey towards Bethlehem. 
 Rapid driving for about an hour and a half 
 brought us within sight of that blessed 
 town where according to divine decree the 
 Incarnation of the Son of God was accom- 
 plished in the cave nineteen hundred and 
 two years ago. The Bethlehem of today is 
 no longer the obscure town spoken of by 
 the prophet Micheas (Mich. 5, 1). It is 
 now one of the foremost places in Judaea, 
 
172 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 having some six thousand inhabitants, who 
 carry on a prosperous business in the man- 
 ufacture of devotional articles of mother-of- 
 pearl and olive wood. The town runs along 
 the hillsides in the shape of a horse-shoe, 
 and stands out against the sky surrounded 
 on all sides by high hills. The prevailing 
 style of architecture is much like that in 
 Jerusalem — save that the houses present a 
 much neater appearance. They stand close 
 to the cobblestone streets and have no yards 
 or gardens. The people are chiefly natives 
 of the town. The loveliness of the Bethle- 
 hemite women is remarked upon by all 
 travellers. They are conspicuous for their 
 beauty. We went at once to the great Ba- 
 silica of the Nativity, a large church one 
 hundred and ninety feet long and sixty-six 
 feet wide, built by the Emperor Constantine 
 at the suggestion of his mother in the year 
 326. Since that time, as we know, Palestine 
 has been repeatedly laid waste, but the 
 Church of the Nativity has survived the 
 manifold stormes that have swept over it 
 in the past fifteen hundred years, the 
 vandalism of the Persians in 614, the de- 
 struction wrought by the Sultan Hakem in 
 
A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 173 
 
 1010, the rabid fanaticism of the Chares- 
 mians in 1244 and all the other wars, and 
 yet has never been used for Mohammedan 
 worship, notwithstanding the fact that the 
 Turk is master and proprietor. This superb 
 building is divided into five naves by long 
 rows of forty columns, each a monolith 
 twenty feet in height. They support the 
 arches and the vaulted roof. From the right 
 aisle a flight of steps leads down to the 
 crypt, and it is here that we find the cave or 
 grotto where Christ was born. A Franciscan 
 brother hands to each of us a lighted taper, 
 and leads the way down, for darkness reigns 
 in these cavernous chapels. At the extreme 
 end of the aisle is an oratory cut in the rock. 
 This is where St. Jerome spent the last 
 thirty-four years of his life and completed 
 the Vulgate, the first authentic translation 
 of the scriptures from the original text into 
 Latin, and to this day the authorized version 
 of the Church. In an adjoining apartment 
 we were shown the tomb of St. Jerome (his 
 body was translated to Rome) and the burial 
 places of St. Paula and her daughter St. 
 Eustochium and of Eusebius of Cremona. 
 They all desired to live and die near the' 
 
174 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 birthplace of the Eedeemer. Another cham- 
 ber marks the place where a number of the 
 Innocents, slain by the bloody orders of 
 Herod, met their death, and the place is also 
 shown where St. Joseph was warned by an 
 angel to ''take the Child and His mother 
 and flee into Egypt." And now we reach 
 the Grrotto of the Nativity, a semi-circular 
 cave measuring forty-one feet towards its 
 western incline, thirteen feet wide and ten 
 feet high. It is a natural cave part of which 
 has been coated with masonry, and the vault 
 and ceiling then lined with marble by the 
 piety of the faithful. The pavement is of 
 white marble with incrustations of jasper 
 and porphyry. Here stood the manger with 
 the Divine Child, (Luke, 2) and here the 
 three Kings from the Orient offered their 
 gifts of "gold, frankincense and myrrh." 
 (Math. 2. ) In the floor beneath the marble 
 altar on the spot where the Saviour was 
 born is a great silver star with the following 
 inscription around it, "Hie de Virgine Maria 
 Jesus Christus natus est." (Here of the 
 Virgin Mary Jesus Christ was born.) How 
 this "Here" compels one with irresistible 
 force to kneel and pray! Emperors, kings, 
 
GROTTO OF THE NATIVITY, BETHLEHEM. 
 
A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 175 
 
 patriarchs, prelates, hundreds of thousands 
 of travellers have read these words, have 
 prostrated themselves on the floor and 
 adored Him who was born on this spot for 
 our salvation. Many sovereigns have wished 
 to have in this grotto of Bethlehem a symbol 
 of their faith and piety, and there are some 
 thirty-two magnificent lamps continually 
 burning there. The Republic of Venice, 
 the Emperors of France and of Austria, the 
 Kings of Spain and Naples are among those 
 thus represented. This grotto. Mount Cal- 
 vary and the Holy Sepulchre are the holiest 
 places in the world, and those .associated 
 with the most momentous events of history. 
 Latins, Grreeks and Armenians worship in 
 this chapel, and Moslem soldiers stand ever 
 on guard. Deeply touched by what we 
 had seen, we left the church to view in the 
 distance the fields where the shepherds' 
 watched their flocks when the angels sang' 
 ''aiory to God and Peace to Men." The 
 shepherds' fields are some two or three 
 miles from the grotto. They are planted 
 with old olive trees. To the left are the 
 lands of Boaz made famous by Euth. After 
 purchasing mementos and souvenirs at one 
 
176 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 of the many shops, we departed for Jerusa- 
 lem, this time, however, by another route. 
 In the month of June the heat in Pales- 
 tine begins to be very oppressive, and, for 
 the stranger, almost unbearable. The only 
 safeguard against it is to adopt the native 
 mode of dressing. This piece of advice was 
 given us soon after our arrival in Jerusalem, 
 and the next morning we started out in quest 
 of the means to put it in practice. We each 
 bought a Keffie, a white or striped Arab 
 headdress which is adjusted with double 
 cords about the fez and allowed to flow in 
 loose folds over the neck for protection, and 
 a long white sleeveless houmous girded with 
 a strap and covering the person completely, 
 and, lastly, a white umbrella. Then and 
 there we donned our new apparel and so 
 complete was the metamorphosis that we 
 glanced at one another in amused approba- 
 tion as we emerged from the shop. Thus 
 arrayed we appeared in public during the 
 remainder of our sojourn in the Holy Land, 
 and as no comment was ever made upon our 
 appearance it must be presumed that it 
 was satisfactory and came up to the native 
 standard of style. We had our pictures 
 taken in this costume before leaving. 
 
JERICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JORDAN. 
 
 We reached the Hospice once more in 
 good season after our visit to Bethlehem, 
 and after allowing ourselves two hours in 
 which to dine and rest, we were ready to 
 start on the proposed expedition to Jericho, 
 the Dead Sea and the River Jordan. At 
 about three in the afternoon Mustapha 
 Houpta and Isa Lobat once more made 
 their appearance this time with a carriage 
 drawn by three Arabian horses of remark- 
 able spirit and endurance, with a Jewish 
 driver in command. These horses won un- 
 stinted admiration from us, for they covered 
 the distance of twenty-five miles at an al- 
 most continuous gallop, and this with a 
 breathing span of but twenty minutes. There 
 is no animal so wiry, tough and enduring as 
 the Arab horse, neither is there any driver 
 so cruel and unsparing as the Oriental. 
 Any expression of sympathy for the ex- 
 hausted and maltreated animals seems only 
 to cause the reckless driver to ply his cruel 
 whip with new vigor upon their foaming 
 (177) 
 
l78 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYP^. 
 
 backs J and he seems utterly devoid of pity 
 for the dumb suffering brutes. Our way 
 led past the Moslem and Jewish cemeteries, 
 Mount Olives and Bethany into a weird, 
 desolate and hilly stretch of country. The 
 road was a good one of macadam, and had 
 been put in order in preparation for Em- 
 peror William's visit. This fine highway, 
 connecting Jerusalem with Jericho, the 
 country beyond the Jordan and^the Dead Sea, 
 is much frequented at all hours of the day 
 and night. Bedouin caravans with camels 
 and pack mules are continually moving to 
 and from Jerusalem, and this is particularly 
 the case in the month of June when the 
 newly threshed wheat is carried to market. 
 Long lines of hundreds of donkeys and 
 camels followed by their haughty owners 
 are constantly encountered. The Bedouins 
 those ^ 'proud lords of the desert" are nom- 
 adic tribes of Arabia and Syria who move 
 from place to place as the exigencies of their 
 flocks and herds require. For ages they 
 have led a pastoral life, dwelling in tents, 
 raising cattle, going forth in quest of plunder 
 and spending their leisure in horseraising, 
 storytelling and smoking. All domestic 
 
JEEICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JOEDAN. 179 
 
 cares are left to women, the tending of 
 the flocks is consigned to the boys and 
 girls and all agricultural labor is laid upon 
 the fellah. The Bedouin traces his geneology 
 to Ishmael. The desert is the birthplace of 
 his race. Fierce and courageous in battle, 
 he is simple and frugal in his mode of liv- 
 ing. His diet is the flesh and milk of his 
 flock, bread baked in hot ashes, rice and 
 coffee. This brown son of the desert is spare 
 and sinewy, capable of enduring great fa- 
 tigue and exposure in the fiery sun and 
 hot winds of the treeless plains, and has 
 regular features with deepset, piercing and 
 intelligent dark eyes. He wears a long flow- 
 ing robe, a Keffle, folded cornerwise and tied 
 about the head with a cord of camel's hair, 
 and wide shoes or slippers made of camePs 
 hide. His gait is easy, lithe and elastic. 
 The Bedouin tribes are governed by sheiks, 
 the office being hereditary and descending 
 to the next in age, whether son or brother. 
 A long-barreled gun swung carelessly over 
 the shoulders, a dagger thrust into the belt 
 and a lance are the constant companions of 
 the Bedouin without which he is never seen. 
 Their thieving, marauding and murderous 
 
180 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 propensities inspire the traveller in these 
 regions with fear and caution, for many a 
 successful raid have they made upon un- 
 suspecting tourists. They exercise undis- 
 puted dominion over the desert plains which 
 they inhabit, and no traveller may cross 
 them without the permission of the ruling 
 sheik who will exact a toll. Thus when we 
 were nearing Jericho the Bedouin sheik from 
 a tented settlement in the vicinity made 
 his appearance and vehemently objected to 
 allowing our two dragomen to conduct us 
 through the desert to the Dead Sea and 
 the Jordan. He claimed the exclusive priv- 
 ilege of providing guides for such expedi- 
 tions and insisted that we be accompanied 
 by a Bedouin escort. To save our necks we 
 consented to his proposition, or, rather, to 
 his imperious demands, and so, when we set 
 out again next morning, our precious lives 
 were in the keeping of four men heavily 
 armed. The road to Jericho has a continu- 
 ous down grade. It leads through an abso- 
 lutely barren country and on either side are 
 steep hills, precipitous cliffs broken by the 
 yawning mouths of black caverns, ravines 
 and deep gorges. With one exception there 
 
JEEICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JOEDAN. 181 
 
 is not a human dwelling to be seen upon the 
 entire route until we approach the famous 
 Mar Saba. This one exception is called the 
 Samaritan Inn, and is a half way house 
 where travellers may obtain refreshments of 
 various kinds at exorbitant rates. Here we 
 halted to rest ourselves and our animals. 
 We were vividly reminded of the man in the 
 parable who ^'went down from Jerusalem to 
 Jericho, and fell among robbers." On dis- 
 covering the cost of entertainment at this 
 inn we too felt that we had fallen among 
 robbers, and yet one is thankful for a re- 
 freshing drink in this part of the world, no 
 matter what the cost. At this inn I pur- 
 chased an old Bedouin dagger, which I still 
 preserve as a memento. In the East it is 
 customary in selling any article to demand 
 at first at least four times its value. The 
 purchaser must then begin to dicker, offer- 
 ing a much lower sum, and, after these pre- 
 liminaries are gone through with, there is 
 not much trouble in striking a fair bargain. 
 This fellow wanted seven francs for his dag- 
 ger. I offered him one, and got it for a 
 franc and a half. In the Orient the un- 
 sophisticated and the unwary are almost 
 
182 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 sure to be fleeced. We had not been long 
 in Constantinople before we began to realize 
 that the friend had given good advice who 
 said to us, '^Beware of them, for every other 
 man is a rogue and a scoundrel." When 
 man and beast had recuperated, we pro- 
 ceeded on our way. The face of the coun- 
 try now bfegan to be more wild than ever ; 
 the hills increased to mountains, and the 
 ravines deepened to chasms. Many a pass- 
 ing Bedouin cast sinister glances in our 
 direction, and yet I could not but admire 
 these men as they followed their caravans, 
 munching their hard baked bread and raw 
 cucumbers. Their mien \s stately and noble, 
 their carriage free and independent, and they 
 seem happy and contented with the scant 
 subsistence which by dint of hard labor they 
 wrest from the arid sandy plains. Would 
 not their eyes fairly bulge out of their 
 sockets could they see the broad fertile 
 acres of Illinois ! 
 
 After driving an hour our attention was 
 called to Mar Saba, the famous Grreek mon- 
 astery built upon an almost inaccessible rocky 
 height. This formidable structure has the 
 appearance of a grim fortress. It is flanked 
 
JERICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JOED AN. 183 
 
 by two square observation towers and en- 
 tirely surrounded by a high, unscalable wall. 
 It is set upon the abrupt terrace of a dizzy 
 gorge, at the bottom of which the brook 
 Kedron, in winter a raging torrent, seethes 
 and foams six hundred feet below. The 
 rocks fall away so perpendicularly, that huge 
 flying buttresses were necessary to render 
 available even the moderate area occupied 
 by the monastery. From the earliest days 
 of Christianity, men of earnest prayer, 
 moved by the spirit of penance, forsook the 
 glittering allurements of the world and re- 
 tired to lonely caves and desert places there 
 to lead a life of meditation and contempla- 
 tion, and so attain to a higher degree of 
 spirituality. Such were the anchorites in 
 the third century. From these individual 
 ascetics monasticism or community life was 
 gradually developed. Mar Saba is unques- 
 tionably the oldest monastery in the world. 
 It was founded by the abbot St. Sabas, a 
 disciple of Euthymius, in the year 478. 
 St. John Damascene lived here in the eighth 
 century. To visit Mar Saba it is necessary 
 to have a special written permission from 
 the Glreek Patriarch of Jerusalem. We saw 
 
184 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 many caves and excavations, now homes for 
 the jackal, where many centuries ago her- 
 mits and anchorites led their secluded lives 
 of prayer. At this point the Judaean moun- 
 tains gradually recede and, our road becom- 
 ing more and more precipitous, we were at 
 times, for safety's sake, obliged to get down 
 and walk. To the right at the foot of a hill 
 we pass a pile of ruins known as Chorbet el 
 Kaken, the spot where the Saviour restored 
 to blind Bartimaeus his sight. (Mark 10, 
 46. ) A most striking picture now presented 
 itself. Stretched before us lay ''Grhor," as 
 the Arabs call the desert surrounding the 
 Dead Sea and the Jordan, mountain ranges 
 rising beyond, while in the midst of the 
 waste was a pleasant green oasis within 
 which is ''Er-Eicha" or Jericho. Here we 
 arrived as the shades of evening began to 
 creep over the plains. 
 
 Arranging with a Moslem inn-keeper for 
 our night's lodging, we proceeded some two 
 miles farther to the Well of Eliseus, spoken 
 of in the following passage: ''And the men 
 of the city (Jericho) said to Eliseus, '.Be- 
 hold the situation of this city is very good, 
 as thou, my lord, seest: but the waters are 
 
JERICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JOED AN. 185 
 
 very bad and the ground barren..' And he 
 said, ^Bring me a new vessel and put salt in 
 it.' And when they had brought it, he went 
 to the spring of waters and cast the salt into 
 it, and said, 'Thus saith the Lord: I have 
 healed these waters and there shall be no 
 more in them death or barrenness.' And 
 the waters were healed unto this day, ac- 
 cording to the word of Eliseus." (IV. 
 Kings 2, 19 — 22.) Ancient Jericho stood 
 immediately north of this well. Here we 
 halted and alighted and drank deep draughts 
 of the sparkling, crystal pure waters which 
 bubbled up from many small springs, dis- 
 charging their surplus into an irrigating 
 ditch. By means of this ditch the water is 
 carried as far as the present Er-Richa. In 
 this inhospitable and barren plain where all 
 vegetation is dwarfed and stunted, and 
 nothing but rocks and yellow clay banks 
 meet the tired eye, the Well of Eliseus is 
 a godsend to the poor inhabitants, an oasis 
 in the wilderness. 
 
 To the west, a few miles distant, the 
 "'Dshebel Karantel" or Mount Quarantania 
 rises before us. Here Christ passed the forty 
 days and forty nights of prayer and fasting. 
 
186 EUEOPE, THE .HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 (Math. 4.) Everywhere is biblical ground, 
 and this, the site of ancient Jericho is especi- 
 ally rich in associations. The last glances 
 of Moses, dying upon Mount Nebo, were 
 directed across the Jordan and the Dead 
 Sea and fixed upon Jericho in Chanaan, the 
 promised land. (Deut., 34.) Here, close 
 to the well, the Israelites, freed from Egypt- 
 ian bondage, pitched their tents, and under 
 Joshue's leadership took possession of the 
 city, the walls collapsing at the blast of the 
 trumpets and the peoples' shout. (Josh. 6. ) 
 In after ages, in the time of Our Lord 
 Jericho and its vicinity played a prominent 
 part, for here Jesus restored sight to the 
 blind man, (Luke, 18), entered the house of 
 Zacheus, (Luke, 19), and seth forth upon 
 his journey eastward to Jerusalem. 
 
 Since the time of the Crusaders ancient 
 Jericho has disappeared from the face of 
 the earth; and not a vestige remains to 
 mark its former site. The present town is 
 but a gathering of Bedouin mud huts to- 
 gether with a few more pretentious houses 
 in one of which we stayed over night. As 
 we returned from the Well of Eliseus, dark- 
 ness gradually enveloped the landscape; 
 
JEEIOHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JOED AN. 187 
 
 the camp-fires of the roving Bedouins 
 burned bright ; the people gathered in clus- 
 ters here and there, and the omni-present 
 dog began the fierce howling which was to 
 continue all through the night. The howl- 
 ing of the dogs, our host explained next 
 morning, is caused by the approach of the 
 jackals which at night leave their mountain 
 lairs in large numbers and prowl about the 
 country in quest of food, venturing even to 
 the doors of houses. 
 
 Mosquitos persistently tormented our 
 weary bodies throughout the night, so 
 that but little sleep or rest were possible. 
 These, however, were a lesser evil in com- 
 parison with another variety of tormenters 
 who seemed to hunger ravenously after our 
 blood. I refer to the fleas. Whoever has 
 been in the East or in Italy can tell fine 
 tales of these pestiferous little hoppers. 
 Six weeks after my return to Europe, I 
 still bore scars from the wounds inflicted in 
 these night attacks. 
 
 In a little garden adjoining our inn at- 
 tempts had been made at raising vegetables 
 which proved quite successful. There were 
 also tall pomegranates laden with luscious 
 
188 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 fruit, and figs and grapes of unusual size. 
 The explanation was soon forthcoming. 
 A channel had been dug leading from the 
 Well of Eliseus, and tmce a day a stream- 
 let was permitted to water the garden. As 
 our dragoman had brought fresh mutton and 
 tea from Jerusalem, we fared very well in 
 Jericho. Early next morning, at three 
 o'clock, we were roused from our short and 
 interrupted slumbers, and, horses and men 
 being ready, we set out for the Dead Sea and 
 Jordan. 
 
 As already stated the Bedouin claims 
 sovereignty over all '^Grhor." He demands 
 a fee for his protection and, without it, to 
 venture forth would be foolhardy. We had 
 agreed with a vicious looking sheik the pre- 
 vious night to accept an extra Bedouin es- 
 cort for the day. Breakfast disposed of, 
 the start is made, and we are soon off over 
 sand and stone and barrenness, up hill and 
 down hill, our Arab steeds sweeping over 
 the desert plain with unexpected freshness 
 and vigor. What was it that caused our 
 men suddenly to place their guns in readi- 
 ness*? Do they feel the presence of some 
 lurking enemy? A sense of insecurity takes 
 
f 
 4 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 J 
 
 % 
 
 >* 
 
 h^^- 
 
 ■A^ 1 
 
JERICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JOED AN. 189 
 
 possession of us, and every eye is strained 
 in the effort to penetrate the gray of the 
 dawn, and determine the intentions of the 
 human figures that are seen moving towards 
 us. Meantime not a word is spoken. They 
 prove to be Bedouins, but bent on friendly 
 mission, and they pass us with the good 
 natured greeting, ' 'Salaam Aleikum," peace 
 be with you. At five o'clock on the morn- 
 ing of June the thirteenth we stood upon the 
 shore of the Dead Sea ! Who does not shud- 
 der at the mention of that name, recalling 
 a fearful judgment from God. 
 
 ''Baha Lut," Lot's Sea, as the Arab calls 
 this salt lake, is enclosed by the mountains 
 of Moab on the east, and those of Hebron 
 on the west. It is forty-five miles long and 
 its greatest width is ten miles. Its bed is 
 the ancient vale of Siddim, which Lot chose 
 when he separated from Abraham and which 
 was then an attractive region watered by 
 the Jordan and containing the cities of So- 
 dom and Gromorrah. Though separated 
 from the Mediterranean by only seventy- 
 five miles, there is a difference of more than 
 thirteen hundred feet in their levels, that of 
 the Dead Sea being so much lower. It is 
 
l90 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPf . 
 
 the deepest depression of the kind known 
 on the earth. The mountains on the east 
 are barren, rugged and forbidding and are 
 rent and cleft by deep chasms and gorges. 
 The desolation of the scene is augmented by 
 the fact that a few spare bushes with leaf- 
 less branches encrustsd with salt, and here 
 and there trunks of dead trees are the only 
 signs of vegetation. The shore is of slimy 
 mud, into which the foot sinks deep, and 
 the tracks thus left are soon lined with in- 
 crustations of salt. The water is dense, ex- 
 tremely bitter and so heavily charged with 
 salt that bodies float upon the surface like 
 cork. Anything dipped into the water dries 
 almost as soon as it is withdrawn, and is 
 then covered with a thin coating of salt. 
 The immense evaporations produced by the 
 burning Syrian sun leave the shores and 
 the land in the vicinity covered with the salt 
 deposit. They breed fever and death. The 
 leaden surface of the water is rarely dis- 
 turbed, you see no ripple or ruffle on its 
 dark and sombre bosom, nor is there sign 
 of animal life within. The salt in the water 
 would seem to be derived from the remark- 
 able salt hills on the south-west shore 
 
JEEICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JORDAN. 191 
 
 called Dshebel Usdem. Notwithstanding 
 the fact that the Dead Sea has no outlet, 
 and that the river Jordan daily discharges 
 millions of gallons of water into its motion- 
 less body, this salt lake never seems to ex- 
 pand. The appalling catastrophe recorded 
 in the Bible has forever left its mark upon 
 this region of death. I tasted the bitter 
 water and gathered an Adam's apple which 
 when crushed emits a smokelike powder. 
 The notion that no bird flies over the dread 
 expanse of the sea is erroneous. Travellers 
 testify to the contrary. We ourselves saw 
 a number of birds near the water, and a 
 lean gray hare even made his appearance, 
 scared from his hiding place beneath some 
 withered tufts of grass near the banks. 
 While we walked along the shore, gathering 
 stones and pebbles, our dragomen and the 
 driver plunged into the lake's inky depths 
 for a bath. They were buoyed up by the 
 density of the water, and splashed and 
 floated upon the surface. After half an 
 hours stay, our faces, hands and clothing 
 being coated with salt, we decided to pro- 
 ceed to the Jordan. 
 
 On the way to the Dead Sea the road tra- 
 
192 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 verses the valleys of Ephraim and Ben- 
 jamin. Turning towards the Jordan we 
 soon entered the valley of St. John. In 
 these regions was heard the ' Voice of one 
 crying in the wilderness," proclaiming pen- 
 ance, and announcing the coming of Him 
 who was to '^take away the sins of the 
 world." It took just one hour of brisk 
 driving to bring us within sight of the river's 
 sacred waters. At half -past six in the morn- 
 ing we reached that identical spot where 
 the Saviour was baptised by St. John. 
 (Mark, 1, 9.) Pious legend connects this 
 same place with other events recorded in 
 the Bible. Here Joshue led the Israelites 
 through the bed of the river (Jos., 3), and 
 again the waters parted for the passage of 
 Elias and Eliseus (IV. Kings, 2, 3). Here 
 also St. Christopher pursued his charitable 
 labor. The banks of the river are over- 
 grown with shrubbery and stately trees 
 among which the poplar and willow pre- 
 dominate. 
 
 On' our arrival, the horses were watered, 
 and permitted to graze, the dragomen and 
 drivers stretched themselves in the cool 
 shade of overhanging boughs, while we 
 
JEEICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JORDAN. 193 
 
 proceeded to quench our thirst from the 
 waters of the river. We filled the flasks we 
 had purchased for that purpose at the half- 
 way house, and then bathed in the river in 
 accordance with the custom of pilgrims from 
 time immemorial. It was an ideal morning 
 cool and breezy, and the sun was not yet 
 high in the heavens. We all felt that we 
 were fully compensated for the long and 
 wearysome journey so many thousand miles 
 from home, and for the heavy outlay which 
 our pilgrimage had occasioned. The fondest 
 desire of my life cherished for years was 
 now realized. How sweet to linger here 
 and meditate upon the inspiring events of 
 nineteen hundred years ago, upon the 
 mighty exhortations of the Forerunner, and 
 the fathomless humility of the Son of God 
 as he stood in Jordan's waters and received 
 the baptism of John ! 
 
 The Jordan and the Dead Sea were thor- 
 oughly explored by an American expedition 
 under Lieutenant Lynch in 1848. The sour- 
 ces of the river are found on the southern 
 declivities of Lebanon where they bubble 
 up from twenty small springs. Its course 
 is tortuous and rapid and carries with it 
 
i94 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 many impurities gathered from the steep 
 clay banks between which it flows from 
 Lake Glenesareth to the Dead Sea. 
 
 After an hours stay we turned back to- 
 wards Jerusalem, taking a last drink from 
 the waters of the famous stream. On the 
 return journey, shortly after our start, we 
 stopped at the Greek monastery of Mar Ju- 
 hanna, or St. John the Baptist. 
 
 The situation of this monastery is the 
 very acme of dreariness, for its surround- 
 ings are absolutely barren and nude. It is 
 built in the midst of a sandy, rocky plain 
 which is rent in deep fissures by the scorch- 
 ing merciless heat. To the west, ravines 
 several hundred feet in depth cut off ap- 
 proach. Our friend from Baltimore espied 
 on an eminence a heap of bones all bleached 
 by the sun. A part of some poor Bedouin's 
 frame now adorns the doctor's study. The 
 monastery is surrounded by a high and 
 massive stone wall. Over the entrance gate 
 is a small turret containing a large bell 
 which may be rung from the interior of the 
 building. A powerful mastiff lying on the 
 platform before the church was on duty, 
 scanning the horizon with watchful eyes. 
 
JERICHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JOED AN. 195 
 
 The animars fierce barking at our approach 
 brought out a silent and ascetic looking 
 monk who kindly ushered us into a cool 
 room. Shortly afterwards we were hospi- 
 tably served with cold water mixed with 
 quince jelly, and before we left tiny cups of 
 strong, aromatic coffee were brought. Heroic 
 lives are led here in this secluded home, over 
 which the eternal silence of the desert 
 hovers, and whose walls the noise and hurry 
 of worldly pursuits have never penetrated. 
 About nine o'clock we reached Jericho 
 once more, stopping there until two in the 
 afternoon. Reconnoitering the town we 
 came upon the butcher shop where camel's 
 meat was for sale. The whole affair was 
 rather primitive, it must be confessed. The 
 meat, including the entire head, was laid 
 out on straw by the road side, and myriads 
 of flies were sampling its quality. The pro- 
 prietor of this Jericho butcher shop was 
 squatting behind the ' 'counter' ' smoking cig- 
 arettes. In the garden of the inn, which I 
 have before described, the pomegranates 
 had grown to the size of large apples. I 
 plucked some for distant friends, and 
 brought them safely over. 
 
196 EUBOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 From Jericho to Jerusalem the road was 
 very difficult. What was down hill before, 
 was, of course, now almost continuous as- 
 cent. The rise was often so abrupt that we 
 had to leave the carriage and climb the hills 
 for one and two miles at a time. The sun 
 beat down unmercifully, and never a shelter- 
 ing tree or cool spring was to be seen. The 
 limestone rocks reflected the heat with an 
 intensity which caused the brain to whirl, 
 blurred the sight and made the heart flutter 
 and palpitate. Our exhausted bodies, bathed 
 in perspiration were often on the verge of 
 collapse. That mountain climbing in Judaea 
 on that hot day in June was the hardest 
 physical labor I ever performed. The Arabs, 
 however, whom we encountered so fre- 
 quently on the highway, walked with as 
 easy, elastic and swinging a gait, as if they 
 were on a dancing floor. They soon over- 
 took us, and as rapidly passed out of sight. 
 Ah, with what a sense of relief we hailed in 
 the distance the Samaritan Inn! 
 
 To the north of the Mount of Olives lies 
 Bethany, the home of Lazarus and his 
 sisters Mary and Martha, whose company 
 the Saviour loved. There we stopped on 
 
JEEIGHO, THE DEAD SEA AND JORDAN. 197 
 
 this return journey to Jerusalem, to visit 
 the ancient sight of their little house. ^ In 
 a dilapidated building we descended a flight 
 of thirty-one steps cut in the rock to the 
 place where the tomb of Lazarus had been 
 and where Christ raised him from the dead. 
 Ruins and rubbish, dirt and squalor are 
 everywhere encountered in Bethany. The 
 holy places are in a state of utter neglect. 
 In the place of Lazarus' sepulture goats 
 find nightly lodging. Towards eight o'clock, 
 with a hearty Deo Grratias, we reached our 
 Hospice once more, tired and worn from 
 the exertions of our interesting journey. 
 
FROM PALESTINE TO EGYPT. 
 
 And now the time of our departure had 
 arrived. The end and object of our pilgrim- 
 age was attained. To Jerusalem, city of 
 David, to Zion, Moriah, Calvary and Olivet, 
 to Gethsamani, Bethlehem and Jordan and 
 the hills and valleys of Judaea we bade a 
 long farewell. Reluctantly we parted with 
 our kind hosts at the Hospice. After a last 
 cordial handshaking, we set off for the rail- 
 way station, followed by their hearty wishes 
 for a prosperous voyage to Egypt, the land 
 of the Pharaohs, the pyramids and the Nile, 
 whither we were now bound. Our Glreek 
 dragoman, Isa Lobat, was to accompany 
 us, but from the Moslem, Mustapha Houpta, 
 we parted at Jaffa. 
 
 At twenty minutes of eight on the morn- 
 ing of June seventeenth our train left Jeru- 
 salem. Soon the city passed out of sight, 
 but, until, the valley of Sharon was reached, 
 the frowning mountain ranges of Judea stood 
 out, vivid reminders of the scenes and in- 
 cidents which, in the short space of a week, 
 (198) 
 
FKOM PAIvESTINE TO EGYPT. 199 
 
 had been crowded into our lives to remain 
 indelibly stamped upon mind and memory. 
 Our trip was without incident and we ar- 
 rived safely in Jaffa at ten minutes after 
 eleven. Two steamers were anchored off 
 the perilous needles, a Russian and an Egyp- 
 tian, both bound for Port Said, but sailing 
 on different dates. We decided in favor of 
 theRaihanieh of theKhedivialline, although 
 vastly inferior to the other vessel, for it was 
 ready to leave port that same afternoon. 
 Immediately after dinner at the Franciscan 
 Hospice, at which we were again served by 
 our jovial Irishman, Brother Alfred, and 
 before the waters of the harbor had com- 
 menced to toss and surge, a small boat 
 rowed by four swarthy Arabs brought us 
 safely through the dangerous channel to the 
 steamer, which hoisted her anchor at three 
 o'clock and headed for the shores of Africa, 
 for Port Said at the entrance of the Suez 
 Canal. 
 
 There was little to praise on the Egyp- 
 tian steamer on which we now found our- 
 selves. On the foreward deck among the 
 steerage passengers, pandemonium reigned 
 all night. The majority of them were Mo- 
 
200 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 hammedans bound for Mecca, and a dirty 
 quarrelsome set they were, each one trying 
 to get the better of his neighbor in the mat- 
 ter of sleeping places. They stretched them- 
 selves promiscuously upon the deck, with 
 bags, bundles, coats or blankets for pillows. 
 Mates and sailors not, as a rule, over bur- 
 dened with the virtue of forbearance, oc- 
 casionally intervened as peace-makers, ac- 
 companying their arguments with blows k 
 la Sullivan. Happily there were but five 
 cabin passengers, and so we had the pro- 
 menade deck almost entirely to ourselves. 
 Here under a most beautiful deep azure sky 
 we spent the greater part of the night, for 
 the cabins were anything but tidy and in- 
 viting, even the table linen urgently needing 
 the attention of the laundress. The food 
 was poor. The Eussian steamers are said 
 to be the best that ply in the Mediterranean, 
 though those of the "Messagerie Maritime" 
 on which we travelled, the Saghalien and 
 the Portugal, were all that could be desired. 
 The mental and physical discomfort which 
 we endured on this Egyptian boat were only 
 alleviated by the knowledge that they were 
 to be of brief duration. Next morning at 
 
FEOM PALESTINE TO EGYPT. 201 
 
 six we sighted Port Said, and at seven we 
 had ah'eady landed. 
 
 This rapidly growing city of some forty 
 thousand inhabitants owes its existence en- 
 tirely to the canal. Great coal sheds and 
 warehouses line the water edge, and the 
 harbor is constantly filled with a multitude 
 of ships from various countries, all going to 
 or from Australian and Asiatic ports. Of 
 all the vessels present, however, there was 
 but one American and a warship at that 
 returning from the Philippines. Our mer- 
 chant marine has been woefully neglected 
 and it is seldom, indeed, that an American in 
 foreign ports has the opportunity of gazing 
 upon the stars and stripes floating from a 
 masthead. 
 
 Port Said perpetuates the name of Said 
 Pasha, son of the famous Mehemet Ali, 
 who helped the English to expel the French 
 from Egypt in 1801, and who became a 
 recognized leader there in 1806. Said Pasha 
 succeeded to the vice-royalty on the assas- 
 sination of Abbas Pasha in 1854, and to 
 him is chiefly due the credit for the con- 
 struction of the great international water- 
 way, the Suez Canal, which, since November 
 
202 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 seventeenth 1869, has Hnked the Mediter- 
 ranean to the Red Sea, Europe to Australia. 
 The bold conception of this isthmian canal 
 is ascribed in modern times to Napoleon I. 
 at the time of his invasion of Egypt. His- 
 tory records several attempts at executing 
 similar plans as early as 1300, b. c, under 
 Ramses II., and again in 600 b. c. under 
 Necho. Darius Hystaspes built a canal 
 thirty-seven miles long, reaching to the 
 Bitter Lakes, for the purpose of carrying 
 ships and of watering the land. In 270 b. c. 
 Ptolemy carried the canal still farther, but 
 it subsequently filled with sand, and became 
 obliterated. Various attempts succeeded 
 one another, and were abandoned until in 
 our own time the great French engineer, 
 Ferdinand de Lessep^s, demonstrated to all 
 concerned' the entire practicability of this 
 gigantic scheme which had defied the Pha- 
 raohs. A company was organized, and 
 work began in 1858. Eleven years later this 
 herculean undertaking had been brought 
 , successfully to completion, having cost some 
 three hundred million francs. The length 
 of the Suez Canal is about one hundred 
 miles including several small lakes through 
 
FROM PALESTINE TO EGYPT. 203 
 
 which it passes. It is three hundred and 
 twenty-five feet wide and twenty-six feet 
 deep. Ships of three and four thousand 
 tons, drawing twenty- two feet of water go 
 through in thirteen hours. At the formal 
 opening a procession of decorated vessels of 
 various nations passed through. Empress 
 Eugenie, Emperor Francis Joseph of 
 Austria, Crown Prince Frederic of Prussia 
 and other notable persons being present. 
 The religious ceremonies were performed 
 by Napoleon's Almoner, Bishop Bauer. At 
 the entrance of the canal upon a lofty 
 pedestal stands the life-size statue of Ferdi- 
 nand de Lesseps, its builder. Upon the 
 base is an appropriate inscription. We had 
 two hours in which to loiter about the 
 town and observe its cosmopolitan charac- 
 ter. After taking luncheon, and buying the 
 latest London dailies which were four or five 
 days old, we sought the railway station, for 
 the trip to Cairo and Alexandria were to be 
 made by train. i 
 
 At a quarter before nine we left Port 
 Said, arriving at Cairo at a quarter of five 
 that afternoon. The first part of the route 
 follows the canal through the dreary desert, 
 
204 EUEOPEj THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 where no sign whatever of vegetation is to 
 be seen — nothing but endless plains of 
 yellow sand, sand, sand, with waves of fiery 
 heat vibrating through the air. The road 
 bed is made from the soil excavated from 
 the canal. On this the sections of rails are 
 laid over iron ties which have, fastened 
 underneath them round bowls. These latter 
 fill at once with sand, become solidly im- 
 bedded, and remain fixed in position. In 
 order to protect the telegraph poles from the 
 ants and other insects of the desert, they are 
 placed upon iron posts three or four feet 
 high. Here and there along the way one 
 may see a lonely traveller with his faithful 
 camel resting by the waters, cruelly exposed 
 to the scorching rays of the African sun. At 
 Tel-el-kebir, a small waystation the engine 
 took water, and at eleven o'clock we reached 
 the more important town of Ismailia, forty- 
 two miles from Port Said, where the Sweet 
 Water Canal joins the Suez. This canal 
 begins at Zagazig, receiving its waters from 
 the Nile. It was built for the purpose of 
 supplying drinking water to the laborers 
 along the line. At Ismailia it is forced into 
 a double line of nine inch pipes and carried 
 
FROM PALESTINE TO EGYPT. 205 
 
 by them along the canal to Port Said. Near 
 this Sweet Water Canal the Mahdi's forces 
 were routed by the English in 1882, and 
 this fierce and formidable warrior was him- 
 self killed. The shirt of mail which he wore 
 on this occasion was, until lately, in my 
 brother's possession. It is a garment woven 
 of wire and reaching from the neck down to 
 the knees. After Ismailia, our next stop 
 was at Zagazig where over one hour and a 
 half were allowed for dinner. The hotel 
 runners at this place were not different from 
 those of other towns in their brazen bold- 
 ness and impudence. We went to a native 
 hotel opposite the pretentious depot, whose 
 patrons were served with scanty meals at 
 high prices. Unknown to us, Asiatic Cholera 
 had broken out at Zagazig. Thirteen 
 authentic cases of the dread disease were re- 
 ported that day. The inhabitants showed 
 no signs of alarm, but three days later all 
 travellers from that City were kept fourteen 
 days in quarantine. We congratulated our- 
 selves on this timely and fortunate escape. 
 At Cairo we registered at the Eden Palace 
 hotel which is situated on the public square 
 and is well kept by a Greek. 
 
CAIRO AND THE PYRAMIDS. 
 
 In Cairo as in Constantinople, one meets 
 with an incongruous mixture of East and 
 West, peculiarly fascinating and interesting 
 to a stranger. Being refreshed after the 
 long railway journey, we set out in the cool 
 and breezy evening to explore ancient and 
 modern Cairo, availing ourselves of car- 
 riage and also of the trolly cars which latter 
 compare favorably with the best in America. 
 The streets and public places are filled with 
 a heterogeneous mass of noisy people, walk- 
 ing, rioting or lounging. In front of the 
 cafes crowds of men and women sit about 
 sipping coffee or lemonade, drinking wine 
 and beer and smoking the nargileh or ciga- 
 rettes. Shouting muleteers offer their little 
 beasts for hire. Boot-blacks and street 
 fakirs, with cigarettes, nuts, fans, canes, 
 shells and trinkets of every imaginable 
 description and very little use, will follow 
 an intended victim for blocks at a time till 
 a few well-directed blows from hand or cane 
 insure temporary relief from molestation. 
 (206) 
 
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Oairo and the pyeamids. 207 
 
 A phantastic army of swarthy men and 
 dusky women, coalblack negroes, bronzed 
 Bedouins and sallow complexioned Arabs, 
 all in their native costumes, together with 
 many white-skinned ruddy cheeked Eur- 
 opeans of all nationalities in modern attire 
 may be seen promenading on the streets of 
 Cairo after a sultry summerday. In the 
 morning, when from all parts of the fertile 
 delta thousands of heavy laden camels and 
 asses are driven to market, the scene is not 
 less animated and attractive than at night. 
 Old Cairo is noted for its narrow, crooked, 
 winding, dirty streets, while New Cairo, in 
 the elegance of its architecture, the beauty 
 of its parks, fountains, statues and public 
 buildings vies with any other European or 
 American City. The great bazaar is fam- 
 ous the world over, and it would require 
 considerable time and space to describe 
 adequately its alluring exibits. We were 
 shown a small writing desk, beautifully in- 
 laid with mother of pearl which had been 
 sold to a Chicago lady for fifteen hundred 
 dollars. The Cairo bazaar, that chaotic and 
 labyrinthine mart, must be seen to be fully 
 appreciated and understood. 
 
208 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 The mystery and languor of the servant is 
 embodied in the veiled women who flit about 
 like silent spectres, nothing obviously 
 human about them but a hand which 
 clutches the long draperies across the mouth 
 and nose. With women of means and station 
 the head-gear and the veil concealing the 
 lower part of the face are held together by 
 gold or gilded clasps. One may see women 
 of all ages and almost every rank, from the 
 "hanoum" or lady, in figured silk, with her 
 rouged and powdered face showing through 
 the cobwebby gauze of her veil, to the 
 woman of the lower classes, clad in calico 
 prints, her facial charms shielded by coarse 
 white cotton cloth. The custom of the 
 women going veiled seems to be observed 
 even more strictly here than in Constantin- 
 ople. In the latter place a few years ago 
 Sultan Abdul Hamed was obliged to take 
 measures for enforcing the rule more rigidly. 
 
 A large portion of the more intelligent 
 among the Egyptians are open to European 
 influence, young Turks holding responsible 
 positions in banking houses, manufactories 
 or public institutions. 
 
 The blue waters of the Nile, navigable for 
 
CAIRO AND THE PYKAMIDS. 209 
 
 hundreds of miles give to Cairo its importance 
 and the surrounding country its unsurpassed 
 fertility. The soil enriched by the annual 
 overflow, yields three harvests a year. The 
 mighty river is spanned by a superb bridge 
 of solid masonry, decorating which are four 
 huge lions cast in bronze. 
 
 At an early hour, five o'clock, the morning 
 after our arrival we prepared for a visit to 
 the pyramids of Grizeh and the Sphinx, 
 which stand on the border of the Libyan 
 desert and the great Sahara. The eight mile 
 drive leads over a well-made avenue shaded 
 on both sides by lines of dense acacias, 
 which admit the breeze but shut off the 
 rays of the sun. As we rolled along behind 
 the Arab grays, our eyes were gladdened by 
 tropical gardens, beyond which spread the 
 varying greens of the rich and exuberant 
 Nile valley. In the whole world there are 
 no richer fields. In less than two hours we 
 arrived at our destination. Near the Bedouin 
 village on the east border we alighted, for 
 the vehicle could proceed no further, and a 
 laborious tramp over the sand of the Sak- 
 harra had now to be undertaken. At sight 
 of us a number of lounging Bedouins gal- 
 
210 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGtPT, 
 
 loped up on their camels, each offering the 
 services of his beast. Before long they had, 
 according to their custom, gotten into such 
 a fuss and quarrel that our dragoman had to 
 whip them apart so we could proceed. The 
 camel drivers are not the only ones who lay 
 in wait for the unwary traveller at this 
 point. A horde of fakirs, photographers 
 and guides, literally swarmed around us 
 each trying to make a few dollars. Our 
 whole interest was absorbed by thepyramids, 
 the most tremendous structures ever raised 
 by human hands, the sepulchral abodes of 
 the Pharaohs or Kings of ancient Egypt, 
 erected in the gray dawn of antiquity, two 
 and three thousand years before Christ. 
 There they stood, imperial, vast and solid, 
 mute witnesses of bygone ages, defying 
 time, tempest and decay, Cheops, Shafra 
 and Menkara. 
 
 The largest of these giants of Gizeh, 
 known as the great pyramid or pyramid of 
 Cheops, covers an area of between 12 and 
 13 acres. It rises to the height of 450 feet, 
 whilst the length of the sides measures 764 
 feet. The whole colossal structure is com- 
 posed of red granite blocks, the lower ones 
 
> 
 
 o 
 
CAIRO AND THE PYRAMIDS. 211 
 
 four feet ten inches high, all taken from 
 the quarries of Assuan and transported 
 hither at the expense of countless human 
 lives. The adjustment of these rocks in 
 their proper place indicates a surprising 
 degree of mechanical and architectural 
 skill, and the co-operation of advanced 
 engineers and skilled mechanics. The cour- 
 ses of stone are laid one upon another in 
 such a manner as to form steps up the outer 
 slope, the size of the blocks determining 
 the height of the steps. The spaces, how- 
 ever, were originally filled in with closely 
 packed stones and sand, the whole covered 
 and smoothed over with cement. The tops 
 of the pyramids were originally capped with 
 gold plate and the smooth surfaces of their 
 sides painted in various colors. While these 
 great mausoleumns were in course of con- 
 struction, a low passage way was kept open 
 through which access to the central chamber 
 was had. At the death of the monarch 
 who planned this gigantic sepulchre for his 
 last resting place, the last layers were 
 finished, the body placed within, and the 
 aperture hermetically sealed. Like all other 
 Egyptian pyramids it has its four sides 
 facing the cardinal points. 
 
212 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 The ascent of Cheops is rather a laborious 
 and difficult untertaking, especially on a 
 summer day, when the fiery rays of the 
 desert sun help to make the exercise exhaust- 
 ing. Puffing and blowing, two Arabs pul- 
 ling and one pushing we finally gain the 
 top. Oh, what a view! Surrounded by 
 the pure invigorating air from the desert, 
 we look down upon the wide expanse before 
 us. Space and time alike extend their limits. 
 From the height of fifty centuries we leap 
 across the ages from Ramses' days to the 
 twentieth century. Beneath us lie the other 
 two giants, Shafra and Menkara, with smal- 
 ler pyramids near their bases and others 
 vaguely outlined against the far horizon. 
 The Arabs below look like moving spots 
 upon the sand, and their camels appear to be 
 the size of dogs. To the east lies the Nile, the 
 rich harvest land, intersected by irrigating 
 ditches, and the city of Cairo with her forest 
 of spires and minarets; to the west and 
 south is the rolling, yellow white sea of the 
 Libyan desert, with hard, gyrating winds 
 moving pillars of sand from place to place. 
 Only the forced and concentrated labor of a 
 whole nation can explain the rearing of 
 
CAIRO AND THE PYKAMIDS. 213 
 
 Cheops, Shafra and Menkara, the first of 
 which represents the stupendous amount of 
 eighty-two million, one hundred and eleven 
 thousand cubit feet of solid masonry, and 
 attains a height exceeded only by the Wash- 
 ington monument in America and the spires 
 of Cologne Cathedral in Europe. Herodotus, 
 the ancient historian, states, that this 
 monument took one hundred thousand men 
 twenty years to build, while Pliny claims 
 that the period of construction of the three 
 great pyramids covers seventy-eight years. 
 Notwithstanding the vastness and apparent 
 indestructibility of the pyramids, their sides 
 have been denuded of their outer casing, 
 their interiors ransacked and vandalized, 
 the sarcophagi sacreligiously despoiled of 
 their contents, and their royal sleepers 
 placed on exhibition to gratify profane 
 curiosity and greedy commercialism in the 
 museums of Cairo and of London. Over- 
 whelmed with the weight which these monu- 
 mental witnesses, piled upon us of the ages 
 from those of Egyptian servitude under the 
 Pharaohs to our own days of wireless tele- 
 graphy and aerial navigation, we turned 
 southward to where, excavated from the 
 
214 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 eternal sands of the desert stands the oldest 
 sculpture known to history, a monstrous 
 deity of colossal proportions combining 
 the head of man with the body of a lion. 
 It is the renowned Sphinx, chiseled from a 
 .single monolith and thought to have been 
 sculptured at least twenty-five hundred 
 years before Christ. The Lybian sands 
 have protected this priceless heritage from 
 total annihilation. On the desert's bosom 
 this presiding genius of the destinies of by- 
 gone ages and peoples has securely rested, 
 surviving the inroads of time, and the 
 wanton destructiveness of vandal hordes, 
 who have, however,disfigured by many muti- 
 lations this, the fairest heir-loom of remote 
 antiquity. The great figure, itself pyra- 
 midal in general outline, is on the eastern 
 edge of the desert, not far from the pyramids, 
 and facing the Nile. The head measures 
 twenty-eight and a half feet from top to 
 chin, the total length of the body is one 
 hundred and forty-six feet, across the 
 shoulders it measures thirty feet and the 
 paws are extended about fifty feet. Such is 
 this '^Andro-Sphinx" or ''Man- Animal," ex- 
 hibiting a union of the most lofty and strik- 
 

CAIEO AND THE PYRAMIDS. 215 
 
 ing characteristics of the highest forms of 
 organic hfe, thehon's body being the symbol 
 of strength and prowess while the beautiful 
 and expressive human face stands for beauty, 
 nobility and intellectuality. Clement of 
 Alexandria conceived that the fundamental 
 idea embodied by the Egyptians in the 
 Sphinx was the mercy of the deity towards 
 the good and His wrath and vengeance to- 
 wards the wicked. Reflecting thus we began 
 to realize that this symbol of the Eternal, the 
 Divine, the Immortal is an expression of 
 faith and hope set up by the ancients in the 
 midst of scenes of death and corruption, 
 and, like Abdallif in the thirteenth century 
 and Napoleon Bonaparte in the nineteenth 
 and many another traveller before and since, 
 we pause and do homage to the religious 
 convictions of the Egyptians of four thou- 
 sand years ago. 
 
 Another important relic of past ages is 
 situated not far from the Sphinx, and to this 
 we now make our way. In 1853, Mariette, 
 the explorer and scientist, discovered a 
 vast temple buried in the sand, which is 
 supposed to have been dedicated to the 
 worship of the divinity of the Sphinx. We 
 
216 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 reached it with difficulty, as we had to climb 
 over sand banks and huge masses of stones, 
 but our exertions were well rewarded, for we 
 beheld the oldest temple in the world, built 
 in elementary forms of architecture by the 
 early Egyptians. A narrow passage way 
 leads into a spacious hall, seventy-five by 
 twenty-one feet, in which six square columns, 
 each a monolith of vast dimensions support 
 the roof of solid granite blocks. Diverging 
 from the middle of this hall is a second 
 which is divided into three aisles by a double 
 row of columns, and over which is another 
 chamber. Enormous rose-granite and alab- 
 aster blocks, whose surfaces are as smooth 
 and highly polished as the glass of a mirror, 
 form the material of which this temple is 
 built. The construction of the walls shows 
 amazing skill, the great polished blocks 
 being so closely set one to another that the 
 seams can scarcely be detected. One would 
 say the whole must have been the work of 
 giants and cyclops of superior knowledge 
 and skill. What strange thoughts and 
 emotions thrill the beholder as he stands 
 here where forty-five hundred years ago 
 worship and sacrifice were offered by a people 
 
CAIRO AND THE PYRAMIDS. 217 
 
 and after tlie forms of a religion both long 
 since extinct. 
 
 By this time the sun had almost reached 
 the zenith, and, from the burning sands, 
 rise undulations of fiery heat warning all 
 but natives to seek shelter; so, quite satis- 
 fied with the results of our expedition, 
 we started back toward Cairo, stopping on 
 the way to see the renowned Museum of 
 Grizeh permanently located, since 1890, in 
 the palace of the former viceroy, Ismael 
 Pasha. We spent several hours strolling 
 leisurely through the thirty-six great halls 
 and spacious apartments of this museum, 
 all of which were filled with relics of the once 
 virile race of ancient Egypt. We moved 
 among statues, sarcophagi, mummies of 
 kings, queens and princes, funeral barges, 
 pottery, household goods, trinkets, jewels, 
 diadems, rings, bracelets and so forth, all 
 systematically catalogued according to age, 
 dynasty and reign. There is no better school 
 for investigation and research open to the 
 student of Egyptology than this storehouse 
 of the remains of remote antiquity. 
 
 Many were the picturesque and novel 
 sights which drew our attention and excited 
 
218 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 our curiosity on the drive to and from the 
 pyramids. Bullocks and buffaloes turning 
 water wheels to replenish the irrigating 
 ditches, or sluggishly standing in ponds and 
 streams, just their heads visible over the 
 surface of the water ; fellah women making 
 bricks on the muddy banks and drying them 
 in the sun. Bedouins with free and lordly 
 air fresh from the boundless desert, rocking 
 upon their camels whilst the women bearing 
 heavy burdens trudged behind ; fellahs cult- 
 ivating the rich alluvial fields with rather 
 primitive wooden implements, the apology 
 for a plow often being drawn by a buffalo 
 and a camel hitched to a cross beam, which 
 separated them by about ten feet; long 
 strings of laden animals wending their slow 
 and measured way to the fruit and vegetable 
 market, these were some of the scenes along 
 the way. 
 
 The agricultural laborer in Egypt, the 
 cultivator of the soil, is the fellah. We 
 adapt a description of this necessary element 
 of the population from an article by the 
 Eev. J. Lissner, an African Missionary. 
 
 Revolutions, wars of dynasties, alternat- 
 ing rule by his own or foreign kings, im- 
 
CAIEO AND THE PYEAMTDS. 219 
 
 migrations and the other events of six 
 thousand years have had no effect upon the 
 real inhabitant of the country of the Nile, 
 whose name is fellah, and who is practically 
 the same today as he was under the Pharaohs. 
 The name means, one who tills the soil, and 
 so identified with the soil is the poor fellah 
 that exteriorly he resembles the mud of the 
 Nile. He is ever tilling and irrigating. His 
 fore-fathers were down trodden, overworked 
 and sadly oppressed by the Pharaohs, and 
 the fellah of today has gained nothing by 
 the last change of government. England 
 governs Egypt for her own benefit, and the 
 Kedive, Abbas II. , is quite under the control 
 of the British plenipotentiary. Lord Cromer, 
 who is often called the King of Egypt. The 
 Khedive does nothing without consulting 
 llim. The highest official and best paid 
 functionaries are all English. The educated 
 Egyptians all speak French fluently, and 
 they really love France ; but they never pray 
 today without reciting a litany of maledict- 
 ions upon the English. Often encountering 
 an Englishman, instead of a salutation they 
 will say "D — n your father!" The sole 
 wealth of Egypt is derived from her agricul- 
 
220 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 tnre, and to the fellah alone is committed 
 the all-important task of tilling the soil, and 
 for his pains he is rewarded every year with 
 heavier taxes. He works fifteen hours a day 
 at one cent an hour, and no one can deny 
 that he is an industrious laborer, and that 
 his work is more continuous than that of the 
 peasants in northern countries. He enjoys 
 no period of rest in winter, and all of his 
 spare time is occupied in drawing water for 
 the irrigation of the land. His lot is hard. 
 In ancient times he was pressed into the ser- 
 vice of the prince, and today his position is 
 nearly the same, save that the name of his 
 masters has been changed. The fellah owns 
 very little of the land that was formerly 
 his, and what he still holds is very heavily 
 mortgaged, the crops being pledged one or 
 two years in advance. Jews, Greeks and 
 Armenians follow the tax collector. They 
 are known as the usurers of the country. 
 If a Grreek is as shrewd as thi^e Jews, and 
 an Armenian a match for three Grreeks, it 
 follows that one Armenian is equal to nine 
 Jews. How can the poor, ignorant fellah 
 escape? The tax collectors appear before 
 the ripening of the principal crops. If the 
 
CAIEO AND THE PYKAMIDS. 221 
 
 fellah has no money and refuses to pay, the 
 officials order their men to flog him. If he 
 does not yield a second flogging is adminst- 
 ered. The usurers know this and they 
 advance the sorely needed money at the rate 
 of fifty per cent for six months. I have seen 
 a poor fellah who had already pledged his 
 crops, and had therefore no resource, receive 
 such a beatiug that several of his bones were 
 broken, and he was so sore that he could 
 not move for days. The fellah is much more 
 heavily taxed than the Irish peasant, but 
 time will avenge his wrongs. When that 
 proverbial traveller from New Zealand shall 
 take his stand on a broken arch of London 
 Bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul's, 
 the poor fellaheen will still be found in the 
 land of the Sphinx and may still smile iron- 
 ically at the instability of the fate of man. 
 Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Eomans 
 have in turn enslaved him for a while, but 
 these conquerors have long since been lost 
 in the dim vista of the ages, and when the 
 modern oppressors shall have followed them, 
 the fellaheen will still draw the fecundity of 
 his race from the mysterious Nile. The 
 fellaheen is remarkably docile, active and 
 
222 EUROPE, TH£ holy land ANi) EGYPt. 
 
 intelligent, but lie is timid, and his good 
 qualities are soon crushed out of him by his 
 ceaseless task of filling the pitcher of the 
 Danaides and its resultant poverty. He 
 ploughs and reaps, toils and amasses, but he 
 cannot with certainty regard his crops as his 
 own, and his hard-earned piastre is too often 
 wrested from him. His character is like that 
 of a gifted child, who has been harshly 
 used, and in whom, when he perceives the 
 injustice, amiability and intelligence give 
 place to suUenness and obstinacy. The 
 fellah is no materialist. He is religious and 
 can be considered the only one who observes 
 strictly the rules of the Koran. In every 
 little place there is a mosque, where he 
 prays, but even in the fields, when the time 
 for prayer comes, he kneels down, stretches 
 his hands toward heaven, and invokes the 
 name of the Lord. And when a stranger 
 visits his little thatched dwelling, formed 
 from the mud of the Nile, he offers him all 
 he has, cigarettes, coffee, milk and the fruits 
 of his farm. You cannot fail to notice that 
 the ruffianism so common in civilized coun- 
 tries is unknown in Egypt. Even the very 
 poor and intirely uneducated among the 
 
J 
 
 
CAIEO AND THE PYRAMIDS. 223 
 
 people often possess a native dignity, self- 
 respect and grace of manner of which our 
 own countrymen of a far more favored class 
 are somtimes utterly destitute. 
 
 There are many inducements which tempt 
 one to prolong his stay in Cairo. There is 
 the opportunity of obsQrving mohammedan 
 customs, the graceful dress of the men and 
 women, the inexhaustible historical interest, 
 the mighty monuments, the mosques, the 
 majestic river, the lofty swaying palm trees, 
 the seductive charm of the lovely summer 
 nights. But in spite of all these and many 
 other attractions we were forced to continue 
 our journey, and leaving this most cosmo- 
 politan of cities, at twenty-five minutes of 
 seven, we arrived at Alexandria that same 
 evening at half past ten. We stopped at a 
 much frequented old hostelry called theHotel 
 Abbat, audit may be imagined that our rest 
 that night was sweet and welcome after the 
 fatigues of the day. Next morning we went 
 for our mail which had been forwarded to 
 this point, and then hired a carriage for a 
 few hours drive through the principal parts 
 of the city, for the same afternoon at four 
 we were to embark on the Italian steamer, 
 
224 EUROPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 Enna, for Naples. The home news was 
 good, in as much as we learned that, in spite 
 of the continued drought, the chinchbugs 
 and the Hessian flies, everyone was doing 
 well. 
 
 The city of Alexandria was named for 
 Alexander the Grreat, who laid the foundat- 
 ions of this great commercial metropolis in 
 the year 332 b. c. On account of her healthy 
 location, fine harbor and accessibility the 
 city soon began to rival her maritime sisters, 
 and at the same time she became a great 
 centre of learning. Her priceless library 
 was destroyed by the conquering Arabs in 
 the seventh century. St., Marc the Evangelist 
 suffered Martyrdom here, which shows at 
 how early a period Christianity had spread 
 to African soil. 
 
 After dinner we made ready for the 
 steamer. We had first to undergo the 
 unpleasant ordeal of an examination by a 
 staff of health officers, and to have our 
 luggage disinfected, for we had come by the 
 way of Zagazig, where Asiatic Cholera made 
 its appearance. 
 
 The doctors detecting no symptoms of 
 infection in us, our fumigated baggage was 
 
CAIRO AND THE PYEAMIDS. 
 
 225 
 
 returned, and we received a certificate of 
 health and of general inspection, and were 
 permitted to go on board the Enna, a good 
 vessel belonging to the Florio-Rubattino line 
 of steamers of the ^'Navigazione Grenerale 
 Italiana". The tickets for our passage to 
 Naples, which were second class, cost one 
 hundred and fifty-six francs each. 
 
ALEXANDRIA TO ITALY. 
 
 And now the anchor chains rattled, the 
 steam whistle shrieked, there was a hurry- 
 ing hither and thither, a last command from 
 the upraised hand of the captain, and off 
 we swung up the bay and into the Mediter- 
 ranean. Many people witnessed the departure 
 of our boat, most of whom were there to bid 
 farewell to friends sailing for Europe. 
 
 The Enna, which was to be our home from 
 Thursday, June twentieth, to Monday, June 
 twenty-fourth, had a full list of cabin pas- 
 sengers aboard, among whom were a large 
 number furloughed army officers and sold- 
 iers from Abyssinia. There were also some 
 military prisoners who were to be court- 
 martialed at Naples. They were handcuffed 
 and had ball and chain at their ankles, and 
 were lying on mattresses in the hold watched 
 by a military guard. My heart went out to 
 these poor men, who, probably on account of 
 slight infractions of military discipline com- 
 mitted far away from home in equatorial 
 (226) 
 
ALEXANDRIA TO ITALY. 227 
 
 Africa, were beiiig sent back to tlieir native 
 land in shackles and chains. 
 
 Then there were bird dealers with rare 
 specimens of the fauna of interior Africa, 
 merchants from Lnxor, engineers and rail- 
 way contractors, and a Franciscan mission- 
 ary who had escaped the massacres in China. 
 
 The crew from the captain down, as well 
 as all the passengers except ourselves, were 
 Italians, and we found them uniformly 
 pleasant and courteous. The first two days 
 out we met with heavy- seas and strong 
 winds, and when we came opposite the Isle 
 of Crete or Candia, many succombed to 
 sea sickness. Breakfast, dinner and supper 
 were served on deck under an awning 
 throughout the trip. As a rule, the sea air 
 stimulates the appetite and makes one hail 
 the meal hours, but the traveller on an 
 Italian ship, unaccustomed to the native 
 food and cookery, is not much to be envied. 
 He finds the table wines too strong and 
 heav}'', the bread like sailor's hard tack, 
 the food too oily and the meats unpalatable. 
 With what delight our fellow passengers 
 daily greeted the maccaroni, olive oil and 
 grated cheee ! To be candid, we envied their 
 
228 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 appetites, but pledged ourselves never again 
 to travel on an Italian steamer. On Sunday 
 afternoon, we came in sight of Mount Aetna 
 and two hours later entered the harbor of 
 Messina, on the Island of Sicily. 
 
 While the steamer followed the outline of 
 the mountainous but fertile coast of Calabria 
 the scenery is beautiful. Vineyards and fig 
 and olive gardens can be distinctly seen 
 from the deck. At Melitto the people 
 seemed to be having a grand fair or market. 
 The railroad is plainly visible, and we 
 watched trains entering and emerging from 
 the tunnels. As the boat rounds Cape 
 Spartivento, majestic Mount Aetna, ten 
 thousand two hundred and fifty feet above 
 the sea looms proudly into sight. Next we 
 sighted Eeggio in Calabria and soon after are 
 before Messina. This flourishing and hand- 
 some city is the largest in Sicily with the 
 exception of Palermo. It is ornamented by 
 fine public buildings and master-pieces of 
 sculpture, and seen from the sea it is truly 
 picturesque. It has an extensive trade with 
 Italy and the Levant, exporting silk, wines, 
 oil, fruit and wool. It is well known to 
 our American markets where its excellent 
 oranges and lemons are in great demand. 
 
ALEXANDEIA TO ITALY. 229 
 
 Our vessel had scarcely anchored, when 
 she was boarded by health officers from the 
 city, who at once began a thorough disin- 
 fection of the passengers' belongings as well 
 as a medical inspection of everyone on board, 
 from the officers to the cabin boys and the 
 stokers in the hold. All were summoned to 
 appear on deck, and were there drawn up in 
 line like soldiers on parade. In this fashion 
 passengers and crew of the Euna stood on 
 deck that afternoon to be examined by the 
 chiefs of the Sanitary Commission of 
 Messina. All soiled linen and underwear 
 was thrown into a solution of carbolic acid. 
 After all this we thought we would be per- 
 mitted to visit the city, but we were mis- 
 taken, for the boat swung to and drifted 
 farther up the harbor to wait four hours for 
 a ^'permesso" from the government at 
 Rome before landing her cargo and pas- 
 sengers. The epidemic of Asiatic Cholera 
 had assumed such alarming proportions in 
 Egypt that a quarantine against Egyptian 
 ports had been ordered since our leaving 
 Alexandria. Meantime great anxiety pre- 
 vailed on board, for the possibility of being 
 quarantined in a foreign country for from 
 
230 EUKOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 ten to fourteen days was a matter of rather 
 serious aspect. Patiently we waited. Pedd- 
 lers of fruit and native bards moved around 
 our ship in little row boats, selling their 
 luscious figs and oranges and singing to the 
 accompaniment of the guitar and mandolin. 
 A curly-headed little chap of nine summers, 
 rendered the much admired '"Santa Lucia" 
 in such sweet silvery tones, that he was 
 generously applauded and from all sides 
 coins dropped into his hat. 
 
 At length a government boat was seen to 
 approach with an official on board from 
 whose gold lace and trappings it was evident 
 that he was of superior rank. It was 
 rumored that the captain not hearing from 
 head-quarters within a reasonable length of 
 time had despatched a telegram directly to 
 the King, and that the royal reply was now 
 come and was to the effect that in as much 
 as the officers of the Sanitary Commission 
 had detected no symptoms of plague, the 
 Enna might proceed to discharge her pas- 
 sengers. Grreat was the joy at this news 
 which relieved us from the fear of detention 
 in some desolate old barracks or island 
 quarantine. The ship was not, however, 
 
ALEXANDEIA TO ITALY. 231 
 
 permitted to approach the pier, and we had 
 to land by means of lighters. A large 
 number of Sicilian emigrants, all bound for 
 America, came on board going to Genoa 
 whence they would sail for New York. Their 
 embarkation was an amusing scene. Such 
 indescribable confusion, haste and self- 
 assertion is seldom seen. 
 
 At ten o'clock the Enna sailed for Naples. 
 Entering the straits she steered cautiously 
 between Scylla, on the coast of Calabria, 
 and Charybdis on the Sicilian shore. This 
 point has always been deemed dangerous by 
 navigators, and many vessels endeavoring 
 to avoid the formidable rocks of Scylla have 
 fallen into the terrible whirl-pool of Charyb- 
 dis. ■ Early next morning a break in the 
 machinery caused a delay of several hours, 
 but after its repair we made good time, pas- 
 sing in the forenoon the Eunta della Campa- 
 nella and the island of Capri. As the days 
 are past when the Sirens by their songs 
 fascinated the mariners sailing by their 
 islands and lured them on to destruction, 
 there was no need to lash the captain or the 
 pilot to the mast in order to save the Enna 
 from a dismal fate, therefore the precaution 
 which Homer describes as being taking in 
 
232 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 the case of Ulysses was not adopted. Capri 
 is jB.ve miles long and two miles wide. It 
 lies at the entrance of the Gulf of Naples, 
 and upon it are two mountains of limestone 
 remarkable for their picturesque form. The 
 valleys below them are well cultivated. Capri 
 is especially noted for a singular cavern, 
 the Grrotta Azurra, or Blue Grotto which is 
 visited by most travellers. From Mount 
 Vesuvius, rising ominously to our right, a 
 thin, curling column of smoke was seen to 
 ascend. Before us lay, panorama-like, 
 imperial Naples. The city and gulf are 
 among the most beautiful sights in the 
 world, and is with justifiable pride that the 
 Italian says, ''Vedi Napoli e poi mori", see 
 Naples and die. 
 
 At half past one we stepped once more on 
 European soil and at once took a cab for 
 the Continental Hotel where me met Ameri- 
 cans from Ohio and Tennessee. To describe 
 beautiful Naples would require more time 
 than is left me, and, moreover, much has 
 been written and spoken of late about the 
 city as it has become a rendez-vous for 
 American tourists. The next morning we 
 went to Pompeii, the "silent city", at the 
 
ALEXANDKIA TO ITALY. 233 
 
 foot of Mount Vesuvius, which was utterly 
 destroyed by the eruption of that volcano 
 on the fourth of August, in the year 79 b. c. 
 when twenty thousand lives were lost. In 
 the once populous streets of that lugubrious 
 place the silence of the tomb has since 
 reigned. No sound breaks the eternal still- 
 ness of stricken Pompeii. For hours we 
 wandered through forums, temples, houses, 
 streets and alleys, all of which have been 
 dug out from the lava bed under which they 
 were hurried. We saw rooms, halls, stat- 
 uary, fountains and gardens and involunt- 
 arily asked ourselves '^ Where are the 
 people?" Serious and thoughtful from the 
 sights of this awe inspiring place of death 
 we retraced our steps and sought once more 
 the haunts of the living. 
 
 That night we bid Naples good bye, part- 
 ing at the same time from our pleasant 
 travelling companion, the Baltimore physi- 
 cian, and taking the fast train at eleven 
 o'clock, reached Eome at seven in the morn- 
 ing. We established ourselves at the Campo 
 Santo, next to St. Peter's and the Vatican. 
 In the course of our five days stay we visited 
 the Vatican library and gardens, the Cata- 
 
234 EUEOPE, THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT. 
 
 combs, the CoUiseumthe Forum and the Ma- 
 mertiiie prison, St. Peter's, St. Paul's, the 
 Lateran, Santa Croce and many other points. 
 On the twenty-ninth of June, the feast of 
 St. Peter and St. Paul, we assisted at mass 
 at St. Peter's. On that occasion between 
 forty and fifty thousand people were present. 
 But having in a former volume, described 
 the sights of Eome, I forego a repetition of 
 the narrative. 
 
 From Rome we hastened northward via 
 Genoa and Milan to theAlps and Switzerland 
 and then Freiburg and Miinster in Germany, 
 where the remainder of our vacation was 
 spent with friends and relatives. 
 
 And now I take leave of the kind readers 
 who have followed me on this interesting 
 journey. If my narrative shall have ben- 
 efited anyone be it ever so little, I shall feel 
 myself compensated for the time and labor 
 spent on these pages inspired by love and 
 leisure. Vale! 
 
JUN 101903