The Weiser signal. [volume], December 24, 1902, Image 7

About The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904

Image provided by: Idaho State Historical Society

                
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PILGRIMS ENTERING BETHLEHEM ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
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flELDS OF THE SHEPHERDS, BETHLEHEM.
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IN
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MODERN BETHLEHEM
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Evangeline Ben-Oliel
1 Copyright, 190 ". by Evangeline Ben-CHiel
By
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A BOUT nineteen hundred and 1
»»»""• stîâ
i S,'n i BcUilelK.ro. ,U
k Ronth of Jerusalem
was crowded with Visitors at about
.. . .. , „„„„ „„.nine- to be
r tn m tLVr .rtive countrv In a
taX ii • ti o ortncinni inn or
cave, e °' v . p -. oxen
khan ° II a of irentle lewish
were usuafiy kept * gentle Jewish
Shi from heaven llWmined the rude
ssuss Mi
plou^Empress'lIefena'oVRomeVisited
Palestine and discovered this grotto in
Bethlehem, which bad served as a
humble shelter for the Christ Child.
She was convinced that this was the
very place which had been hallowed
by the nativity, and thereupon wished
to mark the spot for all time. She had
magnificent church built over the
site, so that Christians from generation
to generation might worship there.
The remains of that beautiful building
still to be seen in the city of Both
lehem. .
It is a strange fact that though
Bethlehem was pre-eminently a city
belonging to the Jews in the days of
are
David and of Ruth, not one Jew is to
be found among Its inhabitants today, |
and the dwellers can in no way claim
to be descended from that race, though
some travelers tbink they see a resem
blance in their appearance to the Jew
whlch saw the
Ish type. The town
birth of Christ is inhabited almost en
tirely by Christians. They are a thrifty
and industrious people and superior
in every way to the other village dwell
round about Jerusalem.
Bethlehem 1s one of the oldest towns
It has existed as a town
The
■ rs
in Palestine.
four thousand years.
for over
houses are built of white limestone
and have flat roofs, on which the peo
ple spend their summer evenings en
tiie moun
joying
tains. The streets are narrow and ir
regular, and might better he called
lanes, for there is but one real street
This leads from the
and termi
ln Bethlehem,
country road into the town
nates In the large open s«iuare in front
of the Church of the Nativity.
this square Is
On Christmas eve
filled with people dressed in their gay
attire and adorned with all the
finery in tbe way of necklaces, brace
lets and coins they possess. Christians
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A MODERN MADONNA IN BETHLEHEM.
' part of 'the country
* night—Latins,
from every
gather here on
Greeks, Armenians and Copts.
doBeetlon of joined
buildings which tbe pilgrims are fac
ing and which stands ^Mr^he edge
the cliff extending dioofi th® Vidge
the hill from east to west consists
the Church of the Nativity, surrounded
by three convents, the Latin, the Greek
this
The enormous
and the Armenian.
The Church of the Nativity Is
oldest In Christendom. It belongs
these three sects, each of which has
separate chapel within for its own
services. The large basilica, which
the only remains of the chnrch built
S' dr e "; niÄit,".,™
° r Corlntlilau „111.,., .lu.H.r to .bo.,
which are found in the Mosque of
° milr 011 tbe slte of the ancient temple
ln Jerusalem. The faded mosaic on the
wall and the rough ceiling of beams
from the cedars of Lebanon are the
only treasures remaining in this edifice.
which was once blazing with gold and
Th(s ancieut building adJoln8
the one now in use and is only divided
-
»>> over the orient and in the Greek
Portion are the curious pictures which
the Greeks revere n e p
Plages. A spiral staircase of fourteen
steps ends from this church down
j the holy crypt a grotto twenty feet un
de lA he Jff" 1 cho ' r - . .
JM. holy crypt forms the chapel
the manger and Is a
^ excavated out o t.e llmesto
UL ^
Is compos^ On its ^llB are
silken tapestries Many of the silver
lamps hanging here were donations
from kings, and are always kept alight.
supposed site of the birth
, o£ ^ ^ ^ & brigh( . Btar
f ^ commemorating
subterranean
appearance of the "star In the east,
with this significant inscription encir
cling it:
!
I
HIC DE VIHGINE MARIA JESUS
CHRISTUS NATUS EST.
Above tbe altar twelve lamps are
banging, to represent the twelve apos
tles. Three steps more lead down to
another chapel over tbe alleged stall in
which, according to Latin tradition,
the wooden manger was discovered.
On Christmas eve the pilgrims crowd
around the church awaiting the hour
of opening in order to get good seats
to witness the grand ceremony. Every
man, woman and child who can pos
sibly come is present. The nave being
devoid of any seats, the people sit or
kneel on the marble floor, making a
curious mass of red fezes and white
veils. In silent prayer they await the j
hour of the service,
strains of the Te Deum softly rise from
Meanwhile the !
the great organ.
Presently a procession of bishops and
archbishops, attired in their most gor- j
goons robes, enters the church chant- I
lug. They are followed by priests and ,
monks and small boys dressed in scar- ,
who constitute the choir. The i
handsomest church decorations are
kept for this yearly service.
The deep, well trained voices of the
choir join In singing beautiful anthems
after which there Is a great ileal of
without much variation- Sev
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■
let.
eral times during tbe service the bish
ops, one after another, absent them
selves to reappear In different attire,
the robes being, if possible,
than tbe last.
each of
more gorgeous
At midnight there is a
in the music and bells In the distance
ring the midnight chime. Then, as by
magic, a curtain is drawn aside and
over the chancel gates a cradle ap
of the
sudden lull
pears to the wondering gaze
worshipers and within the cradle an
Image of the babe. The Gloria in hi
celsls is sung and the bells coat nue to
peal merrily, announcing to all Beth
rehem that it is Christmas day. Ibe
"bambino" or image of the ^ ab ® 18
now lifted before the eyes of the wo
shipers. who prostrate themselves on
the ground in adoration. The proces
sion of bishops, priests and.monks and
the pilgrims descends towatd.tlie grot
chanting ahd waving
The chapel
of
to of the manger
Incense all around it.
being so snlall only tbe officiating
priests descend Into the grotto and the
nlhrrlms gather about the narrow arcb
^ step8 descending into the
^ They now, with much pomp,
to m • hnntlng of t h e priests and
a | . tbe incense, lay the lit
0 xen ltnage tn the chapel of the
!•
manger, where It remains during
Christmas w ?ek for devout worshipers
to visit. Such is the ceremony held
by the T.atins ou Christmas eve.
The Greek church In Palestine cele
brates the festival of the nativity one
MANGER, CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, BETHLEHEM.
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week later than the Latin church. For
before Christmas the Greeks
weeks
Past in order to better prepare their
hearts for the true worship of the
Saviour on the day of His nativity.
also celebrate Christmas within
They
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CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, BETHLEHEM.
the Church of the Nativity In Bethle
hem, and, sad to say, because of the
frequent quarrels between the different
sects which meet within this church
at a time of general rejoicing, Turkish
soldiers, with drawn swords, are on
guard throughout the building,
these various Christians who worship
in the same church at times forget
that He whom they all adore came to
bring "peace on earth and good will
toward men."
THE GIRL AT
1 C" THE WINDOW
By Lulie Wells Smith
* »
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Copyright, toot, by LulU Welle Smith
T
HE train this Christmas eve
slowed up enough to take
single passenger aboard
and to allow a girl seated
at one of the cur windows
covered
a better view of the snow
landscape and the little patchwork of
houses about the statlou. Then it lum
bered off again. The now passenger
took a scat beside the girl, at the win
dow because It was the only vacant
She continued to gaze at the
one.
white fields for a time.
"Merry Christmas!
ery!" she thought bitterly. Then she
stole a glance at her new companion.
Ills face was hidden by the newspaper
he was holding close to his eyes in a
vain struggle to read by the fast fad
ing light. When he threw it down in
disgust, she leaned forward and asked
timidly;
■•May 1 look at It a moment? I want
to see if there Is any later news about
the Pochunk bank robbery."
He handed her the paper and watch
ed her curiously os she bent over It
and with eagerness read the first page.
"Did you find out what you wanted
to know?" he asked when she handed
the paper back to him.
"No, for there Is no trace of the
thieves or the money yet!" she an
swered, with a great deal of feeling.
What a mock
"Did you have any money in the
bank?" he asked after a pause.
"Every cent that 1 own In the world!"
she answered, lifting her handkerchief
to her eyes and bursting into tears.
The man spoke with
I
"I am sorry."
embarrassment that seemed out of
harmony whit his rough features.
and with a little at
an
Site
wiped her eyes
tempt at bravery said:
"Oh, I know I ought not to do this -and
of course you do not understand. hen
the doctors ordered papa out here, he
put $3,000 In that bank, and after—he
died—It was all I had. Now it is gone,
and I, oh. X am so helpless! And here
it is Christmas time." She wept afresh,
moved uneasily in his
I
and tiie man
scat, lifted his paper and turned the
leaves nervously.
In a few minutes she dried her eyes
and leaned wearily against tiie hack
of her scat. She had not slept for two
nights, and soon her eyes closed un
consciously, and she sank heavily
against the straight, uncomfortable
side of the car. With a suddeu lurch
of the train she swayed to the right,
then back again, and finally fell in a
little unconscious heap upon tiie strong
shoulder of her companion. He looked
helplessly, hesitatingly, at her a mo
In Ids seat,
slipped off Ids coat, made It Into a
heap and left it beneath her bead. The
light from above faintly outlined her
delicately shaped face against the
black coot, her small white hand was
thrown in childlike trustfulness above
the glistening masses of golden hair.
Bending «julekly over the sleeping
girl he fumbled a few seconds with
the coat under her head. Uten drew
back and pulling his hat over his eyes
peered from under tiie wide brim into
the darkness outside. Several shrill
whistles came from under the car
window, n lantern flashed up and
there was a muttered oath,
car moved off he ran wildly down the
As the
aisle.
noise of the engine Increased
and the girl opened her eyes,
looked up into the face of the man
standing over her and started. CouM
he he the same? Was she dreaming h
Surely her sent male did not wear a«
mustache, yet these seemed to be the,
same piercing black eyes, the same
broad shoulders.
She stared stupidly and thought the
mustache must be a vagary. Then her,
eyes fell on the coat under her head
and she faltered:
"Thank you so much for putting lt|
I hope you haven't come to'
The
She
there,
your station."
The man smiled knowingly. Yes,
miss, he has passed his station, but
for some reason he left his coat be
You sec, miss, It's very funny.
hind.
1 happen to he the detective in this
Pochunk bank case I reckon you have
anil have been on
heard about It
the track of the leader of that gang
since daybreak this morning. Some
how I thought he boarded this train,
and when I got on àt G -1 looked all
through for him, but being lu com-,
puny with a lady I didn't size him up
till It was too late. 1 was Just com
ing in from the other car when I saw
him dash down the aisle and make a
Jump while tiie car was moving, and of
by the time 1 got to the door
the car had gained too much speed for
to Jump after him, so 1 reckon ho
has given us the slip for good."
Tiie girl sat staring up in the face of
her now companion without opening'
her lips. At last she burst into a hys
terical (it of laughing. Suddenlyi
checking herself she lifted the coat andi
uttered a loud exclamation as a little,
package dropped out of the folds.
Slipping off the cover she picked up a
roll of bills, and pinned carefully to
one of them was a scrap of paper upon
which some words had been hurriedly
written with n lead pencil:
course
mo
Christmas present
I'oohunk hank raid,
limit cover your tons.
Please a
• share
which ...
I used to rea l Suml ly school books once,
and In them I remember the thief was
the
thin!« will
always
Thank
Thu I 1»
y case.
Utile woman.
you for making me do the first ^decent
thing of my life. JACK D. ■
Thu detective gave n long drawn out
whistle wlien he read the note.
"He is a had fellow, hut he might be
lie commented with a crest- 1
■Don't you feel a
worse!"
fallen sort of smile,
little proud of tiie way you handled
notorious outlaw In the
the most
state?"
But the girl did not trust herself to
She had turned her face to
answer.
tiie window and In the little prayer of
thanksgiving she sent out across the
wide, wild darkness for her recovered
fortune there was a pica for the man
who had given it hack to her.
SANTA CLAUS UP TO DATE.',
■
Since first good Santa Claus set out
his wintry round,
Though sought by many a merry rout, |
His home has ne'er been found.
Each year he brings, with coursers fleet.
His choicest gifts and toys,
Then hurries on nor stays to meet
Our thankful girls and boys.
Because of this, alack, alas,
Some start a foolish chase
And try the Icy drifts to pass
To thank him to his face.
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JUST GIVE A HEAKTY UAUOH.
i
But ere the frozen fields are crossed.
Where winter's blizzards blow.
Each little child who starts Is lost
And burled In the snow.
And every year some girls and boy»
Still keep themselves awake
To thunk him for his pretty toy»—
A terrible mistake!
For lying wakeful In the cold
Just keeps the saint away.
And those who do It. I am told.
May catch pncu-mon-l-a.
this foolishness must enal
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But now
You need not tempt your fate.
For fullest thanks you now can mbI
By methods up to date.
To thank him for his Christmas ebaar
Just give a hearty laugh.
And Santa Claus at once will hear
By wireless telegraph.
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