Romantic History of the True Cross
1
mmnt.H or noi one Deuovcs mat
I the Cross of Christ was ever dis-
which for centuries the world ac
cented without question as the
true cross Is one of the most fascinating
In all history, especially at Easter time.
Kor nearly a thousand years that piece
cf wood was the focus of the Christian
world. Vows of faith were made upon it.
pilgrims Innumerable, through many gen
erations, knelt before it In adoration; thou
sands upon thousands died to rescue it
from th.1 hands of 1 lis Infidel. Kings re
signed their thrones to rescue and defend
it and when, at last, under the conquering
Saladin, it disappeared forevcT from view,
a mighty cry of anguish went up all over
the Christian world.
Numberliss fragments alleged to be lilts
of the true cross nre still in existence and
the Church of Santa Croce at Florence pos
ses::, s th inscription which was intrusted
to It by Constant ine. Contrary to the gen
eral idea, these fragments, if all gathered
together, wculd form but an Insignificant
lit cf wood. Nearly all of them are so
minute that they can scarcely be teen by
the naked eye. They are mostly Indus d
In large and imposing reliquaries ami Ic-
ause of their size the impn ssien has gom
abroad that the alleged parts cf the mi
en ss extant today would make many
crosses If brought togeth r.
'I lie Discovery iif the Crn.
The main section of the wood long knawn
as the true cross was lost at Jerusalem.
The faith of men in tin- verity of that wool
shaped the history of Europe and changed
the whole course of eveuls in Christendom
for centuries.
On or about May 3, in the year 320,
Helena, the mother of Constantine, Is re
ported to have made the discovery. Tin
story runs that this venerable woman vis
ited the Holy Land in her "'.'th year and
was guided to the site of Calvary by an
aged Jew, who had treasured up all the
traditions which th' anti-Christian ani
mosity of Jerusalem's heathen conquerors
had failed entirely to obliterate. An exca
vation was made and at a considerable
dcDth three crosses wire found. With
them, but lying apart by Itself, was the
itle placed by Pilate's command on the
ross of Christ.
According to some church authorities,
however, among others Chrysostom and
Ambrose, the title or part of It remained
attached to the cross of Christ and this
distinguished it from the crosses of the
thieves which had been buried with it.
Others hold, and this is the generally ac
cepted version among Roman Catholics,
that at the Instigation of Marcarius, bishop
cf Jerusalem, the three crosses were car
ried to the bedside of an Invalid woman
and applied singly to the patient, who was
cured by the touch of one of them. It was,
therefore, selected as the cross that had
been dyed with the blood of the Savior.
The greater part of the cross thus vin
dicated was deposited in a church built
upon the site of the discovery. Here it
was enshrined In a splendid silver case.
Helena took the remainder to her son In
Constantinople, whence a portion was sent
bv Constantine to Rome.
Now whether Helena discovered the true
cross or not Is a question involving much
argumentation which cannot be entered
into here. The wood was accepted as the
true cross of Christ and was so venerated
for centuries, as the fragments still left
are venerated today. A fistlval commemo
rating the discovery is celebrated by the
Latin and Greek churches every year on
May 3.
For 300 years the principal portion of the
wood obtained by Helena In Jerusalem and
known as the Vera Crux (the True Cross),
jyts kept in the custody of the bishop of
Jerusalem ana was exhibited every Easter
Sunday to the pilgrims who thronged the
Holy City. From time to time persons of
large wealth and influence were allowed to
purchase small fragments and splinters
and these were carried to Europe and
placed in monasteries, abbeys and churches.
They were most highly prized and received
with the greatest veneration. Some cf
them have had most Interesting histories.
Cro ruptured and Itvtnken.
The history of Jerusalem and Its sacred
place and relics during three centuries
after Constantine is very obscure. In the
seventh century the Holy City went
through a series of vicissitudes. In 1614
the Persian emperor, Chosroes, descended
upon, captured and sacked Jerusalem. The
churches were burnt and among other
precious relics carried away was the true
cross. Ninety thousand Christians fell
fighting In defense of the cross, which wa
only taken after the last defender bad
fallen.
The tide of battle rolled westward and
northward. The victorious monarch re
tired beyond the Euphrates, bearing w.th
hlra the cross as the chief trophy of hii
conquest. Jerusalem was in ashes and for
fourteen years the Christ. an world
mourned the loss of the cross and prayed
for its restoration. While it was in the
hands of the infidel a new power began to
arise which was to control the destlnlo
of the eastern world, destined to becom?
the most powerful opponeut of the cross.
The camel driver of Mecca had become a
ophet and saw visions and the children
Ishmael and Esau had begun to as
sume the Inheritance of Esau and Jacob.
The crescent began Its rise while the
cross was in the hands of its enemies.
Then Heracllus. emperor of Rome, de
clared war upon Chosroes and after many
years of varying success finally cut the
Persian army to pieces at Nineveh In 627.
The true cross was recovered and brought
to Constantinople In triumph.
I rcinpi Kent a; rrri to .Icrusnlciii.
Heracllus In person restored It to Jeru
salem. He wculd fain have carried It on
his shoulders with the utmost pomp into
the city. But, as the story runs, ho was
ste pped suddenly at the entrance by som
invisible power and found that he could
not gii forward. The patriarch Zachary,
who wa ked at his side, suggested to him
that this pomp seemed nal In consonance
with the humble appearance which Christ
made when He bore the cross through the
streets of Jerusalem. The emperor ac
cepted the reproof. He laid aside hi
royal purple, put on mean garments and,
barefooted, entered the city and placed the
cross in Its fi rmer abiding place. The
day of its return is celebrated as the feast
of the exaltation
to this day in
church calendars
of th.1 cross ami remains
the Roman and English
as Holy Cross dav.
Hut J rusalem
remain in repos
was not long destined to
. For many years it wis
of fiercest battles and in-
ti) be t h bci no
de d the streets of no other city have been
washed with so much blood. The crescent
was in the ascendant, and In the year 6ii7
Jerusalem again bowed her head to a con
queror in the person of Omar, leading th?
Arab forces.
Hut Musli m rule was tolerant. A special
edl:'t permitted the cress to remain in the
custody of the Christians or Jerusalem and
ihe pilgrims continued as before to throng
ell the avenues of approach to the city.
Worship, however, had to be carried on in
a quiet and unostentatious manner. For
400 years the Caliphs governed Jerusalem
and the holy places remained in their
hands.
During those 4" years pilgrims came
from all over the Christian world to adore
the cross and visit the holy eepulcher.
Thousands perished and were buried about
the walls of Jerusalem. The history of
these pilgrimages has never been wrlttiMi,
but it is beyond question that the piece of
wood known as the true cross in Jerusalem
influenced the history of every nation In
Europe and guided the destiny of Christen
dom. At the beginning of the eleventh century
El Hakim, the fanatic caliph of Egypt, In
Sadie Shaddueh.
Olive
HIGH
. . r ii
Margaret Caldwell
Grace buresh.
Inez Honnel.
Clara Helinrod.
v VT 5? s
yp
i
At. !, '
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS WHO TOOK PART IN "A DRESS REHEARSAL" Photo by a Staff Artist.
vaded Palestine and destroyed Jerusalem.
The cross wan rescued and cineialed by
Christians in the h ly city and remain al
hidden for many years, at linns Initio ex
posed to the eyis of the d vout dtir ng the
turl ulcnt years that wire passing in .! ra
fale m. Fir neatly a cintury the pigiias
sulTiiid many wrongs and privations a. it
ken eaine the day of vengeance.
'I he run mil em. mill the ( max.
The entire history of the first, second an 1
part of the third crusades belongs to ihe
story if the true cross. All ever Kutop'
oaths wt-r. made upon its fragments to
"lake tlie cioss" and redtciti the io!y
Land. The i ri fr was the sign to distin
guish the i in ad is. Armies knell when
pi i s:s II. ted the jewel, d rcliqiiiir!e wl.l.h
he'd minute fragments of the sacred w, i.,
and the faith of the Christian world
pledged to Its res.'iie.
Inning the years wliiih narked the ap
proai h cf Godfrey and his criisadi i s th
diss remained concealed III Christian hauls
in Jerusalem until that morning cf the IS li
of July, lu'J!', when the while horsemen ap
peared on Ihe Mount of Olives, the Chris
tian bests entered the breach and Jerusalem
again was in the hands of the Christ. an
world.
It was a furious and bloody combat when
LA I' It A RHOADES, PRESIDENT P.
G. S., OMAHA HIGH SCHOOL
Photo by a Staff Artist.
t ' t'
4 'V
si. '
Carpenter. Elizabeth Weldensall. Emily Cleve.
SCHOOL GIRL& ORCHESTRA Photo by a Staff Artist.
. 'i m . .
h.s J a
Helen Anderson. Huth Marhoff. Huth Fremh. lira Ogle
ixlia Shaw. Florence Kolm. lternlce Carson. Iulie Parmelee.
Jerusalem fell into the ban. Is cf the cru
saders. No quarter was given and the
streets ran ml with the Moid of Infidels.
Suddenly the carnage ceas d. sw.rds fell
from the hands of slayers, as a process. on
i f priests, headed by the legate of the p, pe,
filed along bearing the wood of the cross.
The crusaders beheld It safe and Intact
and fell on their knees In give thanks foi
ls deliverance. The Christian klngdi in of
Jerusalem was founded. Restored t Its
place In Ihe rock the object of un noloste'd
pilgrimages from all over the world One
by one the Christian kings of Jem -alc-.n
diid and were buried at its base, Gil.rc.
first al its right, then Baldwin on the 1 ft.
ley down and slept at the foot of th.' cross
they had n soiled. For is; years the kin-'
d 111 had cxlstt nco, and then It became but
a name, a -.milling title annexed to west
ern thrones, until It fell before the swel l
cf Saladin. tiny ef I.iislgnan. the unworib..
and th ' last l.ing of Jerusalem, took the
i-r ss In the plain of Galilee to rally th'
drooping spirits of his soldiery, and lost it
w It li his kingdom.
'Ilit True tropin l.i m( l-'orever.
On July 1. UsT. a council of knights was
eallid in the camp of Si ph uri. where die
Christian army was gal lu red for the last
.struggle with Saladin. Dissensions, Jc. li
eu di s. enmities, all the ordinary cor.s -i.il'
n. rs of greed, ambition, avarice mil
pri le had weakened the kingdom. There
were jealousies and dissensions even la
thai last camp, and the council of the
knights was fierce and angry.
Tile holy i ross was raised 111 (he cell er
of the camp. The army of Ihe rrn.-a i.nd
Ihe army of the crescent were en amp '.I
w II bin a few mil s of each other. Their
leaders prisentid a remarkable contrast in
character, which doubtless Influenced Ihe
result of Ihe battle. Hut Ihe religion of the
cross could not be held responsible for
the shame of Ihe one who was a worth
less king and a prejudiced knight, nor was
Ihe crescent to be entirely credited with
the nobleness of the other.
xeepllonal disgrace to
Saladin was an exceptional
hammi danism. Yielding In
Guy was an
Christianity,
glory of Mo
tile advice of
the grand master of the Templars, and
against Ihe council of Raymond, count of
Tripoli, the wisest and noblest of the
knights assembled at Ihe council, Guy
moved his army out upon the plain of Hal
tin. Saladin advanced from the seashore
lo meet him.
Saladin observed how the Christians
gathered In strangest array about the wood
C'leda, Strawn.
HI
A-
i f the cress and remarked, as an Arabian
b sliriin records, that they rall.ed around
it. s if th y bela u d it tlulr greatest
Missing. sitoiiKc.-t bond of union an I sure;
dcrvme."
All day bug Ihe I al of battle surgiil
over the field of llaliui and iil -.hl f. II with
Us fate undecided. II was July the fourth,
aid nil day Hie two hosts had fought with
the greatest fury. Sila lin made desperate
aOails Willi V.oi n men ami the charge of
L'h.i mi horsemen, led by ihe sultan In per
son, was one of the most (enable in mili
tary lii toiy. The plain of llaliiu be aiue
a very boll, where, as an old chronicler
savs, "the sons of heaven and the children
of lire fought their great battle."
Saladin directed his ma.ii el'fi Us toward
the capture i f the holy cross, for he sill
mined that its rupture would decide Ihe fat
of llu day. Fighting around the cross fell
the b avest of the Christian knights, fi li
thousands of soldiers Not until its last
defender had fallen did the Sar.ici in seize
the sacred talisman. So n the Held of
Hall ill the ir ss a- lest an I never again
was It to be III the possession of the Chris
tians. The Saracens lejol.-i d greatly over
Its capluio and ever the tpVnilor of Ihe
gold and Jewels which cuensed It. Saladin
himself lo k th wood and probably finally
destroyed it.
Ills vleti ry was lomplile and he pursued
It until he captured Jerusalem and this pir
an end to the kingdom which G idfr. y had
founded. A glial wall an ee ovi r nil til'
Christian world wlun the terrible news
thai (he oro.-s was lost upload evi r Chris
tendom. Ctusaders thr nged Hi - Ibdy Land
to do bal'le with Saladin. tlow Klchanl
Onctir de Leon fongll with the Mesliins
and how he liually made a truce with
Saladin for a It t in of years is t Id In his
tory. Richard again and again made effort (
purchase (he cross from Siladln, but In
vain. It is slated thai sumo of the English
crusaders who went (o Jort-c-a cm were pel -n
il'icl by Saladin lo see and kiss the enss.
Kill see n afterward disappeared and was
never so. li again. Dnubtl si b ng ago It be
came dust c f the dust of Jerusalem.
Seven hiuiilre 1 yens and in re have
elapsed slnee Hie (rue cross was lost cm
the plain of Galilee, and save for Hie frag
ments that are suppisid to survive It has
heroine bin memory.
For centuries li was the burden of song
and slorv. and the minstrel swept his hand
over his harp to sing of brave deeds done In
the Holy Land ill the great battles that
waged about Ihe e roe- s of Christ. Whi'thei
it was truly the cross of Christ or not his.
tory cannot point In am (her talisman that
has played Mle h a liguie In the gr in diatu i
of humanity. GEORGE E. WALSH.
Hard to Matriculate
Mr. I'oixoto, 1 dg' ke per a( Girar l col
lege, prides himself en Ills Intimate knowl
edge of Ihe regulations if the iiiHtitu'ioi,
says the Phlladelniila Times. The other
day a brigh' -li oklng oin g bo d.uni of
some' 7 years of age, cariyiiig a leles opt
lag and with a cigarette J. mil ily poised In
Irs mouth, entered the bilge'.
"Say, I want ta come to this i-chool," sail
the visitor.
"Von can't come here If you nnake that
thing." nnsweri'il l'eixoto.
"Well. I'll throw It awav." was I lie ready
re ply.
"Is your father living?" asked the lodge
keeper. '"Course he Is." said the I oy.
"We don't a din t pup Is whose fathers
are not dead, only orphans."
"Gee!" was Ihe res onse. "Then to g t
III I've got to kill the old man. Data
tough!"
Ill the Wild West
Brooklyn Eagle: Everybody seemed to
avoid the man.
"W hat's (he matter?" asked the i-.trai ger
fiom the cast.
"He Is lin king In public spirit," was the
scornful reply.
"How is that?" aski'd Ihe stranger.
"Oh. he doesn't care anv.hing for the
general welfare or the enjoyment of the
iiiinuii U v. Onlv a moan man would
spoil a 1 v ii i h'nif nfie-r a dull seas n. when
the boys were Just dying for a bit of
sport."
"Did he do (hat?"
"Sine. Everything was frum el up r ght
ami we had ihe rope on him, wh-n lh
darned mean critter un an I proved lhat ho
wasn't the man we w.mt d and we had to
let him go. The boys'll never forgive him
for that."
(ioldlish Hat .Mosquitoes
Admirers of goldlish as house pets and
ornaments for aquariums and artificial
ponds may be able to show that Ih ir fa
vorites have something besides ihelr beauty
lo recommend them, Bays Youth's Coiiipan
le n. I're.f. M. L. I'ml rwooel of the Massa
chusetts Institute of Te. hnoli gy reports Hi (
mosquito larvae are favorite food for gold
fish. He has made many experiments that
prove the fait, and he suggests lhat th"
introduction of goldfish In small bodies of
water where mosqultoi s breed wculd be
preferable to the use of kerosene In de
stroying the pests. Goldfish, he finds, will
thrive in our natural northern waters and
can easily be bred In any sheltered pool,
where the water Is not fed by too many
cold springs.
