Pictures with Pen and Camera
Bethlehem Family ''Jt
(Copyright. 1910, by Frank O. Carpenter.)
ERUSALEM Come with m tbla morning
and take a look at BethUhem aa It Ilea
out bere on the bills of Judea 1,910
years after our Savior wti born. The
town Is only seven miles from Jerusa
lem. Jt ia a Sabbath day's Journey, and
It can be reached In three-quarters of an
hour In a comfortable carriage. The usual price for the
round trip U 92.40, and in addition you are expected
to give a small fee to the driver. There are riding
horses outside the Jaffa gate which will take you there
and back for less money, and if you would go still
cheaper you can hire a donkey or travel on foot. There
are scores of pilgrims from Russia, Armenia, Syria and
even as far as Abyssinia, who tramp oyer the road
every day, and we shall meet many parties of them
stalking along with staffs in their hands. The Rus
sian peassnts wear rude shoes of straw or top boots,
the Syrians have shoes of the hide of the camel and
the Abyssinian and others are often barefoot.
By Carriage to Bethlehem.
We shall take carriages for our trip from Jerusa
lem. We start at the Jaffa gate, nett David's Tower,
on the top of Mount Zlon, near where, It Is claimed,
the crucifixion took place. The gate has been wid
ened by the breach through the wall made In honor
of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, and all sorts of vehi
cles csn now go In and out. As we leave the gate we
pass coffee houses, In which the people of a dozen dif
ferent nations are drinking; go by the railroad sta
tion, where the locomotive Just in from the Medlter-
ranean la puffing and smoking; skirt the valley of
Hinnom, In which Is the Pool of Qihon, where David
waa anointed, and a little later on top near the vil
lage where King Saul was crowned.
The road Is excellent. It ! of a hard limestone
walled on each side by limestone fences and backed
by green fields which are now covered with the dust
of the road. The traffic Is constant and the dust
makes the air white. It fills our eyes, mouth and nos
trils and turns our clothes Into those of a miller. We
cover our eyes with smoked glasses to keep out the
glare. The road is daziling white, the fences are
white and a white dust covers the green of the fields.
The sky is light blue and the sun beats down, sending
out millions of silver white rays. We are going to
ward the aouth and the sun is full In our faces. It is
hot, although a cold wind la blowing over these hills
of Judea which whirls the dust around and sends
columns of It Into the air.
Reclaiming: Palestine.
Soon after leaving Jerusalem we cross a degres
sion covered with green, which Is known as the Valley
of Roses. Farther on are olive groves, and as we
near Bethlehem there are great fields of green, and off
at the left we can Bee the plain where the young
widow Ruth garnered wheat for old Doas and thus got
food and a husband.
All the way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem the
country la growing. There are signs of Increased cul
tivation and every lit of available land Is being set
out In orchards and gardens. I went over the same
road twenty odd years ago. The country then was
bare rocks, with bits of grass here and there. Today
the land is divided Into fields. The surface rocka
have been gathered together and laid up In fencea aa
high as my head. The land which is cleared la now
planted in wheat, corn and barley and the country has
the appearance of a cultivated mountain garden. New
olive orchards are rising and many of the old ones
still 8tsnd. The trunks of the latter are knotty and
gnarly, but the leaves are of green dusted with silver,
and I am told they bear fruit. I photographed one
tree not more than thirty feet high which had a trunk
as thick as a hogshead and branches which shaded a
large tract of ground. The soil of Palestine is as fer
tile today as it was when Joshua led the Israelites
across It, and, barring the fences, I doubt not the land
scape Is about the same now as It was when Christ
was born.
In the Footsteps of the Magi.
Every bit of the way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem
Is historic ground. It was over this same road Abra
ham traveled to Mount Morlah and that the Wise Men
of the East followed the star on their way to the sta
ble in which Jesus was born. They bad called upon
King Herod at Jerusalem to ask about the King of
the Jews. He bad told them to find where He was
born, that he might come and worship Him. The
road goes by a well where it Is said these Wise Men
stopped to drink. It Is known as the "Well of the
Magi," and It is near an olive grove on the east side of
the road. It Is covered with msrble stone as big
around as a cart wheel, In the center of which a hole
has been cut, through which the water Is raised by a
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bucket and rope to the surface. The stone Is kept
clean and well polished by the kisses of the pilgrims.
The story Is that the Wise Men as they trudged
along the road in the gathering twilight sat down on
the margin of this well to rest. They stooped for
ward to draw some water to drink, when they saw in
the mlrror-llke surface the star. They looked toward
the heavens, and then, In the words of the Scripture:
"Lo, the star which they, saw in the east went be
fore them, until It came and stood over where the
young child was,"
The Plain of the Shepherds.
It was not far from here that I caught my first
sight of the field where the shepherds lay that same
night when they saw the star. It Is said to be the one
wlch was owned by Boaz, upon which Ruth gleaned
her wheat. It lies across the valley to the east of
Bethlehem. There Is a little village In front of it and
a part of the field is covered by an olive grove. I saw
the sheep feeding upon it, and as I rode to Bethlehem
I passed flocks of sheep which were being driven to
the Jerusalem market. They were of the fat-tailed
variety, some of their talis weighing, I venture, fifteen
pounds each.
They were owned by shepherds, dressed in long
gowns and wearing handkerchiefs about their heads
as turbans. 8ome of the shepherds wore sheepskins,
and It is probable that they were clad much the same
as those who followed the stsr. There Is a chapel
now In the Field of the Shepherds, and for centuries
a church and a monastery stood on the spot.
Judas Iscariot.
Soon after leaving Jerusalem we pass a hill, where,
the guide says, stood the building In which Judas
Iscariot sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver. The
site Is at the left of the road, and not far away Is an
old olive tree, upon which the ignorant pilgrims are
told Judas hanged himself In his remorse after the
crucifixion.
Going onward about four miles from Jerusalem
we come to a building which has Just received a fresh
coat of whitewash. It Is known .as the Tomb of
Rachael, and It covers a spot where she is said to be
burled. It is not far from It that David had his fight
with Goliath, the ten-foot-high giant of the Scriptures.
I am not sure as to the locality, but there are stones
there today, and plenty of ammunition for the slings
of numerous David.. Indeed, there is hardly a field
on the hills of Judea which is not covered with stones
of one size or another, and the shepherds use slings
to this day.
The Field of Peas.
And, speaking of stones, reminds me of the Field
of Peas, which lies not far from Bethlehem. It is a
tract on the aide of a hill, upon which the rocks are
so thick tbst if planted to corn you would have to
carry earth to cover the grains. As the story goes,
our Lord was pasalng here when he saw a man sowing
grain. He stopped and asked him what he was sow
ing. The man replied "stones," and thereupon the
seed peas in his bag turned to stones, and all that he
had sown did the tame. Some of the atones now on
the field are gathered up and peddled to pilgrims as
relics.
SUNDAY BEE: DECEMBER 25,
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I had one such peddler follow me half the way
from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. He was a turbaned
Syrian boy on a donkey, who had to gallop to keep up
with my carriage. To this the donkey objected and
tbe boy kept him up to his work with a stick as long
as a husking peg, and equally sharp. He Inserted
this under the saddle behind him and then, using it
as a lever, pulled on the other end of the peg, forcing
Its sharp point Into the animal's flesh. At every such
pull the donkey kicked up Its heels and increased Its
speed, the long, full-trousered legs of the rider stand
ing straight out and bobbing up and down as It did so.
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Bethlehem m 1910.
The Bethlehem of today stands on the site of the
Savior's birth. It is on the top and side of a hill. It
is a mass of boxlike one, two and three-story bouses
built along winding streets, which here and there are
arched by the houses. The building material is from
the limestone Quarries near by and the town has many
quarrymen and masons. Entering, we find the busi
ness parts made up of cavelike stores and rude work
shops. In which the Bethlehemltes are making the
rosaries, crosses and articles of wood and mother-of-pearl
for sale to the tourists and pilgrims. Fully half
of the population is engaged in this business, the rosa
ries being shipped from here to all parts of the world.
They are sold to both Mohammedans and Christians
and are used to keep count of one's prayers. There
are also many cruclflxea of Ivory and articles of olive
wood made and aold for shipment abroad. The peo
ple are thrifty and they seem well-to-do. The town
Is the cleanest in Palestine and IU natives have an
Independent spirit, which you do not find In Jerusalem.
This may be from the fact that there are no Jews In
the city, and comparatively few paupers, nearly every
one supporting himself.
The Church of the Nativity.
The grotto, or cave, in which Christ was born Is
Boy's Penuriousness
The following facts about an errand boy who
"made good" may encourage other youthful tollers to
save their money, says a writer in the Saturday Even
ing Post. A widow in a Burburban town near New
York brought up a son and daughter on a govern
ment pension, her husband having been a civil war
soldier. When the son was old enough to leave school
a relative, who owned a clothing store in New York,
set him to delivering packages. He soon became a
clerk, and ultimately was able to sell more goods
than any other employe.
From the first bt saved a stated amount each
week. Other clerks who spent everything, made fun
of hi penurlousnetta and there were times when he
was inclined to think thst they had more pleasure out
of life than he did; but he Btuck to thrift and when
he was 25 years old had about f 1,400 in cash, though
his wages had never exceeded f 16 a week.
, At this period bis relative died. The heirs closed
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of Bethlehem Today
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in the very heart of the Bethlehem of today. There
Is an open square In front of It surrounded by stores
and schools and a great church known as the Church,
of the Nativity has been built over It. This church
Is entered by a door which looks like a square hole
cut through a stone wall. It Is so low that all who
enter, even children, must stoop. As I started to go
In I eaw a Bethlehem woman with a babe In her arms
standing outside. The baby was small and I could
Imagine the woman as Mary and the child as the
Savior, I took a coin out of my pocket and asked her
to pose for my camera. She did so, stepping into the
sun. Near by was a bearded Syrian In turban and
gown, and at first I thought be might make a good
Joseph to pose with my Mary. He was In the shadow
of the church. Upon my bringing him Into the light
I found that he was a beggar and not fit for the pic
ture, so I enriched him with a gift of 6 cents and sent
him back to his seat.
The Stable and Its Manger.
The Church of the Nativity Is of great size. It
belongs to the GrVc.. Latina and Armenians, each
of whom has a share In the church proper, and 1b com
pelled to worship In turn and In his own quarters.
Mohammedan soldiers are alway on guard to keep
them from Quarreling, and this is so not only In tbe
church Itself, but In the grotto or stable below, where
they believe Christ was born.
This grotto is a sort of a cave reached by a winding
staircase which goes down from tbe church. The
cave Is twelve feet wide and forty feet long and lta
roof Is perhaps ten feet above tbe floor. The floor is
covered with marble. Many lamps hang from the
roof and the walls, and there Is an altar at one end
under which is a ellver etar set Into the pavement,
and above It an inscription In Latin stating that this
was tbe spot upon which tbe Virgin Mary gave birth
to Christ. At one side of the cave is a recess called
the "Chapel of the Manger," where It Is said tbe
Savior was laid after His birth. The manger is of
brown and white marble, and a wax doll lies in It rep
resenting the Christ. The Latins claim that they have
that Paid Handsomely
out the stock, the store premises were taken by an
other merchant and everybody had to hunt a new Job.
The thrifty clerk decided to go into business for him
self. About a mile away was a corner-store that could
be rented for 1,500 a year. It stood in a good neigh
borhood and he figured that many of his old personal
customers could bo drawn that far. He had some
friends in the wholesale trade. They spoke for him to
the owner of the place and be tot it. When he invested
900 of his capital in clothing stock they extended
credit for as much more and also got him side lines
such as men'e hats and woolens, on terms that re
auired no investment of capital at the start. When bis
store was opened he Lad only $200 in cash resources,
having spent several hundred dollars for fixtures.
The business was successful from the outset, and to
day, after ten years, the proprietor has two retail
clothing stores, lives In a fine suburban retidence and
1b well-to-do.
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thai original manger in one of their catnedrata in
Rome. It la shown every Christmas.
As I stood in the stable not far from the manger
a party of twenty Franciscan monks came In and,
knelt down and sang a service concerning the nativity
They were burly men, with shaved heads and long
beards. They wore long gowns and their heads and
feet were bare. They knelt upon the floor as they
sang, and at the end each bowed down and kissed the
star marking the spot of Christ's birth.
How Christ's Birthplace Really Looked.
During my stsy in the Holy Land I have visited
many stables which have been used aa such for ages
and which are probably similar to that In which Christ
was born. This Bethlehem grotto. If indeed it waa
ever used as a stable, has been so changed by the
decorations that It is impossible to conceive It to be
the place of the nativity. It is probably a fraud, as
is also the well at one side of the crypt, where th
water is said to have burst forth from the nalced rock
for the use of the holy family. I looked down Into
this well. It Is said that the star which guided the
magi fell Into it, but that It Is only visible to the eye
of a virgin. I looked, but, being of the other eex,
could not see It.
To return to the real stables of the Holy Land.
They are often caves, the floors being of rough stone;
they are frequently large, and some, have several
rooms filled with donkeys, camels and horses. The
mangers are stone boxes, and in front of them on the
floor may be seen men, women and children sitting or
lying, talking or sleeping. They all wear the clothes
of the daytime, and they sit upon the stones at their
meals. The man in charge of the stable, or Inn, aa
some of these caves are called, is a ragged Syrian, who
collects about 6 cents a day for housing and feeding
each animal. The manger of Christ was probably
one of these hollowed-out stone boxes.
Bethlehem Babies.
It was here at Bethlehem that occurred the slaugh
ter of the Innocents. King Herod had learned that
the Savior was born, and he thought If he still lived
at Bethlehem he would make sure of His death. So
his Boldlers killed all the children under 2 years.
There Is a place here which the guides tell you was
usod for storing the bodies, and in it are oil paintings
horribly done depicting tbe killing.
As to Bethlehem of today it has entirely recovered
from the massacre of Herod. Its streets swarm with
babies, many of whom are not as clean as they should
be. There are many older children as well, and all
howl for baksheesh. The Bethlehemltes are noted
for their beauty; this is especially so of tho girls, who
are falr-tklnned and bright-eyed; they have plump
well-rounded forms, which they clothe in long gowns
of white linen, so beautifully embroidered in silk that
one dress requires many months' work. The main
part of their costume Is much like a lady's nightgown
without frills fr lace. The gown falls to the feet,
being open at the front in a narrow slit. Over the
gown they wear sleeveless coats of dark red stripes
and cover their heads with shawls of llnea embroid
ered In silk. Each girl has necklaces of coins, and a
headdress, which is decorated with coins of silver or
gold. They do not hide their faces and their features
are usually refined. They are very Intelligent, and In
trading with them I find that they get the best of the
"f'a- FRANK O. CARPENTEJi.
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