The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Pag
7
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UNDEKWOOP jfUNPERWOOO
The Plain of Assembly
Where Moses Delivered the Ta
Commandments to the Children
of Israel
o
NB of the most desirable re
sults of the present world
war will be the elimination
of Turkey as a Power and the libera
tlon of the territories under her
yoke, including the Holy Land, with
all the sites of Biblical history and
the Saviour's life.
Trlme Minister Asqulth and other
representatives of the allies have de
clared that "this war means the end '
of Turkey." . .. . ;
Of course, these fpeaker's did not
take Into consideration the posslbil
lty that Germany, the treat ally of
Turkey, might win, but at any rate
they make it certain that If the
Allies win the Turk will be driven
from his conquered territories.
Then, at last, we shall see an end
of the outrageous conditions that
allow the barbarous Turks to control
the holy city of Jerusalem, with the
Sepulchre of the Saviour, the Tem
ple of Solomon and Its other almost
Innumerable sacred sites.
Christian civilization has gained
some rights in Jerusalem, but In
other sacred places of the Holy Land
Christians ire entirely shut out by
the Turks ir n?it venture there at .
the risk of t.,elr lives.
In Jerusalem the American tourist
could, before the war, visit such
sites as the Garden of Qethsemnne,
with the olive tree where the
Saviour was betrayed by Judas, and
the Garden Tomb of Jesus, near
Mount Calvary.
Many of the most Interesting parts
of Jerusalem have, however, not been '
open to the visitor or the explorer.
Chief among these is the site of the ,
Temple of Solomon, which cannot be
touched by a Christian or a Hebrew
because it is occupied by a Moham
medan mosque.
Excavations In the temple area may
still reveal the Altar of Sacrifice, the
Brazen Altnr, the Table of Shew
bread, the Molten Sea and various
other sacred objects mentioned in the
Bible.
The Palace of Solomon, where he
received the Queen of Sheba, la a
building concerning which great In
terest Is naturally felt. It was "built
of the cedars of Lebonon." When
the stones of Herod's palace are un
earthed It is not improbable . that
beneath these may be found the
cedars of Solomon's building, for in
those times they had a habit of build
ing on the ruins of their predecessors.
A notable instance of a Biblical
site of extraordinary interest from
which Investigators are entirely ex
cluded Is the Tomb of Abraham and
the Hebrew patriarchs at Hebron in
Palestine. It was here that Abraham,
the forefather of all the Israelites,
dwelt with his family, as the Book
of Genesis tells us.
Before be died Abraham bought
the Cave of Macbpelab from Ephrou
the Hittlte as a burial place for him
self and his family (Genesis xvlli.).
The site of the Cave of Hebron bun
been known from time immemorial.
It was known in early Christian
times, and In the days of the Saviour.
No confusion has ever arisen as to Its
position, such as has occurred in the
Mse of other Bible sites.
?ha Cave of Machpelah Is situated
within an lnclosure called the Ha
ram, formed by a gigantic Herodlan
wall. Above the cave stands a
church built by the Crusaders In
3187, but since converted Into a
mosque and for many centuries in
the possession of the Turks.
In the cave were burled Abraham,
his wife. Sarah; his son, Isaac; the
tatter's wife, Itebekah; Jacob, son of
'.sauc; Ieah, wife of Jacob, and
oseph, son of Jacob and Rachel. In
!he mosque above tbe cave are monu
ments in the form of tombs to Sarah,
Isaac, Rebekab, Jacob, Leah and
Joseph, but they do not inclose the
tctuul bones. These are presumably
ere f
U V
"t h "fop
Why This War Will Free the Holy
Sepulchre, the Temple of Solomon
and All the Famous Bible Sites
and Open Them to Civiliza
tion, if the Allies Win
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Library of the Monastery of Mount Sinai , .
Hsre There Are 8terd Priceless Manuscripts and Ancient Parchments
Which Have Never Been Opsned t the Eye of Western Bible Student
Garden of Gethsemane Near Jerusalem
TWl Is the Olive Tree Where Christ Was Betrayed end Where the Angel Gabriel Ap
( peared to the Saviour, According to Local Tradition
The Garden Tomb of Jesus Near Mount Calvary
The Window Is Pointed Out to Tourists as the
One Where Mjry Looked In and Saw the Angels
la the cave below. The Mohamme
dans venerate the Hebrew patriarchs
although they oppress their descend
ants. Ordinarily Christians and Hebrews
are not even allowed to enter the
llaram surrounding the mosque. Oc
casionally Christians of great in
fluence, such as the King of England's'
heir, have been permitted to enter
tbe mosque.
Recently photographs were taken
for the first time of the six ceno
taphs or memorial tombs, of the
patriarchs within the mosque. These
are reproduced In a recent report
of the Paleatine Exploration Fund,
which gives some very Interesting
information about the building.
"In the church pavement," says
the Rev. A. B. Grimaldl in this
article, "are three movable slab
which give access by ladder or rope
to tbe cave. But two are fastened
up, and not even Moslems are allowed
to enter by the third. It is used to
throw down written petitions to
Abraham; and, looking down, the
floor is seen to be covered as with
snowfiakes.
"When King George V. (then
Prince of Wales), visited the mosque
a light was let down, and tbe rocky
sides were seen and a doorway en
tering out of this ante-chamber Into
the Tomb Cave Itself."
With the granting of freedom to
the Inhabitants of Palestine, tbe rep
resentatives of religion and science
will be able to enter this mysterious
rave and disclose its contents to the
world.
Around Hebron centre all the in
teresting events of the patriarchal
age recorded In the Bible. Here
Abraham prepared to sacrifice his
own son, Issms, in obedience to the
will of God, Jacob labored seven
years for Rachel, and Esau sold his
birthright for a mess of pottage.
From here Joseph started on his
fateful journey to Egypt.
A remarkably Interesting relic af
fected by the war Is the Monsstery
of St. Catherine, on Mount Sinai,
shown in one of the accompanying
photographs. This occupies the tra
ditional spot where the Lord de
livered tbe Ten Commandments to
Moses,
In the library of this monastery
was recently found the oldest known
manuscript of the Bible.
Tbe monks have occupied this
ancient monastery for about l.ftOO
years, since the foundation of the
Christian religion. This monastery
lies along the route by which tha
Turks were reported to be sdvanctng
tn KtUck the British defenders of
Egypt. It is possible that the peace
ful inmates of this very anclen'
sacred building may be driven out
by war.
At the foot of the mountain lies
"the Plain of Assembly," where the
Israelites waited for Moses to bring
down the laws to them.
Persons who have read about cer
tain modern enterprises in Jerusa
lem and other parts of tbe Holy
Land may have gained an Idea that
the Turk has become more amiable
in recent years. This is a mistake.
You can only get anything from the
Turk by paying him exorbitantly,
and this is not always possible.
"Until recently," writes the Rev.
Lewis B. Paton, professor of Old
Testament history in Hartford Theo
logical Seminary, "no permits for
excavation were given by the Govern
ment, and when, under European
pressure, firmans, were at last
granted, these were hedged around
with so many restrictions that they
were of little practical value. Ac
cording to the present Turkish law of
antiquities, the consent of the local
authorities must flrnt be secured be
fore a permit will be Issued In Con
stantinople. To obtain this a lavish
expenditure of money Is necessary In
How the High Cost of Living Is Bringing Back Fairies
F
AIRIES, science now is sure, really did exist
There is truth behind all the stories of them
that have delighted and frightened children for
ages. Only they weren't quite tbe kind of people that
the fairy books make out.
They were, science believes, prehistoric dwarf races
of Europe, usually swarthy and mischievous. They
were swarthy, small and prankish because for gene
rations their race had not enough to eat. They had,
in fact, like Peter Pan, never grown up. And being
still children they behaved like children.
It was the memory of these "little people," and this
name given them by the Irish is scientifically literal,
that crystallized into the stories of dwarfs, kobalds,
pixies and so on in the fairy stories.
The really interesting part of all this, however, is
that American Medicine, the famous medical Journal,
says that the fairies are coming back to earth and
through the causes that originally produced them.
"English anthropologists and physicians," says
American Medicine, "have noticed for a lonfj time that
the prehistoric small, dark types which were sub
merged by the Celtic and Teutonic Invasions have been
reasserting themselves numerically and have also been
percolating back to the areas from which they were
driven hy these bigger, fiercer, blonder immigrants.
"Much of this is due to the more perfect adjustment
to the climate of the oldest stocks tnrough hundreds
of millenniums of survival of the fittest, whereas the
last Invasions have brought In types which are just
enough unfit for the new climate to lose ground In
proportion to the rest. The big blonds are vol dying
out by any means r indeed, they might be increasing,
and their control of national a flairs la stronger every
decade perhaps, but the smaller, darker types are ap
parently getting more numerous in special- positions
which kill off the more recent Teutons.
"The pigmies, on the other band, are apparently small
sizes of all the types which make up the population,
though no exact observations have been made of their
physical characters. No one knows what causes such
variations, but we can well imagine a thousand things
which may happen to check growth, and, as tbe un
fortunates are largely in the lowest social classes, we
are justified in suspecting disease and underfeeding
as the most common.
"Very small or dwarf specimens are found In every
species, and in every litter of pigs there is a 'runt.'
The phenomenon seems to be universal, and there is
no reason to doubt tbst dwarfed types have appeared
in England ever since man was man. If he was too
little to hold his own In those fierce dsys, he perished;
if too big, he was likely to become too aggressive and.
to be laid low by strategy.
"As a fact, prehistoric skeletons of one locality and
time are remarkably uniform, as also are the modern
savages of one tribe. In modern civilization, on the
other hand, size has absolutely no rearing upon the
survival, for no matter how little or how big a man
is he can find some way of making a living and some
climate which will not hurt hltn. Industrialism fur
nishes innumerable opportunities for little men who
have sufficient intelligence, and they do not have to
resort to tailoring, shoemaklng or servile attachment
to the more efficient big men. Their numbers ought
to Increase, and perhaps they are Increasing through
out northern Europe, which has formerly been lit for
only the big types, but now puts subsistence within the
reach of millions of little men, some of whom cannot
even shoulder a gun to keep out invaders.
"If tbe dwarfish types are not g.fted with enough
intelligence fcr skilled labor thev are In a pitiable
condition, for they cannot do hard laboring work. A
big Imbecile can shovel dirt, but the little man can
not prosper without brains. These stupid dwarfs,
clothed In rags and begging an existence, are the most
pitiable sights in London.
"Will America furnish pigmies when the price of
food advances to the high relative level of Europe?
We have always prided ourselves on the good phy
sique which comes with our more liberal feeding, but
there is a suspicion that we have seen our best days.
We are beginning the successful Importation of meat
from Argentina, and it stands to reason that, as tn
London, there will be some men too feeble mentally
and physically to get enough of it for their children.
Most of our little people are foreign bora, but the
native born are not sizing up as formerly, and some
time ago the manufacturing tailors reported that the
demand was for smaller sizes of boys' clothes for age
than formerly.
"The process of dwarfing must have been going on
for some time unnoticed. It is not possible to get ex
act data on this subject, as no records have been kept
of weight and height for each year, but our 'child wel
fare' folks are doubtless collecting such information for
future use. The matter ought to be looked into now,
as It is quite disconcerting to think that the pouring
of hordes into the 'melting pot' Is to result In under
sized people as In Europe, even pigmies as in London.
Every Immigrant may help to shovel dirt for railroads,
but he brings one more mouth to fill while the meat
production Is diminishing. It Is all very well to say
we will give these poor failures of Europe a Beat at
our table, but what if our own children go to school
hungry?"
Copyright, 1114, by the flar Comuitby. Crcit Britain RtirM T?,.rv.i
ordei to ocercome the fanaticism and
prejudice of the provincial authori
ties. "The site desired for exploration
must be purchased at a price esti
mated by the owners. After local
permission is secured, endless delay
and bakshish are necessary before an
edict can be secured from the central
government When at last it Is
obtained, a Turkish commissioner,
whose expenses are paid by tbe ex
cavator, must be constantly In at
tendance to decide what may and
what may not be done, and all
antiquities discovered must be turned
over to the Imperial Ottoman Museum.
These conditions stand In disagree
able contrast to the liberal provisions
In Egypt, where any competent per
son is allowed to excavate, and Is re
quired only to divide his finds with
the Cairo Museum.
"At the beginning the exploration
Of Palestine was confined to tbe study
of places and objects that remained
above ground. Edward Robinson,
the distinguished American arch
aeologist and profomor In Union
Theological Seminary, New York, In a
sorles of Journeys curried on during
the years following and the
French scholar, tiuerln, ascertained
the modern names of many localities,
und succeeded in Identifying them
with places mentioned in the Bible.
The Palestine Exploration Fund,
founded in England in 18(15, and
largely supported by American con
tributor, conducted an elaborate sur
vey of Palestine, wboxe results were
embodied in their 'Great Way of
1'uleNtlne,' which Is still the standard.
"Other eiploratlous were carried
on at Joruauleni since 1BU7, and a
little digging was done outside the
present city limits to determine the
lines of the ancient walls. In the
course of the superficial study of tbe
land a number of important monu
ments were discovered still standing
upon tbe surface. In 168 the Ger
man missionary Klein discovered an
Inscription of Mesha, King of Moab,
who Is mentioned in II. Kings, 3. In
l&M) some boys, playing In the con
duit which leads to the Pool of Siloam,
discovered an Inscription In ancient
Hebrew characters dating from the
time ' of King Hezeklah. In 181)1
Schumacher discovered a monument
or Kameses II. (121)2 U. C), who was
probably the Pharaoh who oppressed
the children of Israel In Egypt, and
In 1901 Professor Ueorge Adam Smith
discovered a beautiful stele of Setl I,
tbe father of Rameses II."
The Harvard expedition at Samaria
In 1000-1010 discovered remains of
the palace of the Hebrew Kings Omrl
and Ahab. and In one of its cham
bers potsherds were found contain
ing business accounts written In a
character similar to that of the
Blloam Inscription.
These discoveries are only a be
ginning of the exploration of Pales
tine. The sites excavated, except
that of Samaria, are relatively un
important towns. The great religious
centres of antiquity, such Hebron,
Jerusalem, Bethel and Dan, remain
unexplored. Hundreds of large
mounds exist all over the country,
within which the records of ancient
times are deposited one above the
other In chronological order. It is
not unreasonable to expect that, If
these mounds could be explored
thoroughly, many more Babylonian
tablets such as those found at Tan
ach would be discovered.
Perhaps even a whole library might
be unearthed in such a place as
Klrjath Sepher, whose name means
"Book Town." Since Hebrew Inscrip
tions have been found already, there
la no reason why more might not be
found, or why even manuscripts
might not be discovered sealed up in
earthen Jars, which, as we know from
Jeremiah 82:14, was the custom of
the Hebrews. Think how the world
would be startled, if some of the lost
books mentioned In tbe Old Testa
ment were rediscovered, or ancient
manuscripts of some of the canon
ical books!
Not only the sacred places of the
Holy Land, but the most famous sites
of the ancient and classical world,
barring thoe of Greece and Rome,
lie under the clutches of the unspeak
able Turk. Among them are Con
stantinople, Troy, Babylon, Nineveh,
Damascus, Tyre. Sldon, Arbela and
many others.
Considerable excavation has, of
course, been done at such places as
Babylon and Nineveh, but It could
only be done at great expense and at
great risk of many kinds. These
conditions will be remedied when the
terrible Turk Is swept away and the
world will enter on a new era of en
lightenment and progress.
Before tbe war French arch
aeologists had Just begun some very
Interesting researches at Constanti
nople. They have now partially laid
bare the ruins of tbe palace of Con
stantlne, which, of course, is of great
interest as the residence of the Bin
pcror who gave his name to the city.
This amazing buiidlng covered a
space of many acres, including quar
ters, baths and every luxury for the
one thousand iwrsons who composed
the Imperial household and the guards
of tbe palace.
It surpasses incomparably both in
extent and splendor the palace of the
Caesars at Home, aud yet It la prob
ably equalled In Interest by many of
the other ruins In the city.
Few Americans realize the extraor
dinary interest of Constantinople and
the strange manner lu which the)
wealth of the ages has been locked
up in It. Constantinople has a longer!
continuous history than any other)
great city In the world. Compared1
with it, Athens was but a city of a,
day. aud even Rome la new. while
London and Paris are mere parvenus
Everybody ho)s that one of ths
first results of the war will be to free.
this ancient centre of culture and
Christianity, as well as the Holy
Land, from the horrible bar"-fed
Turks,