IN BETHLEHEM.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1940, 24 December 1913, Page X

IN BETHLEHEM.

THE TOWX OF MBMOItIJjS '* So many Mils : arisiiiK, urccn and srey, On carta's large round; (U;d that, ofio liil.l 'to eay, -I}-: '•■■■■■■.?'•■ ■::,}£%■ -■: "3i, ''I, was,. jiiK,. v bcarmg jpldce!7; , :;isps i .,>i;. ■;■■: Bill, with the olives and . the little town I ■ ■■■■ Bethlehem is only a "iiitlo town" of narrow, tortnmis streets,' uneven places, and old domed roofs amitumbledown housed, lying upon fhc -slopo and crest of a hill." It is'some five miles distant i'roni Jerusalem; a dusty : white road winds through tlie rich red soil of ilio vineyards cat either hand, and amid fruit trees and oliro groves, while to tlio east arise' the . Mountains of ■■ Moa-b, whose level, bine heights always suggest mystery,"silence', and sdlitu.de. rcllccicd in ilie deeper bh|6 of ilie still writers of the Dead Sea at flseit foot.

To take the' road to Bethlehem is to pass through a country orichantiiig ji its diversity of colour and shape. Leaving the beautiful city of Jerusalem Iftliind, yo'd shape your course soutti-cnst, with miin.y turas and ttristS, throiigii the Plain of Hcpluiim—across which cool, refreshing winds bio# on even t'ho hottest days—then up a little hill, and turn, and go sharply down, witli the Land of ifoab upon your left and t3io hills of Bethlehem opening out before yon in welcoming beauty. The good rod soil is pierced and stron-n "with sharp grey rocks, yet olives, unes, and fruit trees grow easily arid abundantly, and the hills are .beautifully terraced from crown to base,'each, little plot generously rewarding the smallest care. So little dfites the East change that tim road along rt'hich those anxious travellers, Mary and Joseph, came, nineteen hundred years ago, must have been mush iho same as it is to-day. the Oldest Christian Church. . In the heart of the little town is tli6 Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest Christian churches esta.nt. Stooping to enter by a small door (the action is meant to teach the worshipper humility, as well a« to protect, the church from the violent assault of enemies in early and unquiet days) you lind yourself in a closcd-in porch, which gives direct access to the grent nave. This has oighteeij massive pilla.rs on either 'side, which support a roof of English oak, pit tip by oiir fourth Edward, and still .id excellent repair, considering tlio many vicissitudes it has passed through; it is a good example of English handiwork. Fragments of beautiful old Byzantine frfiscofis. show her'i} and the'ro amid a, wostft of whitewash, but their glories are much dimiiicd by time and lack of caro. The, Grotto of the Birty'i itself is approached by two curious cres-cciit-stiaped staircases, polished Jike glass by the tread of thousands and thousands of. iect. It is just .a Imiß.cavc, like hundreds of others in Pahstinc, lit. by silver lamps of rich and delicate design, whose soft, subdued light dispels the gloom. The roupih stono walls are protected by leather hangings (the sift of Napoleon III), and call still bo' felt through boles made purposely for this. A large silver star under tlio altar marks the place where tho divine mystery itself took' place, with the words; "Hie do Virgins Maria Jesus Christus ■ iiatus est"

Tlio places cf tho inaiiger lies a few feet to tho side, fto original stone manger Jras carried awav .to Rome liffig since, T|ul is liow in tho Church, of Siiiitrv Jtiiria jiaggiore. Before iJiss slsfino, too, are gold and silver lamps, shining steadily. For many hundreds of veins these lights have been kept burning. Bach to tlie Past. All is very stilt and peaceful hero; the stir and business of tho world outside scorns far away; the strife which has marred (but not of iato years) the harmony of tho great church above is all forgotten here. The Christmas atmosphere of peaco and goodwill enfolds the worshipper. To sonio it way be the presence of tho Turkish sentry (guarding the sanctity of the Grotto from the contending jealousy of differing churches) seems like a painful intrusion. But need it ho so? "Came the Word of God unto you only?"

Not far from the Grotto of xhe Nativity, and, of course, a part of tho church itself, is tho Chapel of the Innocents, under which, it is said, Wert* buried tho twenty thousand children of ltethlclicm whom Herod slew. There is a very beautiful picturo in this dark little chapel, depicting tbo triumph&l entry of these small children of Israel into their Promised Land. On tho'Greek'and Latin Christmas Days, which are separated liy an interval" of twelve days, the old church and the d'ini, weaceful Grotto are filled with the smell' of intense and the chanting of the, Christmas festal lomns. Great services ta.ko place then, ail as beautiful and as solemn as professions, rich rostmnnts, hitnners, jewels, and much ritual caii make them. Crowds throng into Bethlehem then from all parts, and the little town blossoms into new ltfo for the time, Christmas is entirely a religious festival in tho East, and at tins < ime everything centres in this wonderful old church, and, of course, particularly in the Grotto of tlio Nativity. But come when you will and at what hour,

von will alwavs find Some wcrsinuner from East or' West at prayer within this shrine. , ... And so at Christinas time the veil ol severing-years seems rout away; sweetinfluences' of tho part reacii out and claim our timid worship hero; and.we can realise a little, it may u- ; , jh.u ibrouMi the mystic birth .it Botnlehem tho' n'pa'ce of God has come to cartb(Written, by the Bishop of .lerusalem ior "Tho Quoen.")

Sirs. Spicer, of Auckland, arrived _ in Wellington yesterday, and is staying with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Adams, at the jluit ?

jliss Coates is visiting Auckland,

' Mrs. B. A: Malef of dhris^nreh. returned to Now Zealand from tho Old Country yesterday bv tho lamui.

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