TRIP TO PALESTINE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 161, 8 June 1929, Page 12

TRIP TO PALESTINE

VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS. INTERESTING ADDRESS. Despite the inclement weather, there was a fair attendance at tho Cuba Street Methodist Church last evening, when Miss J. Street, who is touring New Zealand in the interests of Christian Youth .Movements, gave a very interesting address on “Some Palestine People.”- Rev. J. D. McArthur presided. Palestine was a tiny country compared with New Zealand, possibly, as tho speaker had been informed, as largo as Hawke’s Bay, but it was a wonderful country. Was it not the Holy Land; the land of Our Saviour? Except geographically, Jerusalem was not a true Palestine city, but it was not the Jerusalem of Bible times, either in regard to its architecture or its people. Tho population was polygot, and east and west met and mingled. Many volumes had been written about the history of Jeruslaein; it was a wonderful story. In some ways Palestine was not a holy land, but was a strange, ignorant, and darkened land; tho light that shone there once and spread to other lands had been dimmed and darkened. But dress and customs had not changed; neither had tho stylo of tho houses. The outside of tilings was the same, but the inside had altered. There was a very sorrowful side to the life in Palestine.

COSTUMES WORN. A loose woollen cloak was worn by practically every man, and provided not only a covering by day, but also his bed clothes at night. The inhabitants had neither bedding nor bedsteads, with the exception of a quilted sort of mat which was simply laid on tho floor at night and rolled up in the morning. .Bedrooms were not essential in Palestine.

Very often women would be found working in the fields and rows and rows of the peasant men and women would be seen at harvest time. They wero hard workers and the harder they worked the more noiso they made. The dresses were picturesque and there wero very few unmarried women in the country. The women of Bethlehem were very fair and good looking and many picked up English fairly well. Tlieir general looks and fairness of skin could no doubt be traced back to the Crusaders.

The dress of tho Palestine woman was plain even to severity. The veil was very large and was frequently used to carry vegetables, grain and market produce in.

BEAUTIFUL LACE. The women made beautiful lace and embroidery and most of the work was done on the roofs of their mud houses, which, for practical purposes, served as extra apartments.

It was quite possible to learn a lot about Palestine without visiting the country, blit there were many things quite.eommonplacethcre that were not generally known here. Oil entering a house a welcome was always given, and a woman’s first thought was to

prepare for her visitor a meal. The old-fashioned method of grinding corn between two circular stones, one of which revolved, was still used. There was little or nothing in the way of furniture, and a guest was always expected to take charge of a meal, and act as the host. Knives and porks wore not used, but fingers were used, sometimes in a nasty and clumps,y manner, and very often in a very gentle, gracious fashion. BRIGHT FACES. The hoys and girls of Palestine had bright faces and intelligent eyes, hut many of them suffered from disease. But missionary work did much to alleviate and prevent suffering. Considerable interest was taken by those present in Palestine costumes worn for the occasion by Christian Endeavour boys and girls, and in a collection of articles comprising a stone sling of the type used by David, a 4th century lamp found in an old tomb, a hoy’s wooden slato and an ink horn and reed pen. On the motion of the chairman, Miss Street was accorded a hearty vote of thanks by acclamation.