. Six and one abroad. usband-hunting; and here squarely by theroadside was the tomb of Rachel, the favorite wife of Jacob. Itwill be remembered that she died at Bethlehem while Jacob wasen route to Hebron. The tomb is an imj^osing one, and there islittle reason to doubt its authenticity. Bethlehem has a population of 8,000, though you would notthink it from a distance. Ten people live in a space in theEast that would be stuffy quarters for a single is on a small scale. We drove along a narrow laneof rock houses until we came to an open square, where theentire population of
. Six and one abroad. usband-hunting; and here squarely by theroadside was the tomb of Rachel, the favorite wife of Jacob. Itwill be remembered that she died at Bethlehem while Jacob wasen route to Hebron. The tomb is an imj^osing one, and there islittle reason to doubt its authenticity. Bethlehem has a population of 8,000, though you would notthink it from a distance. Ten people live in a space in theEast that would be stuffy quarters for a single is on a small scale. We drove along a narrow laneof rock houses until we came to an open square, where theentire population of the town seemed to be collected. Leavingthe carriage we were conducted by Jehoshaphat, we ignorantlysupposed, to the great attraction of Bethlehem, for he led usin devious paths, along by munching camels and through crowdspacked compactly in the streets to—not the Manger, but acurio shop. The impudent rascal. It was with the greatestdifficulty that we could restrain an impulse to hurl him from 114 Six and One Abroad. BethJeliem and the Manger 115 yonder cliff down into Boaz field. Had we come all the wayacross the ocean and a sea to buy an olive pin tray or a mnsselshell scarf pin? It was only three minutes to the church of the Nativity. Thefront of this edifice was a high blank wall of indifferent con-struction, and the entrance a doorway so small and unpreten-tious that it appeared to be an accidental hole that the buildersforgot. Stooping low, we entered and groped along a narrowpassage way till we stood with uncovered heads inside an oldchapel that was erected by Constantine away back in 330. Thefloor was of rock, worn concave and irregular by the tramp ofmillions of feet; its columns were monoliths that had beenslicked and soilcid by millions of hands. Its solemn and ven-erable aspect was emphasized by the darkness and even by thelight that was strained into a faint glow through the trans-lucent transoms. The church is owned by no one, unless it be by the Turkishgovernme
Size: 1205px × 2074px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookau, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidsixoneabroad00thom
