Our journey around the world; an illustrated record of a year's travel of forty thousand . l probability, spurious. Some of them are manifestabsurdities, and yet, very near to this spot, and quite proba-bly within the space that iscovered by the roof of thischurch, the Redeemer of Man-kind was born. Here we canafford to give our imagina-tions full play and need nottry to curb our religious emo-tions. After passing through achurch which is grandly sim-ple in its design, we come tothe Chapel of the Nativityitself. The pavement is ofmarble and the walls also arelined with marble, while un
Our journey around the world; an illustrated record of a year's travel of forty thousand . l probability, spurious. Some of them are manifestabsurdities, and yet, very near to this spot, and quite proba-bly within the space that iscovered by the roof of thischurch, the Redeemer of Man-kind was born. Here we canafford to give our imagina-tions full play and need nottry to curb our religious emo-tions. After passing through achurch which is grandly sim-ple in its design, we come tothe Chapel of the Nativityitself. The pavement is ofmarble and the walls also arelined with marble, while underthe altar a silver star marksthe place of Jesus birth. Theinscription tells us: Hie deVirgine Maria Jesus Cliristus natus est. For centuries and centuries, devout hearts have traveledhither to worship at the cradle of our Lord, and from thetime of Constantine this spot has been richly decorated,and golden lamps with their undying flame are constantlyswinging over the silver star. Near by is the Chapel of the Manger, where the marblecradle of Christ is pointed out to us. It does not meet our. A GIRL OF JUDEA. GUARDING THE CRADLE OF OUR LORD. 487 ideas, however, of the rough stall from which the horses fed,and which Protestant Christians always associate with thebirth of the Redeemer. While we were looking at these relics, twenty-one Fran-ciscan monks came into the chapel, carrying huge candlesand chanting the praises of the Virgin Mary. Behind themfollowed a priest arrayed in most gorgeous vestments, andfollowed by two attendants. As the priest approached theplace of the Nativity, he took a golden censer in his hand,and then from a silver vase he took some powdered incenseand with a golden spoon sprinkled it on the living coals. The fragrant smoke curled up to heaven, while the monieschanted, and the priests with rhythmical motion swung thegolden censer, and the thirty-one lamps of gold and silvershed their subdued light upon the scene. But even while welooked we could see th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade189, booksubjectvoyagesaroundtheworld
