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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



ulation detracted much from the charm 

 of the scene and made it difficult to 

 realize that this to millions of people is 

 the most sacred spot in all the world. 



The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is 

 a very interesting place, being- remarka- 

 ble for the number of supposedly historic 

 spots in so small an area. Not far from 

 the reputed sepulchre is the Stone of 

 Atonement, where the body of Christ is 

 said to have been prepared for burial. A 

 few feet away is a hole in which the cross 

 is said to have been placed, with two holes 

 beside it for the crosses of the two thieves 

 crucified at the same time, and in another 

 room a star is inlaid in the floor to mark 

 the burial place of Adam. 



Millions of people journey to Jerusa- 

 lem to see these sacred places. An Amer- 

 ican tourist once remarked that this 

 church is like an American department 

 store — everything under one roof. 



The most beautiful place in all Jeru- 

 salem is Haram-esh-Sherif, "the Place of 

 the Temple." This area, which is sur- 

 rounded by a wall, is the site of Solo- 

 mon's magnificent temple. It was a 

 sacred spot even before King David 

 placed his altar there. 



In the center is the glittering Mosque 

 of Omar, one of the richest in the world. 

 It is built over a great rock, the Holy 

 Rock, beneath which, according to the 

 Moslems, is "The Well of Souls/' where 

 the spirits of all the Moslem dead assem- 

 ble twice a week to pray. Mohammed 

 himself once declared that one prayer 

 here is worth a thousand elsewhere. 



The rock is 59 feet long and 44 feet 

 wide. Upon it the old Israelites made 

 their burnt offerings, and in the middle 

 ages the Crusaders erected an altar. On 

 this rock Abraham is supposed to have 

 built the altar on which to sacrifice his 

 son Isaac. Beneath it is a small cavern 

 about 15 feet square, in which some peo- 

 ple believe that Masonry was first insti- 

 tuted by King Solomon. 



Shortly after the capture of Jerusalem 

 a group of New Zealand Masons, by lib- 

 eral gratuities to the sheik in charge of 

 the mosque, secured permission to enter 

 this mystical chamber, and there 32 of 

 them, representing 27 different lodges, 

 held a Masonic meeting. The old sheik 

 acted as door-keeper and protected the 

 meeting from intruders. Throughout the 



world of Masonry in modern times, no 

 other worshipful master has opened his 

 lodge in quite such historic surroundings. 



Jericho has nearly disappeared from 

 the map ; today it is a little village of only 

 a few dirty, dismal hovels, not worthy of 

 being called houses, in which live some 

 three hundred wretched creatures. 



However, from the little village, at the 

 break of day, there is unfolded to the eye 

 of the traveler one of the most remark- 

 able historic panoramas in all the world. 

 Across the Jordan to the east the sun 

 shoots its rays over the heights of Moab. 

 It was from one of those lofty moun- 

 tains that Moses, after forty years of 

 wandering and waiting, gazed longingly 

 upon the Land of Promise, which he was 

 destined never to enter. 



To the south, between the mountains of 

 Moab and the Judean Hills, nestles the 

 Dead Sea, upon whose sluggish waters 

 there now floats the smallest fighting 

 squadron of the great British navy. 



To the northwest lies the Mountain of 

 Temptation, where Christ is reputed to 

 have spent His forty days and nights of 

 fasting. 



To the west, silhouetted against the 

 sky-line, looms the tower of the German 

 hospice upon the Mount of Olives. 



IS THE JEW'S DREAM TO BE REALIZED? 



One of the spots best known to tourists 

 in Jerusalem is "The Wailing Place of the 

 Jews," a portion of the old wall erected 

 by David, where for hundreds of years 

 countless thousands have gathered to pray 

 for the restoration of their kingdom. At 

 last it looks as if their dream would be- 

 come a reality. Mr. Arthur James Bal- 

 four, Great Britain's Secretary of State 

 for Foreign Affairs, has written as fol- 

 lows on this subject: 



"His Majesty's Government view with 

 favor the establishment in Palestine of a 

 national home for the Jewish people, and 

 will use their best endeavors to facilitate 

 the achievement of this object, it being 

 clearly understood that nothing shall be 

 done which shall prejudice the civil and 

 religious rights of existing non-Jewish 

 communities in Palestine or the rights 

 and political status enjoyed by Jews in 

 any other country." 



A part of this plan was the establish- 

 ment of a great Hebrew university, and 



