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Show IN THEJOLY CITY People of Jerusalem Celebrate Easter With Magnificence That Is Gorgeous. JERUSALEM Is tho true Easter city. Not only Is Easter celebrated thoro with gorgeous magnlflcanco by tho Christian churches Latin, Greek, Armenian, Coptic but tho largo and ever-growing Jewish population of Jerusalem keeps the passover with nil the charm of Its cosmopolitanism, and even the Mohammedans havo their Easter pilgrimage to the grave of Moses. Tho throng of Easter pilgrims from tho wholo Christian world 1b u very rcmarkablo sight. To tho Westerner It is n revelation of oriental Christianity Christian-ity In all Its plcturesquo devotion. Greoks from all over tho Levant, Ar-mcnlnnB Ar-mcnlnnB from Turkey, Persia and Caucasus; Cau-casus; NcstorianB from the Mesopotamia Mesopo-tamia and Persia; Syrians from Aleppo, Alep-po, Damascuo and Beirut; Abyssln-lanB Abyssln-lanB rrom northeast Africa ; Copts from Egypt, and men from tho ancient The Grotto of the Nativity in the crypt of the church of the Nativity at Bethlehem. The star beneath the altar marks the supposed place of the Nativity. All day Easier Sunday Htrenmn of pll-Rrlms pll-Rrlms visit tho tomb itself. Only threo enn enter It nt a time, for It Is six feet square, and lmlf Its Bpuco Ih taken up by the Hitrcophagua a white marbla sliolf, crnckcd'iicrosH, nupporU-don u miir-blo miir-blo slab, about threo feot lilsb. Lamps of (liver and cold )inng ubovo It and slied a dim IlKht upon tho flKiiro of a Greek priest on silent guard. Thin la tho Holy of Holies tho holiest spot in tho world. Crlncea nnd paupers, kneollnR In tho place whero thby bellovo Jesus lay for three days, stretch quivering lingers to touch the marble shelf and sob as It their hearts would break. It Ih' hero that Earner makes tho whole world kin. churches of southern India all theso races mingle with Latins rrom western west-ern Europe, with Slavs rrom tho East and North, with Germans, English, Americana, Scandinavians. And this, mind you, against a peculiar pecu-liar background of Jewish lire nt ono timo largely Sephardlc that Is, ot Jews driven centuries ago from Spain uid Portugal, but In late years to a fast growing extent from Ashkennzl; Jewa who havo returned, thanks to tho efforts of n powerful propaganda, from Poland, Russia, tho Balkans, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Holland and England. In the midst of all, and presenting an individuality perhaps more distinct than all tho others, you see tho Mohammedan Mo-hammedan master or tho laud tho Arab In his solemn garb and majestic boarlng, and tho Turkish official and soldier haughty in the exercise or his duty to keep tho Christian pilgrims In check and to prescrvo order. Etaborato processions nnd ceremonials ceremo-nials mako holy weok in Jerusalem a gorgeous event, whero tho Intlmato noto of tho resurrection 1b not conspicuous. conspic-uous. Especially does It bring out tho division of Christendom, so strikingly shown in the way in which Latins,. Greoks, Armenians nnd Copts sharo tho Church of tho Holy Scpulchcr. Though tho census of 1896 gives tho "muteesBarlfllk" or Jerusalem 25,000 Latins and only 16,000 Greeks, tho visitor Is npt to be impressed with tho religious predominance of tho latter. Particularly at Easter 'the marvolous services of the Greek orthodox church convoy tho priority ot theso ceremo nies; nono, perhaps, Is moro Impressive Impres-sive than thot ot tho washing or reet, on tho TWrsdny bororo Easter. On that day a platrorm Is erected In tho court ot tho church, which is occupied occu-pied by tho Greok patriarch ot Jerusalem Jerusa-lem and twelvo high church dignitaries. digni-taries. Court stairs, niches and evory corner Is crowded by tho faithful to wlWs8 tho enactment of tho sceno when Jesus washod tho feet of his disciples. Tho parts of Jesus, John, Peter and Judas aro each given to nn ecclesiastic, and aro read with flno simplicity, though tho story Is told with a certain freedom rrom Gospel text At tho end tho patriarch washes tho root ot tho twelvo clerics and, repeating repeat-ing Jesus' words, "Lot us go, tor ho that will betray mo ls nigh," gives tho signal to arise, and they all wlthdrnw to tho church. Thon nn ollvo branch, hanging over tho chancel or tho platrorm, plat-rorm, Is pulled up to tho roor of the church paid ehouts ot joy. |