OCR Text |
Show I HOLY TO THREE RELIGIONS. I ' Palestine Is 8acred to Christian, Jew and Mohammedan. I Wo aro accustomed to consldor IPalestlno only as tho Promised Land of the Jowish race, and tho scone of the most sacred ovonta In human history his-tory tho birth and burial placo, tho homo, tho placo of tho crucifixion nnd tho resurrection of tho Redeemer. We forget that It is also a Holy Land for tho adherents of nnothor religion, I who outnumber tho Christians and tho Jows combined, nnd aro without doubt tho moBt numorous, tho most dovout and tho most fanatical of all .1 rollgloua believers. Tho Mohammo- dans number not less than 400,000,-000 400,000,-000 and perhaps 500,000,000. A largo portion of them traco their ancestry to Esau and Ishmaol, ns tho Jews I traco theirs to Jacob, nnd aro equally attached to tho scenes of Old Testa-mont Testa-mont history. Tho tomb of Abraham, tho well of Jacob, tho Blver Jordan fj, nnd the sito of tho teraplo nro us tr precious and snered to tho ono as to the otnor. Tho Mohammedan caroa no tiling for tho sultan oxcopt as tho successor of Mr.homot, tho visible head of the church, but his rollglon Is a llvo, tangible and osson-tlal osson-tlal thing which Influences and otton controls his movements as well as his omotlons. No other faith, no othor raco, are bo dopondent upon prayer and worship. No other Is bo scrupulous in the observance of the teachings of his Btblo and his priests, or In the observance of his religious duties and vows. |