The Holy Land, 1934

the heaven [Music] kingu [Music] Glory at the Far Eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea is the sea port of Jaffa this sea port is more than 3500 years old and is the worst port in the world where Steamers are obliged to come to Anchor one mile from Shore the passengers are compelled to go ashore and clumsy native robow boats or in launches if they are lucky Jaffa is the sea port of Jerusalem and is also the center of an important fruit industry the japa oranges are famous for their sweetness and flavor and as we come into town I see a familiar name it is my old friend yone who used to run a delicatessen store in the Bronx but now thanks to General Allenby who conquered the Holy Land yakone runs a stationary store in [Music] Jaffa the weather is warm in Jaffa and our friend the lemonade man does a thriving business however if you don't care for lemonade it is your privilege to patronize his chief competitor an old Arab who dispenses japa snowballs first he has to shave the ice into a bowl and then he peps up the ice with fruits and nuts pouring over it a colored syrup that probably tastes better than it looks no Board of Health here to worry him besides the natives like the cooling mixture and don't seem to be any the worse off for eating it the lamb that Drew the Crusaders from their distant firesides the land dreamed of by the Russian Pilgrims from the iy north the land that called the Dusky Nubians from the torrid South the land towards which Hearts have turned from the farthest corners of the Earth the unique land of promise and fulfillment but to these children who never went to Sunday school the Sea of Galilee is just a glorious swimming hole and a great place to go fishing who knows when they grow up they make keep on fishing for a living continuing our journey toward the South We Came Upon This spot where time and progress has stood still for centuries this primitive wooden water wheel was built more than a thousand years ago it has been lazily doing its work ever since the water is being raised only a few inches but that is enough to provide irrigation for the neighboring Fields what a gap there is between this primitive mechanism and the great thing water wheels and turbines of modern Engineers I wonder if the marvels of today will last a thousand years and if they do will they seem primitive to those who see them then the water used in households is handled in a still more primitive way but much more picturesquely the Oriental custom of letting the women do most of the hard work still prevails in Palestine these two stalwart Rebeccas make countless trips to the well and then walk off easily and lightly each with a load of 65 lb in a head maybe this is what gives them such a graceful gate and such a stately Carriage as we leave The Smiling Plains of Galilee tend to beauty and poetry disappear we come upon Jerusalem a city of severe reality crowning sterile Hills Bleak and almost forbidding C C trees add to the uninviting scenery the Palestine camels however have no eye for beauty and poetry but they have got an appetite when they are hungry they don't allow a little matter like a bunch of needles to stand between them and a square meal oh no what a tough lining the camels must have in their mouths and throats we might call them the leathernecks of Palestine so we ride through the Damascus gate a picturesque opening through the Third wall built nearly 2,000 years ago by Herod a gria King of Judea to protect Jerusalem we pass along through narrow streets under the arch where pilate is supposed to have shown Christ to the multitude exclaiming e gomo behold the man and now we come to the oldest and the most authentic pile of masonry left standing in Jerusalem the Western Wall of the enclosure where Solomon's Temple is supposed to have stood in all its Glory here the Jews both men and women come daily to pray to whail and to lament their bygone Glory facing the gigantic Stones many of which have been worn Smooth by the pressure of devout lips they read aloud from their Hebrew prayer book or recite the prayers from memory and as they seek Divine Comfort they find also the spiritual strength that has given them the courage and patience to carry on through centuries of persec ution some of the prayers or petitions have been written down and the folded papers are reverently placed in the big cracks between the stones their sincerity is genuine and commands respect the prayers and laments are in toned in pure Hebrew making a sound that is pleasing to the ears even to those unfamiliar with the language down this street it is supposed Christ walked on his way to Calvary as a matter of fact the streets of 2,000 years ago lie deeply buried beneath the ruins and rubbish of 20 centuries Franciscan monks explain the sacred mysteries of Jerusalem to the pilgrims another landmark that has withstood the ravages time and destruction is the Tower of David not far from the place where once stood the Palace of Herod and at last we are at the entrance of the enclosure in which stands the holy Seiler the spot was chosen 1600 Years Ago by the Roman emperor Constantine as the probable place where Christ had been in tune it is so accepted to this day all the nations of the world regardless of religious Creed for Gather here the Orthodox Believers come to weep to worship to adore the pagans and unbelievers to seek profit at the expense of gullible pilgrims to whom whom they sell sacred relics that may or may not be genuine this is the altar over the holy Seiler it is a fantastic Gody structure almost barbaric in its Splendor a mass of gold and silver and precious stones strangely enough dedicated to the Apostle of humility on Festival days especially at Easter the religious fervor of the Pilgrims from many lands becomes intense to the point of Fury a church is crowded to Suffocation with a swaying Restless mass of worshiping men and women processions of richly attired priests patiently elbow the way through the dense crowd of excited pilgrims the clamor of many tongues hymns loudly chanted in several different languages at the same time the Clapping of countless hands the shouts and screams of thousands of Believers under the influence of a rising religious delirium produce an unbelievable uproar but at midnight on Easter Eve a solemn hush falls on the Frantic mob as the bells begin to ring the crowd breaks up and groups go marching through the streets joyously singing Christ is [Music] risen holy [Applause] hallelu