THE EMPEROR'S VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND.
By Our Special Commissioner at Berlin.
Illustrated from Photographs.
Few projects of Church extension have attracted so much attention as the forthcoming opening of the Lutheran church in Jerusalem: a movement which has been zealously pushed forward by his Imperial Majesty the Kaiser of Germany and King of Prussia, and will be happily consummated by an imposing ceremony, at which his Majesty and his illustrious consort will be the central figures, just about the time that this number reaches its thousands of subscribers. So important is the movement, and with such close attention has it been watched by the religious bodies of England, that a special representative was sent to Berlin, who was fortunate enough to be received by some most distinguished Personages and kindly furnished with many details of the scheme, and all the information that it was possible to give—so much in advance as the exigencies of a monthly periodical demand.
A VIEW OF VENICE.
(The Imperial Party's Place of Embarcation.)
It will be as well to first speak of the requirements for a new Lutheran church in Jerusalem. For a great many years there has been a considerable German colony in the city, its members steadily augmenting year by year. In the time of Frederick William IV. of Prussia a joint Protestant bishopric (German and English) was established, the right of appointment to lie with each country alternately. The first Bishop was a converted German Jew holding orders in the English Church; two others succeeded him, and then in 1886 Prussia withdrew from the agreement.
THE LATEST PORTRAIT-GROUP OF THE GERMAN ROYAL FAMILY.
(Photo: J. Baruch, Berlin.)
Nearly twenty years previous to this latter date the Sultan had presented to King William I. a disused building, which formerly was the property of the Knights of St. John, in order that a Protestant Lutheran church might be erected on the site. For some reason, the work was delayed for a considerable period, and the members of the German Evangelical Church have been worshipping in a small temporary chapel, by the side of which the handsome new church has been reared. The work has been carried on by a pastor and an assistant teacher, and there has also been a good school in conjunction with it. The foundation stone of the church was laid on October 31st, 1893, and it was thought the consecration would take place in 1897; but things were not in readiness, and so the event was fixed for October 31st of this year—the anniversary of the birth of the Evangelical Church, being the day on which Luther nailed his thesis to the church door in Wittenberg.
The Kaiser and Kaiserin have long cherished a wish to visit the Holy City and tread the land which Christ trod when on earth; and no better opportunity could possibly occur than when a new Lutheran church was about to be consecrated. Both their Majesties have done much—not only by rightly using the immense influence which they possess, but also financially—to further Church work; and, apart from any other cause, the opening of this sacred building for the use of their countrymen in a foreign land could not fail to enlist their sympathetic interest. The undertaking is a pious and domestic, and not a political, one, spite of several assertions to the contrary; and all who have the cause of true religion at heart cannot but rejoice that there will be another pulpit from which the risen Saviour will be proclaimed to the residents of God's chosen land.
Their Imperial Majesties will leave Berlin by special train for Venice, where a brief rest will be taken previous to the embarkation on the royal yacht Hohenzollern. The dignitaries of the Lutheran Church and invited personages will travel in another direction. Leaving Berlin by train, they embark on the Midnight Sun (an English vessel flying the English flag) at Trieste; thence they will proceed to Alexandria. Having explored that city, they will visit Cairo, and thence, returning to Alexandria, they will go on to Jaffa, and so through Palestine to Jerusalem, where they arrive about midday on October 25th. The next few days will be spent in viewing the city and neighbourhood, and on the 31st the entire party will be present at the formal opening of the "Erlöser-Kirche" in the presence of the Kaiser and Kaiserin.
JAFFA (JOPPA) AT THE PRESENT DAY.
But I wish more particularly to draw your attention to the route taken by their Majesties, as this was particularly pointed out to me in Berlin. Venice—the principal port on the Adriatic—will naturally claim some share of the interest of the Imperial couple, and the Palace of the Doges, dating from the fourteenth century, with its many historical and awful associations; the famous cathedral of St. Mark—a venerable building of the eleventh century, rich in cupolas and mosaics, and marble columns to the number of five hundred—as well as other renowned places, will be visited.
At Venice their Majesties will go on board for a voyage of four days down the Adriatic, and up in a northerly direction through the Dardanelles and Sea of Marmora, direct to Constantinople and the Golden Horn. Here the Sultan has made great preparations for their reception. Special buildings are being erected, old roads widened, and new roads made; moreover, all streets to be traversed by the Imperial party are being properly paved—not before it was requisite—thousands of gas-jets are being added to the meagre number which have hitherto done duty, and the Yildiz Palace has been completely overhauled and refitted. In short, Abdul Hamid is incurring tremendous expense in order to entertain his distinguished visitors right regally. The sojourn will extend over several days, and many places will be visited, including the royal palaces—which abound in Constantinople—the mosques, tombs, towers, and bazaars; and as their Majesties will be in the city on a Friday, the "Selamlik," or Sultan's procession to the mosque, will be included in the programme.
On leaving Constantinople, the Imperial yacht will steam round Asia Minor to the Syrian coast, passing many attractive places, amongst which may be mentioned the Plains of Troy and the Isle of Patmos. A run of about three days will bring them to Kaiffa, more generally known as Haifa. Here the Kaiser and Kaiserin will land about midday on October 25th, at the special new landing-stage which has lately been erected for the purpose. The first stone of this was laid amidst much ceremony by the Mutessarif of Acre, in the presence of the entire Consular body, the troops, and all the local notabilities. The ceremony was, of course, a Mohammedan one, a sheep being sacrificed upon the stone, and the blessing of Allah invoked upon the coming Imperial guests.
A VIEW OF MODERN JERUSALEM.
Once landed at Haifa, thenceforth the Imperial expedition will be entirely under the guidance of Messrs. Thomas Cook and Son, the well-known tourist agents, Mr. Cook himself personally conducting the party to Jerusalem. The Sultan had previously offered tents, horses and carriages for the journey, but these the Emperor at first declined, as he was anxious to avoid giving any political significance to an expedition undertaken solely on religious grounds, and for the purpose of the formal opening of the Church of St. Saviour or the Redeemer. At the earnest solicitation of the Sultan, he, however, finally consented to use horses, mules, carriages, and wagons provided by the Turkish monarch. The journey will be performed in true Oriental style, everything else necessary being furnished by Thomas Cook and Son.
HAIFA, AND THE BAY OF ACRE.
(The Landing-Place of the Imperial Party.)
The Kaiser will make the journey on horseback, the Kaiserin in an open carriage. The route is to be exactly the same as that followed by ordinary tourists, and the entire party will camp out at night in the usual way. The first day's journey will occupy nine or ten hours, and tents will be pitched for the night outside Cæsarea, in full view of the Mediterranean. Thence the party will ride to Jaffa, a journey of ten hours. The town is beautifully situated, and extensively planted with orange groves. There is a good carriage road from it direct to Jerusalem, and a railway, which was opened some six years since. The Imperial party will spend the night under canvas outside the city, the view of which has an added interest, inasmuch as there is within its walls a considerable German colony. The remainder of the journey to Jerusalem will be carried out in the same manner over ground that is scripturally historical and highly picturesque, passing as it does over the Plains of Sharon, by Lydda and Emmaus—where Christ walked with His disciples after the Resurrection—and so on through the Valley of Ajalon, by Kirjath and Jesrun; arriving at Jerusalem on Saturday, October 29th, where tents will be pitched on ground acquired by the Evangelical Jerusalem Fund.
THE JAFFA GATE AT JERUSALEM.
(From here the Emperor and Empress go on foot to the Holy Sepulchre.)
The actual entrance of the procession into the city will be imposing, but, once within the Jaffa Gate, the Kaiser and Kaiserin purpose going on foot to the Holy Sepulchre, with an entire absence of any State surroundings. The route from the gate to the Sepulchre has been entirely renovated for their Majesties by the Sultan. Needless to say, this block of buildings containing the Chapel of the Sepulchre is surrounded by much that is legendary, and has been the scene of many and fierce contentions. Now it is under the protection of the Sultan, and Moslem soldiers guard it, and are stationed within the vestibule to keep order amongst the various Christian pilgrims who visit it. Various chapels credited to various nations are within its portals, the Church of the Sepulchre being, of course, the chief place of interest.
The rotunda of the sepulchre is the principal part of the building. In the centre of the adjoining vestibule, or Angel's Chapel, lies the stone which is said to be that which the angel rolled away from the mouth of the sepulchre; then by passing through a lower door you enter the Chapel of the Sepulchre; it is very small, only holding three or four persons at one time. Very much controversy has taken place regarding the correctness of the site of the Holy Sepulchre. It must of necessity be an uncertain matter, as the course of the city wall has not been clearly ascertained, and it seems an undoubted fact that in the fourth century the actual site of the tomb was completely lost sight of. Pilgrims who visited Jerusalem at that period centred their entire interest on the place of the Ascension of the Lord, worshipping and revering the living, and not the dead, Christ.
It is perhaps hardly necessary here to point out the difference between ancient and modern Jerusalem. Many of the old landmarks are still in existence, some of which I shall have occasion to mention later. There is a large German colony now resident there, and during his Majesty's visit he will receive representatives of this colony at the German Consulate.
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
Sunday will be a memorable day for the expedition, the first event being the attendance at morning service in the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, to be followed by the opening of an orphanage for Armenian children.
In the afternoon certain sacred places on the Mount of Olives will be visited. The entire Mount is replete with interest, for there is no other place which was frequented so much by Christ when on earth. It is a significant fact that, so far as can be ascertained from the Scriptures, Jesus never spent one night within the precincts of Jerusalem, but was wont to spend them on the Mount of Olives.
The Brook Kedron and the valley of Jehoshaphat are each near, and are amongst the places to be visited by the Kaiser and the Kaiserin on that special Sunday. But as interesting as any event of the day will be an open-air service to be held on the Mount, attended by their Majesties, the whole of the personages forming the expedition, and the German settlement in Jerusalem. The bands of the royal yacht and the escorting squadron, which will have journeyed up from Haifa for the purpose, will perform the musical part of the service.
DR. BARKHAUSEN OF BERLIN.
(Organiser of the Tour.)
(Photo: Johannes Hülsen, Berlin.)
The next day—Monday, the 31st—the consecration of the Church of the Redeemer in the Mâristân will take place; the ceremony will be somewhat imposing, as a large number of clergy and distinguished personages will be taking part in it. The list of representatives who will be present reads as follows:—The members of the Evangelical Church Council specially formed for the Jerusalem expedition; the representatives of the German Evangelical Ecclesiastical Governments; the invited Foreign Church Corporations; the Knights of the Order of St. John; the invited representatives of the missionary societies who are working in Palestine and Syria; the Gustave Adolf Society; the whole of the Evangelical Church in Jerusalem; their Imperial Majesties and suite. I may say that everyone present who has gone out from Germany will wear a decoration that has been specially designed, known as the Jerusalem cross; these, in fact, will be worn the whole route of the journey. The military element will be in the minority, consisting only of about sixteen men, eight of them belonging to the Imperial Body Gendarmerie, and eight to the Kaiserin's bodyguard; these, however, will not travel up with the Imperial party, having gone out from Berlin some little time beforehand to accustom themselves to the habits of the country.
THE NEW LUTHERAN CHURCH, JERUSALEM.
Immediately subsequent to the ceremony at the church the Kaiser and Kaiserin will start for a two or three days' visit to places of interest around Jerusalem, commencing by riding to Jericho, which will take about six hours. The Imperial party will halt there for the night, camping at the foot of Jebel Harantel.
On the succeeding day visits will be paid to the Dead Sea and the Jordan, the latter one of the most wonderful rivers of the world, with a history running through the entire Bible. Various other places of much interest will be seen, and then their Majesties return to Jerusalem, going back to the coast by train, and taking ship again at Jaffa for Haifa.
From here they will visit Nazareth—which is memorable as the home of Jesus. It is still a flourishing place, partly built on rocky ridges. There is a Latin chapel which is supposed to be built over the workshop of Joseph; also a small chapel known as the Table of Christ, which is merely a vaulted chamber containing the table at which the Saviour and His disciples sat. Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee will be visited. Bethsaida, the birthplace of some of Christ's disciples, and other small places in the vicinity, will each come in for a share of attention.
A PRESENT-DAY VIEW ON THE JORDAN.
Proceeding northward, the expedition will view other places, but none, perhaps, so beautiful as one at which they will make a brief stay—Damascus, the oldest city in the world. It is situated on the western side of the great plain, at an elevation of two thousand two hundred and sixty feet above the level of the sea, and is beautiful beyond all description. On an elevated part of the Anti-Libanus, which rises to a height of nearly four thousand feet, there is erected a dome of victory, from which the best view of the city and the seven rivers can be obtained, as also of the white-streaked mountains, the chocolate plain, and the rich and varied colours of the foliage of the trees. Within the city stands a citadel and a palace. Damascus has seventy mosques, and about one hundred and fifty other places of worship in addition; and each of the principal religious communities occupy different parts of the city. In the same way different industries are carried on, each in their own quarters exclusively, having their own bazaars for the sale of goods. The place is highly prosperous, and its appearance is, as I have said, extremely beautiful. Thence the Kaiser and Kaiserin will journey on to Egypt, seeing Alexandria, Cairo, and going up the Nile; but here space forbids us following them.
It is a visit which cannot fail to impress all; the Kaiser himself to no ordinary extent, considering his remarkable power of grasping the religious and romantic elements of ancient history and its famous scenes. What he will see will stir his heart to no ordinary degree, sensitive as is his mind to all such impressions. It must also sensibly appeal to the cultured members of every religious community, and all will watch this Imperial pilgrimage with unusual interest, and wish for it a happy and prosperous finale.
I cannot close this without tendering my respectful thanks for the gracious kindness accorded me in Berlin, and for the valuable assistance rendered me by Dr. Barkhausen, the President of the Evangelical Church Council for the Jerusalem Expedition, this gentleman being chiefly responsible for the entire arrangements.
