301. What is the “Via Dolorosa”?
The Via Dolorosa (the way of pain) is a name given, since the Christian era, to the road at Jerusalem leading from the Mount of Olives to Golgotha, which Jesus passed over on his way to the place of crucifixion. Upon this road are situated many of the objects consecrated by Christian traditions,—the house where the Virgin Mary was born, the church erected upon the spot where she fell, when she beheld Jesus sink under the weight of the cross, the house of St. Veronica, upon whose veil, employed to wipe away his blood and sweat, the image of his face was miraculously impressed. The road, which is about a mile in length, terminates at the Gate of Judgment.
302. Which is the “Turpentine State”?
North Carolina, which produces and exports immense quantities of turpentine.
303. Who is “Black Jack”?
Gen. John Alexander Logan has been so called from his long, black hair and dark complexion.
304. What was the “Black Hole of Calcutta”?
This name is commonly given to a certain small and close dungeon in Fort William, Calcutta, the scene of one of the most tragic events in the history of British India. On the capture of Calcutta, by Surajah Dowlah, June 20, 1756, the British garrison, consisting of one hundred and forty-six men, being made prisoners, were locked up at night in this room, only eighteen feet square, and poorly ventilated, never having been intended to hold more than two or three prisoners at a time. In the morning, of the one hundred and forty-six who were imprisoned, only twenty-three were found alive. In the “Annual Register” for 1758 is a narrative of the sufferings of those imprisoned, written by Mr. Holwell, one of the number. The “Black Hole” is now used as a warehouse.
305. How did Stonewall Jackson receive his sobriquet?
This famous appellation of Thomas Jonathan Jackson (1824–1863) had its origin in an expression used by the Confederate Gen. Bee, on trying to rally his men at the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861,—There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. From that day he was known as Stonewall Jackson, and his command as the Stonewall Brigade.