ANCIENT ARCH IN JERUSALEM.
"We visited the Muristan, or site of the Hospital of the Knights of St. John, who were also known as the Order of the Hospitallers. There is not a great deal to see here, as the buildings are mostly in a state of decay, and some of the ground is covered with rubbish accumulated from the ruins. It is said that a monastery was formed here by the Emperor Charlemagne; afterward some rich merchants established a church and monastery on the spot, and later on the Hospitallers erected a convent where pilgrims were received and cared for. Perhaps you would like to know something about the Knights of St. John. We'll tell you what we've read and heard about them:
"The order was founded in the eleventh century, and established on the spot we have just visited. There were two hospitals or convents, one for men and one for women; but in the course of time the convent for women was removed to another part of the city, and the ground became the exclusive possession of the 'Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem.' That was their official name, and under it they built hospitals or convents for pilgrims to the Holy Land in most of the seaport cities of Europe and along the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean.
"They not only took care of the pilgrims, but they joined in wars against the infidels, and fought on many battle-fields. A great number of noblemen from all parts of Europe joined the order, and they had a regular constitution and a long list of laws, which all were bound to obey. They had a military organization, and did a great deal of fighting, but were finally conquered and expelled from Jerusalem; then they went to the Island of Rhodes, where they lived about two hundred years, and were known as the Knights of Rhodes. They were besieged twice by the Turks, and were finally compelled to leave that island and go to Malta, where they built a strong fortress, and were known as the Knights of Malta. The organization practically came to an end in 1798, when Napoleon captured Malta and sent away the Grand-master. Since that time there have been several attempts to revive the order, but none have amounted to anything.
ARMS OF JERUSALEM.
"The costume of the knights was a black dress, with a white cross on the left breast, and you often see the insignia in jewellery and other ornaments under the name of the 'Cross of Malta.' Since their time the cross has been applied to the Crusaders' 'Arms of Jerusalem,' in which there is the Maltese cross with the crowns of the three wise men and the star of Bethlehem below, while there are two branches of the palm-tree and the word 'Jerusalem' above. These crosses are for sale here, and not unfrequently the pilgrims have the 'Arms of Jerusalem' tattooed on their wrists, to prove that they have been in the Holy Land.