WALL AT SOUTH-EAST CORNER OF THE TEMPLE AREA.
"From the buildings above-ground we went to the excavations and subterranean passages beneath. There was formerly some dispute as to the exact position of Solomon's Temple, owing to the difficulty of making explorations; but within the last twenty years many discoveries have been made, and the work of laying out the exact position of the Temple is still going on. The American and English societies engaged in it are entirely harmonious, and every year they are throwing new light on subjects of great importance to students of the Bible. They have spent large amounts of money in excavations among the substructions of the Temple, and settled many points of dispute. Anybody who wishes the details of what has been accomplished is referred to the book of Captain Warren on 'The Recovery of Jerusalem,' and to the reports of the Palestine Exploration Society.
"Provided with candles and torches, we went among the substructions that were made to level the ground and prepare it for the building of the Temple. The arches and pillars would be no discredit to a modern architect, and in some places we saw large blocks that must have required powerful machinery for their transportation. These underground vaults have not all been opened, and their full extent is not yet known. During the time of the Crusaders these vaults were used as stables, and the holes where the halters of the horses were fastened may be seen to-day. In some places there are roots of trees that have run a long distance underground in search of water. The trees are evidently of great age, but we could hardly accept the statement of the guide that they were as old as the Temple itself.
"We returned to the open air after half an hour beneath the Temple, and found that our eyes were dazzled by the sudden flood of light. We looked over the walls into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and stood almost holding our breath as we saw the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Tomb of Absalom, and other objects whose names were familiar to us all. Below us was the bed of the brook Kedron, but dry and dusty as though no brook had ever flowed there. In winter, and after heavy rains, it is full of water; but ordinarily there is only a slender thread, and it disappears altogether in time of drought.
WAILING-PLACE OF THE JEWS.
"When we were through with our visit to the site of the Temple we went to the Wailing-place of the Jews, which is supposed to be part of the wall of the original Temple. It is a very solid wall of large stones, and has been a sacred spot with the Jews for many hundreds of years. They come here from all parts of the earth to weep over the downfall of their race, and the destruction of the Holy Temple. On Fridays they are seen in greatest number; but at almost any time there are several of them standing there with their faces against the wall, reading or reciting their prayers in a low, wailing tone.
"We had hoped to see many of them there but were disappointed, as our visit was not on a Friday. There were six or eight in all, and they did not look up when we entered the narrow court on which the wall fronts. They were all, to judge from their dress, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and not, as often happens, pilgrims from distant lands. One of the gentlemen connected with the Palestine Exploration Fund told us that he had seen two or three hundred Jews at the Wailing-place on a single occasion, and that they came from all the countries of Europe. In some places the stones have been worn smooth by the kisses of devout lips, and there is no doubt that the majority of those who come here to mourn are earnest in the expression of their grief.
'Oh, weep for those who wept by Babel's stream,
Whose shrines are desolate, whose land a dream!
Weep for the harp of Judah's broken spell—
Mourn—where their God hath dwelt the godless dwell?'