The Dan bury Reporter.
VOLUME XXXIII
THE AMERICAN COLONY
IN JERUSALEM.
A. M. STACK IN CHRISTIAN HERALD.
Just without the walls of Jeru
salem, a few hundred yards north
of the Damascus gate, lives the
"American Colony." Their name,
is no index as to who they are or
what they are. All of them are by
no means Americans. Vet those i
who are of other countries speak
our tongue and are proud of our i
name.
Some twenty odd years ago, a i
small band of Christians, desiring
a more congenial atmosphere in
which to live and worship God,
crossed the Atlantic and.the Med
iterranean, and settled in the city
of Jerusalem. In this society are i
to be found natives of Canada, |
England, Scotland, Germany, Nor
way, Sweden, Denmark, India,
Jioumauia, and Palestine. >rig-j
inally, the members of the colouy j
were all Americans, but their pe- j
culiar social and religious life has ;
attracted to them other people of
stuiilar beliefs.
in the colony are people who at
one time were either Methodists,
Baptists, Presbyterians, Episco
palians, Lutherans, Dunkarda,
Greeks, Chiistians, or Jews. But
all have surrendered their former
denominational tenets, aud have
united on tho principles and prac
tice of Christian Socialism. They
have one uniform rule of social
ami religious life —"Love God
with all thy heart, and thy neigh
bor as thyself." That embraces
their entire creed.
The colony is composed of about
150 people—men, women and
children- and they live us one
great family. They occupy two
largo stone buildings, together
with some smaller ones near by,
situated a short distance from the
"Tombs of tho Kings." The main
buildings ore of Oriental style,
with interior court. And there,
amid the sacred scenes that sur
round the Holy City, they live a
lifo more perfectly ideal than any
thing over dreamed of in the phil
osophy of Plato, They essay to
load a life, modeled after the teach
ings of the Master. Their relig
iuus belief is basad upon the
Saviour's answer to the lawyers
question : "What is the great
commandment in the law ?
(Matt. 22:35-39). In the simplest
way possible, they sook to fulful
in their lives the two groat com
mandments, upon which wo are
told hang all the law and the
prophets. In these two command
ments alone, they claim, is omlnxl
ied tho essence of all pure re
ligion. Their faith is simple and
its application direct. They are
not missionaries as we understand
the term. They preach in deeds
and not in words; and tho life of
everyone is intended to be an
argument for Christianity. Their
policy is to influence others by
example, rather than by precept,
aud, considering the people among
whom they live, they aro not far
wrong. Most of tho uotivos ore
so steeped in ignorance and prej
udice that miracles would not
convert them.
Almost all tho success attain
able —aud that is indeed small —is
with the children. Acting on this
theory, the American Colony has
a large and well attended school
in Jerusalem. No charge for tu
ition is made. In this way they
reach a large number of the child
ren of the natives and teach them
our language, our methods, our
ideas, and some of the pupils un
consciously imbibe our religion.
Undoubtedly the way to mission
ary success in the Holy Land is
through the schoolroom. Chris
tians must capture a Mussulman
while he is young. To convert
him, we must show him that
Christianity is better than Mj
hummeduuism.
The colony's school buildiug is
within the walls of the city, and a
corps of competent teachers are in
charge. There is also a Kinder
garten in connection with the i
school. Religious worship is held j
on every Sabbath. The colony has j
no regular preachers, and con- ;
ducts services only on its prom-1
ises. Everybody is welcome to i
attend. There is no sermon, but
some one reads a chapter in the
Bible, ami a general discussion
and interchange of ideas will fol-;
low. The worship is rather infor
mal. and the ladies join freely in
tho discussion. They use a Bible '
that is some kind of literal trans
lation, ami the reading has an odd
sound to English ears. Their sing
ing is especially fine, and makes
the services most attractive. In the
Sabbath meetings, their discuss
ion and explanations of the Scrip
tures evince study and research.
They are perfectly familiar with
all the Bible references to the sa
cred places around them. The
colony gives special hoed to the
second great commandment, 'vLove
thy neighbor as thyself.' Its
members believe in the brother
hood of man, and try to live up to
their belief. They fully accept
Christ's definition of a "neighbor''
and endeavor to be a neighbor of
mankind. They odd to "godliness,
brotherly kindness, charity " The
blind beggars that line tho high
ways, and the wretched lepers near
the city have always a friend in
the American Colony. They carry
their doctrine into the home cir
cle, and in their daily life they act
towards each other like real
brothers and sisters. Some are
married and have children, yet the
unmarried members of the society
work just as cheerfully to support
and educate the children as their
parents do. And when parents
die, the children are cared for and
reared as if they were brothors and
sisters indeed.
They own everything in com
mon. They believe in a direct
application of Christ's teachings
to social and business lifo and not
I merely to personal conduct. Each
i member of the colony owns an
j undivided and indivisible share of
I the whole property, and in all that
is earned there is a community of
interest, The baby at its mother's
breast is a full stockholder, and
owns as much as tho hardest work
er in the society. There are va
rious sources from which they ie
ceire money, but all is earned by
labor in some way. They are not
supported by any church, order or
society, but "hoe their own row."
They have a store in the city, and
sell rare coihs, fancy trinkets, and
novelties made of olive wood and
mother-of-pearl. Among other
things, some of them run a livery
business, silversmith, blacksmith
and cabinet shops, while others
are engaged in teaching dentistry,
photography, otc. The women en
gage in dressmaking, fruit canning
and cake baking for the wealthy
ladies of the city. In their social
I economy, every one has a partic
| ular work, and with all of them
I their work seems to be a labor of
j love. There are no drones, no
STOKES ANT> CAROLINA.
) ANBURY, N. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, lflOfi
kings, no queens; oil are equal.
The colony has a treasurer and a
general manager, who looks after
the finances and business affairs,
but this gives bitn no precedence
over the others. The women have
two looms and several wheels, and
make most of the clothing worn
by themselves and the children, as
well as sheets, window-curtains,
carpets, etc. They also have a
knitting machine and knit all the
hosiery, and an experienced tailor
makes most of the outer garments
of the men and boys.
One of the young ladies of the
colony, the daughter of a Chicago
lawyer, is at the head of the
government school for Mohamme
dan girls in .Jerusalem. She is a
beautiful and most accomplished
young lady, and is doing a noble
work among the daughters of the
natives. She relates some amusing
incidents of the schoolroom.
When she first took charge, she
found the girls had been taught
nothing but the Koran. She at
once put them in arithmetic, geog
rapny, etc., whereupon the mother
of one young lady came over next
morning very much out of temper
and objected to her daughter
studying geography, assigning as
a reason that she "did not want
any new religion taught to her
girl."
'ln the matter of rations, it takes
i considerable to feed this big fam
ily. They consume eighty pounds
| of Hour per day and other things
in like proportion. At meals they
ask the blessing in song. AH of
the colony eat in the same dinir..
room, and several large tables are
! necessary to accommodate them.
They are most gracious hosts and
know how to entertain the stran
ger within the gate, They make
, no charge and will accept money
1 only as a gratuity. Of course, no
American wonld enjoy their hos
pitality without making them an
' adequate gift.
While visiting in Jerusalem, I
stopped with the American Colony
through a mistake, being misled
by the name. Yet lam indebted
to that error for one of the most
I agreeable experiences of my life,
j 1 never entered any home whore I
saw more evidence of Christian
love or a more direct application
!of Christianity to every-day life.
But to bo with them and to see
| their principles in practice, our
' prejudices are weakened, if not
I entirely removed. They claim to
ibe the only permanent and com
pletely successful society of tho
kind on earth. They say many
other attempts have been made,
but all have fallen short of suc
cess.
The American Colony is well
known in the Holy Land, and its
members are very popular with
the natives. The popularity is due
in a great measure to the fact that
they do not assail the religion of
tho natives. They do not tell a
Moslem that his religion is wrong
—they show him that Christian
ity is right. The colony has been
good to the natives, and has won
their hearts by many acts of kind
ness. It has carried to the natives
the Gospel in deeds, and not in
words. In their creed, there is no
room for pride, envy, avarice, am
bition, and all the train of evil
emotions that do so much to de
stroy human happiness. In plain
view of the Mount of Olives, with
in a short distance of Gethsemane
and Calvary, and in the midstj of
so many scones made sacred by
the presence of Him who went
about doing good, these simple
people are devoting their lives to
the service of God and the better
ment of their feilowman.
EPHRIAM ANSWERED.
Cousin Pete Gives Bible Proof For
Sunday School.
Gormanton Route 2, Aug. 14.
Ephriain, why are you so short
sighted and ignorant of God's
word, not to know that Sunday
School is a port of God's divine
plan. We find in Mark 12-35 of
Chriwt teaching in the temple.
Aud Luke ti-ti of him entering in
to the synagogue and teaching on
tho Sabbath. Read the 12th chap
ter of Romans and especially the
7th verse where we find that Christ
was a Sabbath teacher, and ho has
left it in the hands of any who
will. Revelations 22-17: to accept
to do his work, then having tal
ents different, wo should do as the
above mentioned chapter says. If
it be teoohing let us teach even on
the Sabbath day. Some will say
the Bible don't say Sunday School.
It matters not to tho reasonable
deep thinking man as to that, for
we know that where teaching is
being carried on is "school" iu our
way of speaking. Some say it
don't mean to the children, but we
find that there wore thousands
followed the' Savior besides wo
men and children, also of Christ
blessing the little ones. Then we
see thnl the children were present
too, the old, middle aged and
young, learning of the only name
under Heaven given among men
whereby that they might bo
saved,
Ephriain, you seem to befalling
in wiM- vtr Southern, pitching
Schoul. Wea£"»o
that there is lots of crime and the
reason why is because the devil is
the prince of this world and is
using every means in his power
to degrade the human race. Se
ducers shall wax worse and worse
until the coming of our Lord.
Then Satan shall be bound a
thousand years and shall deceive
the nations no more until the
thousand years be fulfilled. Eph
riom, will not this Wo the timo that
we have long prayed for when we
pray "Thy kingdom come, thy
will be done in earth as it is in
Heaven." Christ will then reign
supremely in the earth.
Again, I agree that there aro
some, not nine out of ten, that go
to Sunday School for a big time
and they ore generally the child
ren of those parents who take no
interest iu their children, some of
which would rather their children
were on the creek bonks fishing or
in the woods hunting squirrels,
etc., than to be in Sunday School.
Then, can you wouder at Sunday
School not making any better
progress than it does ? Why lay
the crime on Sunday School, why
on all the religious societies you
mentioned, why not lay it on the
devil, the author of crime. Return
oh thou back-sliding one, return.
Amend your ways oud yourdoings
and oliey the voice of the Lord
your God if you have once been a
Sunday School man. Go to Sun
day School, Take your children
with you, study the Bible, rebuild
the altars, get things right and
hel|> to keep them so.
Now, Ephriam, I hope that you
will think more seriously ond come
out and help us get things in
order. There is no use of trying
to down Sunday School, for it is
getting too strong to be shaken,
and God is the author of it and it
is going to stand through all agos.
"Whosoever denieth the son,
the same hath not the father, but,
he that ocknowlodgeth the son
hath the father also, John 2-23. If
we are of Christ we must accept
his ways."
Now, Ephriam, I have given you
Bible-proof for Sunday School, so
please accept it and be of God.
"What I say unto one, I say unto
all, wotch."
COUSIN PETE.
Letter From IN. O. Petree Regarding
The Petition of the Sauratown
and Meadows Citizens.
Danbury. September 7.
Mr.. Editor :
I notice in today's issue of the
Reporter that attention is called
to the action of the Board of
County Commissioners of Stokes
county in regard to a petition tiled
before it on Monday, by citizens
of Sauratown township asking for
tho application of the county's j
part of taxes realized from the
Norfolk & Western Railroad, and
the Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley
Railroad, (now the Atlantic &
Yadkin), in said township, for the
improvent of the public roads in
the same, and as there seems to
some misunderstanding about tho
matter, I beg to say that, as 1 un
derstand it, in the year I^7'.)an act
was passed by the General Assem
bly of North Carolina, authorizing
a vote to be taken in the townships
of Beaver Island, Sauratown,
Meadows, and Yadkin on the ques
tion of voting a subscription to be
the capital stock of the C. F. & Y.
V. railroad, which provided that
if the same was carried, then the
Corporation should issue its cer
tificates of stock to the townships
voting the same, to be held by
said townships for their own use
and benefit, said certificates to be
in an amount equal to that voted
by the township, or townships.
That in pursuance of said Act
an election was ordered and held
aud carried in the townships of
Meadows and Sauratown, which
at that time also embraced the
territory of what is now Meadows,
Sauratown and Danbury town
ships, and that the amount voted
by this territory was übout $13,-
tiISG.OO, That the other two town
ships of Beaver Island and Yad
kin failed to vote any subscription
to said road.
That under another Act of the
General Assembly passed in the
year 1887, Sauratown township
was also authorized to vote on the
question of subscription to the
capital stock of the Roanoke and
Southern Railway, (now the Nor
folk and Western,) and that it did
vote under said Act 810,000.00, to
the capital stock of said rood, and
that the Act provided also for the
issuing of certificates of stock for
the amount voted or subscribed
for the use and benefit of said
township, and 1 am informed that
the certificates of stock were issued
and are now owned by these town
ships for the amounts voted by
them.
That tho General Assembly at
the sessions of 1893 and 1895, after
said railroads were built, passed
Acts, (Chap. 148 of the Public
Laws of 1893 and Chap. 1151 of the
Public Laws of 1895,) directing
the Board of Commissioners of
Stokes County to sot apart each
year all the County's part of the
taxes realized from the N. & \Y.
railroad in Sauratown township to
provide for the payment of tho
interest on tho bonded debt of
said township for the subscription
aforesaid, anil nlso to provide a
sinkingjfund for the payment of
tho said bonded debt at maturity,
and that said taxes should bo so
set apart each year until the said
township should bere-imbursed for
all the subscription paid by it to
the capital stock of said road, and
said Acts also provided that the
Board should set apart each year
all the County's part of the taxes
realized from the C. F. & \. \ .
railroad in the townships of Saura
town and Meadows, and expend
NUMBER
the samo exclusively in the terri
tory embraced in Sauratown,
Meadows and Danbnry townships,
for the improvement of the public
roads, building bridges, public
schools, and any other purpose
that the Board might see proper
to do.
That the (J. F. A: V. V. railroad
in the county is valued for the
purposes of revenue ami taxation
at the sum of $20f>,(505.42, and the
X. iV \V. railroad in the County is
value I for the purpose of revenue
and taxation nt the sum of $151,•
970.05.
I do not know exactly how much
of the C. F. & V. V. is in the town
ships of Sauratown and Meadws,
but think it would be safe to say
that, at least half of it is, and that
the valuation of same in these two
townships for taxation, is at least
$10'!,000.00; neither do 1 know ex
actly how much of the N. & W. is
in Sauratown township, but think
there must be at least half, and
that said half for the purposes of
revenue and taxation would be as
much as $75,000.00, and perhaps
a great deal more.
It appears to ine that all the
property in the county, the sub
ject of general taxation, belongs to
the county as a whole for the
purposes of revenue and taxa
tion. in order that the burdens of
Hip !/rno"nl current expenses of
the county, maintaining the poor,
court expenses, etc., should fall
equally on all the property in the
county, and not upon any particu
lar locality. That there was no
contract between the parties vot
ing said subscriptions and the
county, by which said townships
were to be re-imbnrsed for their
subscriptions out of the taxes paid
ou the railroads, or that Sauratown
township should have the coun
ty's part of the taxes from the X.
& W. to pay the debt that it voted,
and we suppose nothing of the
kind was though of at the time
the vote was cast. That said town
ships got everything they voted
for, that is. certificates of stock
for the amount subscribed, the
convenience of the roads to them,
and the enhancement of the value
of their lands on account of same.
In Yadkin township a considera
ble amont of money was raised by
private subscriptions by the citi
zens of the township, to the capi
tal stock of C. F. & V. .. one
man subscribing as much as
$2,000.00.
It will be seen by studying the
Acts aforesaid, that if they were
carried out it would give to the
territory of Sauratown, Meadows
! and Danbnry townships all the
j county's part of the taxes each
year on the C. F. it V. V. on more
than $10.'?000, of property belong
-1 ing to the whole county, instead
jof the taxes on $1 ;{/>>>, the am
ount voted by them, thus giving
! to them the taxes belonging to the
; whole county on about $90,000.00
! worth of property for which they
| never contributed a cent, and to
| give Sauratown township all the
taxes each year on the county's
part of the N. & \V. in said town
ship, would he giving to the ex
clusive use of said township the
taxes on $75,000 or moro of the
property that belongs to the whole
county for the purposes of rev
enue ami taxation, instead of giv
ing it the taxes on SIO,OOO, voted
by it, thus giving it the advantage
of s>s,ooo of property belonging
(Continued on page four.)