A CAMEL RACE, ONE OF THE EVENTS OF A Y. M. C. A. ATHLETIC MEET ARRANGED FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT OF THE BRITISH TOMMIES WHO CAPTURED JERUSALEM tained a powerful wireless outfit, which, I presume the exponents of German Kultur would explain, was a real aid to the German pilgrims' prayers and meditations. Later, it was claimed that the foundations of the walls were beginning to give way, thus affording an excuse for building great concrete bases to hold them in place. These bases had a strange resemblance to the ordinary German gun emplacements a little more German Kultur! Today, standing at all gates and before all the places sacred to Christianity and Judaism, are British Tommies, protecting them against desecration and spoliation at the hand of war. British Indians, being Mohammedans, guard the Mohammedan sacred places. Since the capture of the city not a single building has been torn down or damaged, and no changes of any kind are permitted without the sanction of the military authorities. Every single stone is being guarded, so that the city may be preserved unmarred by modern hands. Upon his entry, General Allenby at once announced to the inhabitants that they would receive just treatment, that no preference was to be shown, and that the people were to carry on their business as they would in times of peace. LADY ALLENBY GIVING AWAY THE PRIZES AT A Y. M. C. A. ATHLETIC While the Y. M. C. A. has been chiefly instrumental in providing entertainment and diversion for the Twentieth Century Crusaders in the Holy Land, it has also helped the British authorities in solving some of the vital sanitary problems of Jerusalem. It was this organization which secured engine, pump, carts, and wagons for the first sanitary equipment installed in the city. The first British military governor of Jerusalem was the Postmaster-General of Egypt, Borden Pasha; but he had to resign because of illness, and Colonel Ronald Storrs assumed the title and duties of Governor of Jerusalem on December 27. When he arrived he found that the city was on the verge of famine, and immediate action had to be taken to avert it. SAVING THE CITY FROM STARVATION Jerusalem in the past had two main sources of food supply-the first from the sea by Jaffa, which was cut off at the outbreak of the war; the second from the districts east of the Jordan. The latter was interrupted by the Turks when the British captured the city. No supplies were coming in from the surrounding country, as in December the roads are very bad, and because nearly four years of Turkish military occupation had stripped the country of all available food resources. An order was issued requiring the declaration of all grain in the city, for nearly 25,000 people were absolutely destitute and the number was increasing daily. Hundreds of tons of supplies were shipped in and relief work was carefully carried forward under the personal supervision of the Governor and his staff. The Turks on evacuating Jerusalem took special care to deport all persons occupying important civil offices, such as heads of communities, magistrates, chief accountants, the chief of the police, and other prominent citizens. They had closed all schools, disbanded the police force, and destroyed or carried away every important document or register JERUSALEM IS THE MODERN BABEL Fifteen languages ought to be enough for any community, but the last line of this official proclamation, issued in the Holy City after the British occupation, is no joke. There are lots of other tongues spoken in the capital of Palestine in addition to the ones catalogued. These, however, are the principal languages to be heard in the streets and observed on the signboards. connected with the administration. There were no records left; not even title deeds of private property. Private and public institutions had been pillaged. No medical attention was to be had anywhere in the city, but within 24 hours after the British occupation two hospitals were opened for the civilian population. The Governor and his staff personally went to every bakery during the first few days, to see that the women and children got bread and were not crowded away by the men. Nine hundred tons of cereals are now brought to Jerusalem every month, and every precaution is taken to see that the city has sufficient food. The problem of government was far more complicated than appears on the surface, for in Jerusalem more languages are spoken than in any other city in the world—a fact indicated by one of the official notices reproduced on this page. Fortunately, the Military Governor is splendidly fitted for his task, for he knows the Near East, having been during the past few years in the Egyptian Government service. He knows the oriental mind, and realizes how impossible it is to deal with orientals, without knowing something about their religion and their mode of liv ing and thinking. He is able to speak fluently Arabic, French, Italian, Greek, English, German, and Turkish and is now mastering Hebrew. During his services in Egypt, Colonel Storrs became very popular with the Moslems a fact which gave him a good standing in Jerusalem, as the majority of the population in Palestine are Moslem. Since the different religious communities in Jerusalem have been quarreling for years, it was not to be expected that they would lay aside their differences the moment the city was taken over by the British. The Governor laughingly told me that he felt that he was dealing with the population in a just way as long as they all kept complaining. For example, in the morning a deputation of Greek priests would call to protest that the authorities were according special privileges to the Jews or the Moslems; a little later would come a deputation of Latin priests registering a similar complaint against the others; and following them, the Moslem leaders would make their complaints. After these the Jewish rabbis might come to voice their troubles. The Governor put it aptly when he said that if part of the community quit complaining, he had made up his mind it would be time to change his program, as the satisfied citizens were possibly being shown too much consideration. In the large public square in the outer city a British military band gives a concert four times a week. At first the band played only three afternoons a weekThursday, Saturday, and Sunday but the Grand Mufti, the head of the Moslems, complained, saying: "You are playing for the Jews on Saturday and for the Christians on Sunday, but you don't play for the Mohammedans on Friday." — IN JERUSALEM BY THE BRITISH The band now plays on ONE OF THE FOUR-LANGUAGE PROCLAMATIONS POSTED Friday. BRITISH HORSES TETHERED AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES: THE KAISERIN AUGUSTA VICTORIA HOSPICE CROWNS THE HEIGHT (SEE TEXT, PAGE 332) BRITISH OBSERVATION POST IN THE INDIAN HILLS ON THE DAMASCUS ROAD The rapidity with which the British troops completed the conquest of Palestine and Syria during the closing weeks of the world war constituted one of the most brilliant strategic campaigns of history. Much of the success of the great "push" was due to the excellence of the observers both on the ground and in the air. |