THE NEW JERUSALEM.
A AwDsomE volume, entitled Jerusalem, 1918-1920, and edited by Mr. C. R. Ashbee (Murray, 42s. net), gives an account of the work done by the Pro-Jerusalem Society which, in the spring of 1918, was, as Colonel Storm expresses it, " the Military Governor civically and aesthetically in Council," and which now- includes representatives of all races and religions who are deeply interested in the welfare of the city and its inhabitants. Mr. Ash- bee was appointed Civio Adviser to the society in 1918 and under his supervision a good deal has been done, with scanty funds, to arrest the destruction caused by centuries of Turkish neglect. It is especially noteworthy, in view of the aspersions made by Moslem agitators on• British good faith, that one of the first things done by the society was to call attention to the decayed state of the Dome of the Rock or Mosque of Omar, the most sacred Moslem building in Jerusalem, and to advance money for its repair under the direction of Mr. Ernest Richmond. The Grand Mufti, in an appeal to Islam, gratefully acknowledged the help of Colonel Storrs and of Mr. Richmond, who " no sooner arrived than he set to work at once, tucking up his shirt- sleeves of aetivity." If the Turks had remained masters of Jerusalem, the famous tiled dome would presumably have gone on decaying until it collapsed. The Pro-Jerusalem Society have cleared away modern excrescences from part of the old ramparts. It is intended to remove the hideous clock-tower which was set up at the Jaffa Gate to commemorate the German Emperor's visit. The society's aims are most laudable, and this account of its work by Mr. Ashbee, Professor L. H. Vincent, and other scholars is highly interesting. The photographs and plans arc numerous and excellent.
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