The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-05-25

sleep at the time. Ihc slave presumlnG
, on bis masters generosity, gave him s
bag of 1000 pieces Of gold. Mustapha
on awaking was angry with his slave and
reproached him with giving SO little, say
ing that he would have rewarded him
more literally, As the stranger ap-
preached the abode of Al-Hassen, the old
chief, who was smitten with blindness,
was starting on pilgrimage, leaning on
two slaves. On applying to him for re-
lief, the old chieftain said that he had no
other property but his two slaves, and
these he gave most freely. The palm Of
generosity was given to Al-Hassen. As a
proof Of spirit, will cite an instance
Hassem, while slave, accidentally spill
led plate Of soup upon his master, while
at dinner. Frightened and fearing pun
ishmcnt he exclaimed, MAY those who
forgive live in paradise His master
answered, II forgive you" The slave
continued, "May those who are magnan-
imous dwell in Paradise" His master
replied, ~ am magnanimous, and as a
proof give you this bag of 1000 pieces
Of gold, and release you forever from the
bonds of slavery
. The spirit Of hospitality remains in the
cities even at the present time, at least
in form. The merchant tells you, his
horse, carriage, house, and everything, in
short, are yours. Politeness requires
you to accept. You can tell him to take
charge Of 1t until you need it. Such is
the spirit Of hospitality among the Arabs.
/ Though fierce and reyengeful to the
last degree, they are not cruel and blood
thirsty. Their feuds arc chiefly from
blood-revenge, and their Unsuitable desire
for plumber. In fact, they may be cal
led wars on a small scale, and we believe
that war sanctions the right Of pillagc.-
The crimes Of theft is rare among the
Arabs. But in some few tribes, thievinc
is allowed under Spartan restrictions.-
That is, if the thief escapes undetected,
he IS considcaed a clever fellow, but if
caught, he suffers the disgrace. There
are two faults prominent among them
which would seem to have little palliation.
These are, lying and cheating. Unless
an Arab is your bosom friend, he will
leave no stone unturned to cheat you to
the best Of lis ability. Should you prove
the sharper Of the two in the bargain and
outwit him in his plots, nothing can ex-
ceed bis respect for you. If he succeed
in lis cheating, you sink in his estima-
ton to the lowest degree. When caught
them at their tricks, they would own it
up with smile, thinking it to be a good
Joke. One should understand their lang
uago in order to make just allowance for
this habit.
The language is characterized by pc
culiarities found iu 10 other tongue. The
great verbal nicely Of its construction, re-
sombling the finest MOSAIC work, and
theprofuseness Of grammatical elegencies,
constitute the charm Of poetry which is
felt, even By the unlettered Arabs The
recitation Of their literary works throws
him into ecstacies, the result of his dur
ing and aliuent imagination. The lang
uage is to almost sealed book, although
some valuable transIations have been
made into tue German.
Art is rare among them. Mahomet
forbade his followers to make an image
Of any living thing on penalty of giving
it soul at the day Of judgment. Their
architecture Is original, and can furnish
as glorious types as the schools Of Greece
or Rome.
4AC ~AidO - SA y~LSttCLOA2' -AtL OSNdA :
rencos out of the natural order Of things,
he ascribcs to the genii. If a traveller
loiters on the desert, they think a genii
drives him on and whispers in his ear,
till he is lost and pcrishes. The same
kind of an idea was held respecting an
echo, until I explained it to them. They
said, o Frank what you say is true,
but it is strange we did not know it be-
fore.
Their devotion and subjection to the
will Of God, is matter of vital interest
to them. Among the Turks there is less
Of tolerance than among the Arabs
They are far below the latter in point Of
morality; in pride Of character, and in
the principle of honor. The most sub
missive patience characterizes the race
Outward grief, in case Of afliction, is a
sign OF rebellion. You generally see a