Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-09-06
nlisrelIaneons.
DEVIL woRsHIPPERs.

more formidable than the Yezids Of Mesopota-
mia, the worshippers of the Meiek Taous, or
Brazen Peacock peaceful, and, of late much
persecuted sect of Mohammedans, whose name
seems to be the only diabolical thing about them.
Their sufferings arose from a matter Of consci-
entiousness against citizenship, and began in
this wise 49,.
In eighteen hundred and forty-seyen, the Ye-
zidis were, for the FIRST time, iuciuded in the
Turkish military CONSUMPTION. Until then, they
had never been made nizam, or disciplined SOL
diers, on the ground of their peculiar observ-
ances. For instance, the Yezid is forbidden by
his ecclesiastical laws to wear blue; and blue
makes part of the Turkish uniform. The Ye-
zid is polluted if he bathes witha Mussulman,
andahe Turkish soldiers are obliged to bathe
weekly, in body Many articles of food serv-
ed out to the Turkish army are unlawful to the
Yezid: and various other differences preserved
them from military service, until, in eighteen
hundred and forty-seven, they and other out
lying sects, were placed on an equality of hard
ship with the orthodox. The Yezidis resisted
being forced into the army. The virtue that
lay in long white shirts buttoned to the throat,
in white cloaks, white trousers, and black tur-
bans ; the sin of blue shirts and open throats,
and the terrible Fez cap were Of far greater
consequence than obedience to authority or
the sharing of national burdens. The poor dev
il worshippers remained true to their faith, if
rebelious to their sovereign; but the Turkish
recruiting officers carried Of or slew the unfor-
tunate zealots, with whose zeal they did not
sympathise. In the midst of the oppression
and tyranny that fell upon them-men and wo-
men tortured, young girls carried off to the
Moslem harems, and children sold into bondage
-Cawal Yusuf, the head of their preachers,
was chosen with others, as deputation to Con-
stantinople; and, chiefly through the British
ambassadors intercesson, procured q irman,
which secured the uninterrupted enjoyment Of
all Yezid religious peculiarities, Whatsoever
Cawal Yusuf and his party rode back to their
mou ntain home with these glad tidngs passing
through country, SO beautiful that it might
have been the ancient Eden, till they came to
the Yezid village of Hamki, where the preacher
was received as a saint from the dead. Men,
women, and children pressed round him, kissing
his hands and face with tears of joy, and all
blessing and praising him--rnan of God that he
was among them!
This simple-hearted, gentle Judging Cawal
Yusuf was very different kind of man to
Sheikh Jindi, their peeshamaz, or prayer header
an Eastern John Knox-a tall. grave, and
stern man, never seen to smile--to whom, in
deed, a Jest would have been profanity, and
laughter sinful. His eyes burnt like fire from
beneath his bushy eyebrows, and his face,
brown in tint, was stcrnly regular in outline
In all manner and appearance he was the very
man most fitted to be the prayer-leader to sect
of devil worshippers, had that sect been wha,
the name implies-defant of good, instead o.
timidly propitious of evil. Yet the Yezidis Low
ed this man for they are exceedingly affection
ate to their chiefs and teachers, and Cawal Yu
suf and Sheikh Jindi were both almost sacret
to them. How afectionate they are, the fol
lowing anecdote will show. In q foray made
by Keritli Oglis Mohammed Pasha against then
he seized, as he believed, Sheikh Nasr, the Ye
cid high-priest. But Nasr escaped, and hi
second in spiritual command took his place
the substitution undiscovered by the Turks
This brave fellow bore patiently his torture
! and Imprisonment and was at length bough
off by Mr.. Bassam, who advanced considera
Bile sum of money, which the inhabitants of
certain district were to refund out of the pro
duce of their fields. Not many English congre
a cations. would so mulct themselves, and no
9 many bishops chaplains would sacrifice thci
own life and liberty to the release or salvation
of their clerical superiors. Yet the Moham
I medans hold the Yezids as worse than all othe
N infdels, because they are not I" masters of
n book, as the Jews, Christians, Hindoos, an
even the Chinese. Their oaths are disbelievet
, for, without Book, who can have a right ide
"a of truth! And, as the " extingushers of light,
they are said to hold midnight orgies Of unpal
alleled excess. Yet we have seen that, eve
without that religious necessity, the poor Yezi
= knows a little of morality, and self-sacrifit
~ nevertheless.
l. In this journey homeward, Cawal Yusuf wa
70 joined by our enterprising countrynen, M
i Layard who seems TO have been received wit
10 equal honors to the preacher himself. Anon
so other marks Of attention, they wished him
stand godfather to child born the night of h
r. arrival in tie harem of the young chief, Ha
% sein Bey Mr.. Layard not quite relishng tt
s, notion of being godfather to a devil-worshi
30 ping baby, compromised the matter, and ga
him his name without standing sponsor for
J; creed, This young Hassein Bey-one of II
F. handsomest youths to be seen in long sun
" mers days very ideal Of an Eastern chic
y in his way as fascinating as Sathem the Bedoui
I'd His mother had preserved him among the mou
te tains, after the slaughter of his father by Il
er Hoords. He. Hassoin Bey, or the chief, an
st the priests, never shave or marry out of the
is own order,
ir By the way, a Yezidi marriage Is no trar
ID matter at least, for the unhappy bride, VIII
ne half smothered beneath thick veil that envt
opes her from head to foot, is kept behind da
curtain for three long mortal days. In t
courtyard below, IRE dancers, story-tellel
al musicians, men playing at theiF games, wem