New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-07-19
The Druses of Mount Lebanon-Thetr Re
cent Attacks the Christians.


Until now it has been almost impossible to tell
certainly what the Drlses really were, either in
their origin or their belief Mosheim classifies
them with the semi-C Christian sects, who hold the
doctrines of the Manicheans, that there are two
eternal principles, one Of Good, and the other OF
Evil, at war with each other, and equally power
full. They have, however, always been esteemed
as branch of the Maronites, who, in the seventh
century, sprung from the MonotheIites, under John
Marc, their first Patriarch. They were externally
connected with the Maronites until lS4l, and were
considered as a sort of degenerate Unitarians.
They themselves claimed to be descended from
those Franks who, in the eleventh century, waged
war against Mohammed, and who, with their de-
scendants, are known to have retired to Mount
Lebanus, or Lebanon, in considerable numbers.
1t is also known that in the twelfth century, "a ID.
1882 the Maronites conformed to the Romish
church, and this may naturally have been attribut-
ed to the influence of the Druses.
Closer investigations, however, show that while,
for political reasons, the Druses may have identi
fed themselves with the Maronites, and have con-
cealed their faith, and while the Roman Catholics
may have offered them their protection hoping
have been, a set of Persian Mohammedans, sprung
from the followers of Hakem, a false Mohammedan
prophet, who was born at Cairo, A. ID. 9s5, began
to reign in Egypt 1886, and was assassinated 1929.
| His character and commands to his followers to-
| gether with their oath of allegiance to him. were
| published by DeLacy and a full account of them
in Jowetts Christian Researchesin in Syria. At first
it would seem that their hatred to the rest Of the
sort of taeit alliance with the Crusaders both be
ing perseeated together and driven up in tht
mountains of Lesaans-
! But the initiated have always kept up a seere
organization and faith of their own, studiously con
i cealed from the unnitated even oil their Town body
They acknowledge seven law -givers, Adam, Noah
i Abraham, Jesus Mahomet and Jaid, who Is, per
4 haps. in their view, the same as Hakem. who is il
point of fact the embodiment OF the Deity, frs
| appearing about four hundred years after Mahomet
| They openly profess a sort of Unitarianism, hu
have secretly many points of belief and practice
known only to the initiated. These initiated one
are as excessively rigid as to their creed rs the
initiated are lax and accommodating. They liv
temporarily on food peculiar TO themselves
marry only in their order, and never take al
oath but confirm their declarations with the word
q / have said it, The Imam of the Druses is thei
ecclesiastical head, and is regarded with profound
yeneraton by all classes, initiated and unintated
Malte Brun estimates their number at 100000, bu
the missionaries say they do not number oye
10000.
At this moment they have suddenly attacked
the Christian villages with great fury, and destroyed
sixty or seventy of them The American flag seem
to prove the best protection. That the Turkis
able and the only conjecture is as to the cause
Not improbably it is the result of some Russia
and perhaps French intrigue, q thing of very cas-,
and common occurrence, for the sake Of demons
trating to the world the insecurity of the Christian
under the Turkish rule, and as plausible preteX
for taking possession Of the sick mans effects.
is asserted that the French consul at Beirut ha
} declared this to be the end Of Turkish rule owe
4 che Christians and il is to be observed that Rus
sian frigate of thirty guns happened to come alen
the coast just at the time of this outbreak. A
that seems certain is that ma tiers cannot well b
worse than they are. But England will not lk
French or Russian extension in Syria:
IPhil Ledger