Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-08-04
'7:4l GAZETTE.
WIlo ARE TIE DRuSES?
T1-2DAy MORNING, AUGUST !, 1860.


fax da3s ago, hardly culled up any distinct
idea OF race or !ocaiitv, have suddenly been
Invested with tragic interest, ana one leelS
p curiosity about their history. Obscure as
thew have been heretofore. the DruSes OF
Nornt Lebanon have earned IN ndellble
record though it will be written III bIood' III
,ha history Of the nineteenth century. Burnt
arG oenonulated towns. de>olated he'ds' o:c",
ads and gardens and heaps on hu'chefeo
men women and children. marx 'le!r ue-
.;rurtiya nath around the foot OF Mount Her
mon and down the lovely slopes and quiet
Tcles of Lebanon.
me Druqes have not borne hitherto Il par
-icpiarly bad character among nnclvllized
aces. Gibbon calls them IA free and war
ike people, the Drusrs of Mounr Lebanon,
nc DISPATCHES, in few words, the iittie
ha, ia i.noyn or deserves 10 be known
ehoul them The traveller Clarke, speaks ct
,a3i.'onenness. sincerity. and engaging man
ners" Another account represents them a
.ariaently tolerant, living on good terms
With both Christians and Mohammedans.
ride end barbarous they undoubtedly have
1t,n bet the incredible teroclty recent
j. displayeA has not been thought, hereto
.0.,. t. be Q feature of their character. 10
course universal InaXmS among SavaSeS, cs-
lecially those who inhabit Wild and noun
ciIors rprions. Eut the DruSes. IN THIS re
ap.ct, lave COMPARED tayorabiY with the
ili>c and predatory koordS, who i've III the
rarp.s of mountains farther East. on thecon-
AS Of Turker and Persia, though still with
IT. ,he limits Of the Turkish empire. One OF
inc Huordish chiefs frankly admitted 10 DR.
|renv, chat 50bbillJ md$ HcfF Ir"0r, that
tn,I followed i, with murder TO prevent de-
.4c:iou where their victim was OF sufficient
cons,uu ance to be feared, and even when ne
-2as too poor and weak 10 be an object OF
,'.,aad, Mty all not ht him Of ~'th""t Tco"7-
qirq so true it is, that cruelty becomes IN
.3prtita : demoni;.c delight in the Suilerings
,;{ other. 3ut the DruscS have not been
.honght 10 carry on their punderng proieS-
sol with unnecessary cruelty y fact which
lends strong confirmation TO the general he
lie: expressed by the European journals.
mat the turks were ut the bottom OF tins
bloody business in Syria. The unpararallel-
2d ferocitv Which distinguishes it is in fact,
!atner Turkish than pruse characteris-
,ic.
he origin of the bruises is yelled in mystic
~. Some writer's give them Il descent which
pc Itales of the romantic \ French gentle
man, It is SAID, Of the noble family of Dreux,
lea regiment under the command of God
iray of 3ouilon, in the crusade Of the elev-
arth century. Pressed hard by the Sara
ceus or one occasion, and separated from the
general army, he Withdrew into the deep
passes of Mount Engaddi, near Bethlehem,
where he fortified himself against the enc
inv. The subsequent reyer>cS OF the Chris
of SnR ~ / ,ynr "
Saracen power. and made his separation
..:o1. the European force perpetual. He
made GOOD his defence however, against the
he Suracans, and finally. withdrawing more
Gcaply into those inaccessible mountain ran
gas he settled colony there which, by
Corru ption Of the name Dreux, were III later
times called Druscs.
Others say that these Druses are the same
rs the DayazeS or Dasazes, described by the
historian Elmalin Doe horrible crcum
s;.nce OF indemnity at least exists between the
,,yo .aces. ! is The incredible incests which
Their coGe allows. Parents and children,
brothers and sisters, iutermarry among the
C:nses without the slightest compunctlon.-
Their precar:ous auG brief connections hard
~ deoe-ye, however, to be called marriages.
The Druses divorce their wives as often as
caprice may dictate.
CGners suppose them to be of Arabic orr
Gin, and heretica ottshoot from the Mo
namHedan system in the tenth century
Cih0oa describes them rs Il sect OF Moham-
.qeGans seperatists. who followed a crazy
snG blasphemocs fanatic by the name of lla-
KEN. almost equally an enemy Of Christians
e16 Moslams, in the eleventh century. Ger
.cin it is. SAYS NOlney, that they have IL cou-
Ill .n,t L., hnl3
aieG They do not practice circumcision,
prc3e9s, fast3, O: festivals, rs enIoned by the
Xorsn They drink wine eat pork, and prac-
ice ali kiEts Of denominations in the eyes OF
st.ict Musselmen. The confuSed medley pre-
saatei by th1if language, rites aud traditions,
nes 3affled and hewildered the most sagacouS
ma learned historians, who have made them
the object OF antiquarian research.
These savage mountainecra scarcely nnm~
pe: 900. While there are in Syria 80
0OJ -laronites and Christians of the Romish
Church, AMI $4,000 of the Greek Church
L-mong these coo, 900 Christians, the DruSeS
IRE raveniug end destroying like wolves III
hocl. OF sheep. TO such an extent, have the
Christian population ct Turkey been dispir-
led and demorahzed by long and cruel OPP
preston. Verify the yoke of Turkey is IAN
,iu1e hat the yoke was broken-high time
at least that the indignant humanity of
Chris.entom should demand that it be no
longer boand on the necks of our Christian
Dc>the-3 tr Christian hands
the Drrsec themselves, will Of course, be
i1penetra6le 10 Christian and ciyilzing in
tluences, so long as the Turkish power re-
=hGin2 rnbroker. That empire is now like a
e Il Il
crumbGng walls aud subterranean passages
,,re lit only to he the haunt of robbers. That
Gu.opeGA power which shall boldly demoli>h
it anC open the space Al least for the cree
ton Of e new structure more in keeping with
he advanced humanity and civilization of
tie nineteenth century. will have the appro-
bGton and the thanks Of Christendom. ".
y. Commercial.
J-LaIAGi H FOWLE SON,
No. /. SrM lIhayrF>.