Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-08-03
From the New York Evening Post.

who are the Drusess
They are principally a sect of Mohamme-
dams, existing only in Syria. Their name is
derived from Darazi or Dursi who as early as
1919 came as missionary to them from an
offshoot of the Moslem stock. Singularly
enough the Druses disavow any belief in the
peculiar doctrines of the man whose name
they bear, and do not hesitate to call him
hereto, and to look upon the title of "Druse"
as a stigma. They themselves trace their ori-
gin as a religious sect to Hamsa wandering
fanatic who, in 1920 persuaded Hakem, a
Caliph of Egypt to declare himself 4 NANTES
tation of God. Although the Caph was soon
assassinated, Hamsa continued to propagate
his theory in Syria, and with one of his fol.
lowers, Moktana Bohr-eddin, wrote a sacred
book embodying its teachings. According to
his intention, only the Druse priesthood were
to see this volume, and no revelation was to be
made until the second advent of Hakem, who
was to appear on the earth again with his
master Hamsa, this being, probably, an idea
suggested by Christian dogmas. This secrecy
about the sacred writings Of Hamsa was not,
however observed, and copies Of the works
are now in great libraries in Paris, Vienna,
the Vatican, Leyden and the Bodleian Libra
~, at Oxford. 1t has been translated into
French, from which it appears that the characr
teristic dogma of the sect is the unity of Gods
being Indeed, the Druses call themselves
Unitarians. They maintain that God is in
comprehensive, memorable, pure, the essence
of true life, and can be known to his accept
ed children through human manifestations on
ly. Ten times has the Deity thus appeared
IN Africa and Asia, the last manifestation hay
ing been that in the person of Hakem in
Egypt Hakem left the care of the faithful to
five principal ministers, who are to direct them
till his return. Chief of these ministers is
Hamsa, who enjoys the high title of "Univer
sal Intelligence" And here is inserted in the
Druses taith-to give it the popular name-a
doctrine as much like that held by Christians
that it can be no mere coincidence, but rather
proves the initiative powers Of the founders of
The Druse theology. They declare the first
Torn Of the Deity was a spirit OF Intelligence,
which was first incarnated in Hamsa,. who is
the same as the Christ of the Aran theory.
To Hamsa was confded the creation OF the
world, and from him comes all wisdom and
truth, while through him only does the Lord
communicate with the human family. This
is simply the corrupted version OF the great
Christian doctrines Of incarnation and medi.
alton. There is a complicated system of
priesthood maintained by the Druses, who,
like the followers of Mohammed, embody in
their religion many of the traditions and per-
sonages OF the Old Testament. There is Il
Satan, or lsmail, as he is called, who first in.
troduced sin into the world.
In regard to free will the Druse theology
maintains that the length Of every mans life
is toreordained, but not his individual acts
They believe in the TRANSPORTATION Of souls,
and say that the soul OF lsmai was once in
John the Baptist, and still earlier in Elijah
I'LL - = H., Il L
Jesus. Yet while acknowledging that Jesus
once existed, they do not think that he was i'll
any way divine, as the individual soul which
lived i'll him and i'll many others did not re-
ceive divine power till it reached the body of
Hamsa The DruseS do not extend their
transmlgratlon doctrines so far as to allow that
human souls ever exist in the forms of ami
mails. They think the souls of men go on, in
habiting different bodies with the exception
of very few, whose excellence permits them
to exert pure spirit-uutil the resurrection
day, when the faithful will be resolved for
eternity into spiritual beings, but by tar the
greater portion of mankind will be annihi.
lated
If the Druses lived up to the seven COM
mandmens in which they express their moral
laws, they would not BIZ SO dreaded and so
cruel people, Tor murder, theft, cOvetousuess
and cruelty are prohibited as special crimes
and chastity, honesty, meekness and mercy
are regarded as high virtues--so high untor-
1unately, that the present Druse generation
cannot reach them. The men have but one
wife each, the form Of government is patri-
archal different tribes having a sheik, and ag.
riculture is carefully attended to. No mar.
riages are contracted outside of the sect, and
the Druses adhere tenaciously to their relig.
iOus traditions. All the male population is
trained from youth 70 serve in war, and the
Druses have more than once revolted against
the Turkish government which holds nominal
sway over them. Yet, of late years, they
have been regarded as a peaceful and quiet
people, and were disabusing their neighbors of
the traditional opinions as to their ferocity
ami cruelty, until the great Christian mass;l-
Ger OF this summer proves that their unenvl.
able notOriety was not without Just tounda-
ton.
With so many features in their own approx
imating to the Christian religion, it appears
somewhat strange that the Druses should man.
&'sst such fiendish barbarity as they have re.
Gently done. But to them, strong menOtheists
as they are, the doctrines of polythsis are
peculiarly repulsive. In the ceremonies of
the Greek and Roman churches they perceive
what they think to be a worship OF more than
one god they do not comprehend the rela.
tons OF the three persons in the trinity, and
of the material symbols held in such venera-
ton in those churches. The Protestants of
Syria, whose religion does not present these
features, would probably share better, if the
Druses understood more about them but the
Protestants, as well as the Greeks and Catho-
lies, all come under the general head of Chris.
tlans, ana as such fall beneath the indiscrimi.
mating fury of these fanatics.
1t does not appear, however, that the Druses
are the only tribes engaged in the nassacres.
Arab Mussulmans are equally guilty. The
principal cause OF the present troubles most
probably arises from the old feuds which FIR
centuries have been waged between the Drus-
es and the Maronites The latter people are
native Christians, followers of monk calIod
Maron, who lived in the sixth century. In
1915 they effected a union with the church Of
Rome, from which they have never widely
differed, though their spiritual head is called
the Patriarch Of Antioch, instead OF Bishop.
1t is no new thing for the Druses to make war
against the Marontes, and the attacks renew
ed upon these native Christians were but the
commencement OF general movement to ex.
tilpate all Christians in Syria. Already 9th.
ers besides the Marontes have been involved
in the terrible effects of this fanatcism, and
unless it is soon stopped the aim Of the muir
Iorore xril hn npItinvnd