The Nevada Democrat. [volume] (Nevada, Calif.) 1854-1863, 1860-08-29

Whs are enc Drusssr ~
The Druses whose recent insurfeotiou against
The Christians 10 Turkey has excited such gen.
eral indignation throughout Europe, number
some 100000, and 10000 Of them are aceus-
toned &c she uee Of arms. In The district where
the recent atrocities we're committed they out
number the Christians, and they are asaisted Ia
their bloody work BY the Turcomans aud other
warlIke Mohammedans. They occupy country
Of l165 square miles In the mountains Libanus
aud Anti Libanua Al The end Of the sixteenth
century, says the Encyclopedia Americana, this
people began 10 excite attention 10 Europe.
particularly on account Of their religion, con-
cerning which they maintain the utmost secrecy.
The sacred books Of the Drusess which were
concealed In the earth, contsiu doctrines which
prove the selfish policy Of their authors, end
are disgrace 10 humanity. The layman who
should accidentally become acquainted with tho
contents OF these books Was punished with
death. The doctrines of the Druses are mig
ture Of those Of the Saddusees. the Samaritans
aud the Mohammedans. The Druses were for.
meriy governed BY many Shciks or Lords. but
one BY the name OF Ihrshim consrived 20 make
himself master Of the whole nation, and thereby
became formidable TO the Turks. In the be-
ginning Of the seventeenth century, under the
renowned Emir Fakreddiu, the Druses reaehed
the summit Of their power but this leader was,
In 1881, strangled % Constantinople; and al-
though other princes were placed over them,
they never recovered their former reputation.
They are now governed by Emirs, who are
subject 20 Grand Emir. Their religion d.
vides the the people into wise men (akalcs) and
secular persons (VabeD. They have no public
worship, but attend Christian and Mohan9edan
Churches; they have, nevertheless, some SYM
bOls aud persons devoted 10 religious worship.
The following from the Philadelphia Ledger.
Of July II, will be read with interest,
"Until now Il has been almost impossible 10
tell certainly what the Druses really were, eth
er In their origin or their belief Nos
helm classines them with semi Christian sects
who hold the doctrine Of ;he Manicheans, that
there are two eternal principles, enc Of good
and the other Of evil, ct war with each other,
aud equally powerful They have, however,
always been esteemed branch OF the Maron.
ties, who, Ia the seventh century sprung from
the Monothelites, under John Marc, their first
Patriarch. They we're externally connected
with the Maronites until 1914, and were con-
sidered as sort OF degenerate UnitarianA
They themselves claimed to be descended frsm
those Franks who, in the eleventh century,
waged war against Mohammed, and who, with
their descendants, are known to have retired
TO Mount Lebanus, or Lebanon, In considerable
numbers II Is also known that In the twelfth
century, a. D. lls2,) the Moranltes eonformed
TO the Remish Church, and this may naturally
have been attributed to the influence Of The
Drusee.
Closer Investigations, hswovsr, show that
while, for political reasons, the Druses map
have identified themselves with the Marouitss,
aud have concealed their faith. and while the
Roman Catholics may have offered them their
profession, hoplng thus 10 gain them over, they
are, In fact, aud ever have been, sect Of Per.
sian Mohammedans, sprung from the followers
Of Hakem, . false Hohamedsn prophet, who
was born at Cairo, A. D. 965. began 10 reign In
Egypt 996, and was assassnAted 1890 His
character and commands to his followers, 10.
gether with their oath Of allegiance to him,
were published by De Lacy, aud full account
OF them in Jewit's Christian Researches In
| Syria. At 6rst Il would seem that their hatred
TO the rest OF the Mohammedans was so strong
as 10 drive them into sort Of taeit alllanse
with the Crusaders, both being prosecuted ts-
goiher and driven up In the mountains Of Leb-
anus. Bus the initiated have always kept up
secret organization and faith Of their own,
studiousIy ooncealng from the uninitiated even
OF their own body. They acknowledge seven
lawgivers, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jesus, Mo-
BANNED and Jaid, who 10, perhaps, 10 their
fact. ihe embodiment Of the Deity, Hrst appear
ing absut four hundred years after Mohammed.
They openly profess sort Of Unitarianisu1, bat
have secretly many points Of belief and prac.
tice known only 10 the initiated. These inisia-
ted snes are excessively rigid as to their creed
as the uninitsted are lax and accommodating.
They live temperately on o food peculiar TO
themselves, marry only In their own order, aud
never take au oath, but confirm their dsclara-
tions with the words, "I have said IT," The
Imau Of the Druses 10 their ecclesiastical head,
and is regarded with profound veneration By
all classes, initiated and uninilated. Malta
Brun estimates their number at one hundred
and twenty thousand, but The missionaries say
they do not number over seventy thousand"