The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-05-06
BEL. AIR. MD FRIDAY MORNING. MAY g. 1864

sentiment, at least, OF preference to Turk
over Christian, or rather, over Catholic
Christian.
But Mahometanism is truly degrading
to humanity. 1t has but one God, to be
sure, and is hostile to idolatry, but it is
full of rank and wicked supersitions; il
scarcely or obviously allows to woman an
immortal soul. Mahomct once told an
old woman who was tormenting him for
O good place in the better world, that old
women were not allowed to enter Para
disc, whereupon the applicant so beset
him with lamentations and entreates, that
he explained by saying that in the other
world, the old will all be made young
again. In fact, the followers of the pro.
phet are taught that numerous beauties,
the hours, are awaiting them in the re-
gions Of the blessed; and these bouris
seem to be less remarkable for virtue than
for beauty.
In fact woman lives life of degrade
dation among the Turks, being a slave on
earth, and dying as if her destiny were
confined to her mortal existence. Her
husband buys another wife, if he has not
already superiority, and shuts her up in
the same prison, and under the same keep
ers, as those of her predecessor.
When her lord dies, he goes to heaven
and the hours. "The Moslen of the eli.
ties,' says the author whom we have quo
ted, "when his last hour is come, turns
himself 10 the direction of Mecca, and
dies with as much resignation, as if he
did it on purpose; then his family raise
cries of lamentation, such as ooh, my
camel " oh, my lion" oh, my only
one! These CALCULATIONS become more
striking as they proceed: oh, my buff
falo ! does not sound pathetic, though it
means simply that the dead was their sup
port and ooh, my jackass = sounds am-
biguous, until the addition of 'bearer of
my burdens turns it to eloquence The
wailing women and the grave men now ar
rive ; and laid upon bier, he is carried,
all cofiuless, to his last resting place, and
laid literally on the shelf, in the vault
of his family"
When hereaches his destination in the 9th.
er world, his reward is heavenly harem
of three hundred houris all perfect in love-
illness. "What chance has his poor wife
of being wanted under such circumstan-
ces 1T is supposed she has heaven of
her own in some place or other, but as to
her substitute for hours the Koran is dis.
creetly silent. In Paradise is to be found
every luxury of every appetite, with every
concomitant, except safety and iudiges-
tion,"
Some liberal Christians have been found
to eulogize the Koran "1t is the fash
ion of the Illuminated minds of the pres
ent day to find out wonders of eloeuence,
and novelty, and meaning, in what that
dull race Of men, our forefathers, found
tritc, bombastic and obscure. The Koran
is now eulogized by Europeans, in terms
that might make a Moslem jealous; yet
am free to confess that having labored
through its incoherent rhapsodes' from
the chapter of the Cow to that of Men,
can only marvel at the power of credu-
lous fanaticism that could ever have dis
titled faith or even meaning out of
its fantastic pages"
Something of the same spirit that al
ways gives an implied preference to Ma
hometan over Catholic civilization in the
days of their active conflicts, would still
make of the Koran rival of, if not a
preferred book to, the Bible. Mahome-
tanism, however, is of the world, or its
long standing ally "the gates of hell"
and those Christians who become its
champions, only prove their own partici-
patton in the unholy alliance.
1t is little matter Of wonder that the
Crusaders in the Ages of Faith (eryoydarh
ages y wished to thrust out such u mons
frosty as Mahometanism from the Holy
Places it polluted with its presence, as it
encircled thnm with its pow,r