Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-05-27
" ss;.i Ac Gsig gs.e Arabs.

The Industrious Arabs revived those
arts which the barballans OF Europe
seemed anxious TO forget. They woye
the richest fabrics OF wool, cotton OF
silk: Ties manufactured cloth Of gold
and carpets OF unequaled splenaor
their diyans were covered with satin
cushions and velvet haagingS, and
muslin and lace OF ta;ry-like texture
adorned the Moslem bride In metal:
the Arabs were also eNccllen; work
men. They forged huge chains and
bars Of iron; the steel OF Damascus was
renowned in the cities OF Europe
Their iewelry was the iairest and cost
hest OF the age they layished gold and
silver i'll decorating their mosques and
palaces, and their mints produced 4
coinage that was the model of the Eu-
ropean world. As architects they IN
vented a strangely graceful style Of
building, III which the fancy OF the
artist seemed 70 reyel in new creations.
and OF which the lovely RUNS of the
Aham5ra form a living example; in
their private houses they gathered the
richest marbles. the costlest mosaics,
fountains OF dancing waters and gar
dens Of perpetual beauty.
'phe Arab workman was usually
temperate, almost to austerity. Mo-
hamned had enforced the doctrine OF
total abstinence with rigor unsur-
passed by the most austcre OF modern
retormerS lie denounced temporal and
eternal woes against the Mnssulnaaa
who should touch the accused VINE.
He had himsoltset an example OF per-
feet abstinence, and ii their purer age
his followers obeyed the precopt Of
their prophet. It was only i'll the de-
cline Of the nation that the Moham-
mcdans learned to initiate the drunk
enness and license Of the Europeans.
Temperate in their dict, frugal in their
mode OF life, the Arabs possessed
sound intellects in sound bodies; they
soon began TO display an intellectual
yigor that raised them TO the front Of
civilization. They eagerly sought for
knowledge amid the ruins of Grec:an
literature, and the poets ani phiioso-
piers OF Athens aai Rome were trans
lated tor the benefit OF the students OF
Bagdad and Cordoya The colleges
and schools of the Arab cities were
thronged with attentive scholars when
the great mobiles OF France and Lug
land could neither read nor write; they
produced eminent poets and graceful
writers, while Europe had ncithera
literature nor language; their Ii
brarics Numbered thousands OF vol
umcS when Oxford possessed only q
few imperfect manuscripts chained 10
the walls; and thcpoorest merchant OF
Bagdad lived with more comfort and
was TAI better informed than the proud
knight who came at the head Of his
barbarous s9uadrons to die on the
burning plains Of Syria in an inetfact-
ual crusade Common schools and
colleges, indeed, seem to have origi-
mated with the Arabs. The calipAs
were as ardent friends OF popular ela
cation rs a Brougham or 4 Barnard.
Haroun al Naschid decreed that a tree
school should be attached to every
mosque; the Spanish caliphs founded
colleges at Cordova and Seville that
became the models Of those OF France
and England, The Saracenlc working
men were accomplished artists, and
the general education of the people
aided the progress Of manufactures
and arts. Illarper's Magazine for
May.