The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-12-10
Saracenic Culture.

When we look upon the comparative
blank in the page of history caused by
the dark ages of Europe, we Instructive
" ask, where has civilization with all
its attendant splendors, found 4 home.
Another page answers us in its re1ela-
tions of the glory Of the Saraccns under
the Caliphs Of Bagdad, Cairo and Spain.
Here we have a civilization of q truly
Oriental type. 1t is very much like
those beautiful flowers which, alas,
lack the fragrance of the more modest
violet. It is characterized by a want of
strength. This lack of vigor was due
to the character of the people. Indeed,
civilization is only q reflection of the
character Of people. 1t is in this
light that we ought to study this type,
differing 50 much from that to which
we arc accustomed in the West.
The Arabs were free, hardy, and
generous. They were naturally pas
sionate and tickle, though capable OF
great energy. This energy was due
less to any innate force than to the ell
thusiasm Of passion and adventure
They were essentially sensuous. as is
shown by their ready acceptance of the
brilliant promises Of Mahomct. Under
his leadership they became impetuous
warriors, and entered upon their career
of conquest. Soon came q lull in this
war-storm. followed by that civil dis
scnsion which finally resulted in the es-
tablishment of the Caliphates of Bag
dad, Cairo and Cordov;l. Each Of these
places became u centre Of liberal cul-
turc, around which clustered the wise
men Of the age.
Until the close of their civil wars,
the Saracens had confined their learn
ing to the Koran, but now they began
to awake from their mental sleep and
manifest drowsy interest in literature
and science. AS they became more
vcrscd in these, they were more tolerant
of others.
At Baodad the Augustan age Of litera-
ture was in the ninth century of the
eca, during the reign of Almamun,
who first called the muses. from their
classic retreat in the shades Of Parnas-
sus, to the luxurious city Of pcace.
We can readily divide the learning
Of the Saracens into the four classes of
philosophy, mathematics, astronomy
and physic. The ancient Greek sages
were studied, but only through the i'm
perfect medium Of translations. Such
was the pride Of one C;.liph, in the
Arabic tongue, that he ordered the
originals to be destroyed. This is at
tested by the fact of our finding in the
Arabic version what is lost in the origi-
nal text. The writings of Aristotle,
Plato, Euclid, Appollonius. Ptolemy,
Hippocr;,tes and Galen, were familiar
to the Saracens, who adopted the
philosophy Of Plato.
The mathematics, being Of snch n
nature that they cannot recede, were
returned to the Europeans in iii i'm
proved condition.
In astronomy they met with greater
success. The Caliphs furnished the
most costly Instruments; the plains of
Chald:ea. with their clear atmosphere,
an excellent observatory. The mathe-
maticians, first on the plains of Sinaar,
and then on those of Cufas, measured
4 degree of the great circle Of the earth
and determined its circumference at
twenty-four thousand miles. There,
without the aid of optical instruments,
those ancient astronomers continued to
behold the stars and mark the courses
of the planets. They did not reject the
theory Of Ptolenly, although correcting
some Of its minute errors; but they did
degrade sublime science to the base
uses Of astrology.
In the science of medicine the Sara
Gems deserve the greatest credit for their
skill and progress. The basis of their
theory was Anatomy, Botany and
Chemistry-identical with that of the
present day. Their knowledge of anat-
omy WIS limited, since superstition pre-
vented them from dissecting the human
body. Thus they were acquainted with