The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-13
How His Religion Arose and Spread
in the Orient.
AN ACTIVE PROPAGANDA TO-DAY.
The Moslem Faith Reclainling
the Negro.
CHRISTIANITY'S RIVAL in AFRICA.

The Harpers have just published remarkable
and very interesting volume entitled "Mobammed
and Mohammedanismn whica both from re-
lgious ana literary point OF view. cannot fail to
attract general attention. IL consists OF three
lectures delivered at the Royal Institution OF
Great Britain by II. Bosworth Smith, Assistant
Master IN Harrow School and late Fellow OF
Trinity College, oxford, with an appendix con-
tanning Emanuel Deutschs article on '1slam.n
Although Mohammedanism, or Islam, numbers at
this day probably 150 O0o 900 OF sincere and devout
believers, and has it's grip on three continents
extending from Morocco to the Malay peninsula,
from Zanzibar to the Kirghis horde-there is
among CHRISTIAN nations an astonishing amount
ignorance respecting its founder its doctrines,
ana the character OF its influence upon
the peoples who have been brought
under Its sway. distinguished German
writer declares that although Islam has
been described in many books, yet educated peo-
pie have not got much turtner in the knowledge
Off than that the Turks are Mohammedans and
allow polygamy. In general sort of way Mo-
BANNED s cassed as an impostor, who taught
false religion, spurious Kind of Christianity NO
worse, perhaps, out certainly no better, than any
OF the heather systems which Christianity is
destined TO root out ana destroy.
II is the purpose OF this work to enlgnten poru-
lar opinion in regard to islam and It's greal
attention OF the CHRISTIAN world. Unlike the
heather systems OF India and other Eastern lands,
1t possesses a progressive vitality and pushes for
ward its peaceful conquests, no longer sword In
hand with zeal and success rivalled only by the
missionary enterprises OF the Church OF Rome.
WHAT it grasps iG holds fast. IL stil holds
The cradles OF the jewish and OF the
Christian faith, and the spots most
dear to both--Mount Sinai and the cave OF Mac
pelah, the Church OF the Nativity and the Church
OF the Holy Sepulchre. Africa, which had yielded
so early to Christianity Yielded still more readily
10 Monammed; and from the Strait OF Gibraltar TO
the Isthmus OF Suez may still be heard the cry,
"God is great; there is no god out God, and Mo-
BANNED IS His prophet" Nor 10 the frequent as
serllon true that Islam has gained nothing since
the dying out OF the early name o. religious enthu-
kiasm, tanned as 1t often was by the lust OF con-
quest. In the extreme East Islam has since then
won and maintained for centuries moral supre-
macy in the important Chinese province OF Yum
Nan, and has thus actually succeeded In thrusting
q wedge between the two great Buddhist empires
OF Burmah and OF China. Within our own men,
DRY, alter fifteen years. war, under the leader
ship OF Ta-Wen-Sn-one OF those half military,
half religious genIuses which Islam seems always
capable OF producing-it wrested from the CeIes-
ual Empire territorial supremacy In the
years ago an embassy OF intelligent tolerant,
and progressive Mussulmans from Yun-Nan APP
peared In England, ana endeavored to interest
the people OF that country IN the welfare OF the
province. Unfortunately, the interests Of English
trade were not sufficiently bound up with the ex-
istence OF the "Panthays, as they arc called and
Enee trade, as Professor Smith remarks, Ii 'phe
only gospel which most Engiishmsn care now TO
preach the embassy was Obliged to retrace Its
steps without any prospect OF moral or other sop
port. Meanwhile the Mussulmans hat been over
powered by fearful odds, their capital had fallen,
and men. women and children, to the number T
some thirty thousand, had been mastered bI the
victors. But though the Mohammedan temporal
sovereignty In the province OF Yun-Nan was thus
destroyed, hohammedani itself mas not been
extingulshed In the Celestial Empire. Within the
last eight years, says Professor smith, "that vast
tract OF country called Western Chinese Tartary,
or Eastern Iurkestan has thrown or the yoke OF
China, and has added another to the
list OF Mussulman kingdoms. Knotan and Yarkand
and Kashgar are united under the vigorous rule OF
the AialiK Gnazee, YaEoob Beg. Whatever may
be mia private character, the abolition OF the slave
trade throughout mis- domnions, his rigid admins
tration OF justice his readiness TO establish com.
mcrcial relations with India, and the respect
saown for Christianity even by the Meccan Pill
"
what Recommendation may yet have in store Tor
IL in Central Asia under the influence OF a master
mind and with the modi1 atoms that are possible
or necessary TO It. throughout the Chinese EN-
pre-, at Karachar, for instance, there are scat
tered Mussuman communities who have higher
hops than Buddhism or Conuclanism, and purer
NOR llty than TaoIsm can supply. The Panthays
themselves. it Is believed, sun number million
and half; and the unity OF God aud tue mission OF
God's prophet are attested day by day by a con-
tlnuous line OF worshippers from the Atlantic to
the Pacific ocean,"
From the time it was expelled rom western
Europe, Islam began extending Its conquests to
the Of Asia. IL established itself In the Malay
Peninsula and sumatra in the fourteenth and in
Java and Celepes in the fifteenth century. The
Arab missionaries were only just in time, for they
Anticipated by only a few years the advent OF
crasping Portuguese and ambitious Spanards.
Among races so low in the scale OF humanity az
are most OF the indian islanders Islam was not
able to DO what a Old originally Tor the Arabs or
for the turkish hordes; but even for them IL has
doue something. 10 expelled HIndoosm from
some islands and n very corrupt Buddhism from
otherp. IL was propagated by missionaries Who
cared very much for the souls they could win ana
nothing for the plumber they could carry on. They
eonctllated the natives, learned their languages
ana lntermarried with them; and in the
larger Islands their success was rapid and
almost complete. The Philippines and the
hoIuccas did not become Mohammedan,
Tor they had to surrender at once their liberties
ana their religion when conquered by spain and
Portugal. But here the progress made by Chris.
tianliy has been SLOW and Insignificant by compar-
ison with that OF Islam. The religion known to
the natives chiefly through the unbIushlug ra-
pacIty or the Portuguese and the terrible cruelties
Of the Dutch has not EXTENDED itself beyond the
reach OF their swords. Here, as elsewhere in the
East, the most fatal hindrance 10 the spread Of
Christianity has heen the lives OF Christians.
in Africa, the scene or some OF It's earliest con-
quests Islam Is spreading Itself year BY year with
giant strides. In the vast tracts where british
feataeulsm still reigns, the Mohammedan mis-
Rlonarics meet with a marked success which ~
dnnien aIiLn a lAafhnilc nnd prnteafanf We