Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-08-03
grou Comfy 8egister.
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hence, and it may be profitable to Civ
an outline of its history. In dom
this, for the sake of greater clearness
we will give an outline of its origin
and founder, and then history of 1t
progress and of it's present status an
prospects.
The student of geography will fint
the peninsula of Arabia situated south
east of Asia, aud separated from AT
RIGA by the Isthmus of SueZ and tn
Red Sea. The country is about eigh
teen hundred miles long, and one hal
as wide.
At a very early period it was settled
by the descendants of Ham, and a
least the Northwestern part is known
to the Bible under the name of Gust o.
Ethiopia.
At later date, different race was
thrown into it. Ishmael, the son o
Abraham, settled there, and his twelve
sons settled from the head of the Per
elan Gulf to the Isthmus of Suez, anC
then extended their settlements east o
the Red Sea.
Arabian writer's, who are very unreli
liable, prelend to give Mohammed's
genealogy in full, tracing him back tt
Ishmael.
Be that as it may, the city of Mecca
situated about latitude q north and
longitude 40 west, was the sacred city
of Arabia, owing to its containing the
Caaba, which was a stone building A
by AZ feet, and one story high. This
building contained in its wall a black
stone, said by Mohammedans to have
been brought from heaven by Gabriel
To the City of Mecca the supersti-
tious Arabs had long been making pill
grimages, SO that the care of the city
and of the Caaba was a position of great
honor and profit, and O subject of fire.
quent strife.
Add Menaf, owing to a favoring prov
the glory of carrying the keys Of
the Caaba. He was of the tribe of
the Korish Add Menaf, lett.the keys to
his son Hashem, and he to his son
Abdr Motallib, and he to his son Abb
dallah, the father of Mohammed. Alb
dallah died young, and left his family
very poor, and Mohammed's grand
father took charge of him, and at his
grandfather's death he passed under
the care of his uncle Abu Taleb, mer-
chant, and Mohammed entered mer-
camille life, not behind counter, but
on the back of camel.
If time permitted we might here in
troduce an interesting chapter concern
ing the overland trade, which almost
disappeared on the discovery of the
mariners compass.
But it must suffice that, as the mer-
chants did q cash business, no accounts
were kept, and reading and writing
were superfluous accomplishments,
with which Mohammed was not en-
numbered.
In one of his trading expeditions he
visited city called by the Arabs Bos-
tia, and in Scripture Bozrah, the capt.
tai of Idumea or Edom. Here he be-
came acquainted with q HISTORIAN
monk called by the Christians Sergius,
and by the Arabs Bohesia, who discov-
cred unusual talent in the boy, formed
strong friendship for him, and aid
cd him greatly in his business.
Mohammed subsequently went into
employment with very rich widow,
and conducted her affairs with such
great mercantile skill and faithfulness,
as to greatly enlarge her already great
estates. She married him when he
was twenty five years of age, she being
we'll up IN life.
About this time, the Caaba being
too small, was rebuilt. The architects
quarrelled about the proper place for
the blackstone, and agreed to leave the
matter to the first man that came
along, who proved to be Mohammed,
and he magnified the incident as an
evidence that he was disappointed of God
to reform the religion of the world.
In his trading expeditions he had re-
peatedly met his friend Sergius, and
the friendship between them had con-
stantly strengthened.
About this time Sergius fell under the
of his associates, who dis
rated him for alleged immortality. A
word of caution may be given here:
The accusations against Sergius must
be received with a great many grains
of allowance. He was the angel of
81, and the whole history
shows that he was commissioned of
God to introduce an agency to punish
a corrupt and depraved church, as Eli
zah was in LIST Kings, 10th chapter, Is
II verses.
There is much greater possibility
that he was a man of zeal for the right,
anG of strong spirit, and so unman-
ageable; and as the right to hold the
office was question of ma