The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-05-12
PALESTINE.
FROM BEYROUT TO TYRE.

CHURCH, APRIL so, 1852. ~
How l got the idea ! don't know,
whether from the writings of eastern
travellers or from the old Testament
or whether ] only imagined it, but
somehow did get the impression that
about one-half the time OF Orien-
tai people was spent in situations
making bows, throwing their arms
about each Others necks, kissing and
dropping tears down the back Of
each others coat collars, then retiring
a few PAGES to sit down and look at
each other and then going at it again.
supposed that was the way they in
variably passed each other on the
street, and being DESTROYS to conform
to the customs of the country tried
to prepare myself for it. And l only
hoped that | would have an easy and
pleasant subject to begin on.
You can imagine then to what a
pitch of nervous excitement | was
wrought up, when saw my first Arab
coming down the road and knew l
had got to meet him and salute him.
He was on foot, / was on horseback.
My first thought was to get off my
horse and PROSTATE myself on the
ground at full length, and ! supposed
of course that he would do the same,
and then thought the plan would be
that we should crawl toward each
other on our hands and knees until
we bumped heads together and then
rise up and embrace and weep. But
then it occurred to me that probably
had better wait and watch him and
see what he did and then do the same.
And so / did. He came nearer--a
genuine Arab and no mistake. 1t
was time for him to begin and my
suspense was getting awful, because
he didn't. He came right on, and l
said, "Well, l don't care. 1t don't
make any difference to me. l want
to be polite, but if yOu don't get
down in the dirt first, we'll have to
dispense with the ceremony, that's
all, Pm not at all particular about it."
But he came on. He was right in
front of my horse now, and had my
eye on him-I thought now it's got
to come. l was looking for clean
place on his face 10 get in kiss, when
without raising his head and scarcely
lifting his eyes from the ground, he
said, "Good morning." in plain
English and passed on. was glad
that | had waited. But, of course,
this was not the usual manner of sal
utation. The ordinary manner was
this, bowling with the hand touching
the forehead and the heart. Some
times it would be in this way, touch
ing first the forehead, then the mouth,
then the heart and finally the knee
and the foot and the ground. And
this is said to be the Interpretation OF
it, placing the hand to the brow, 81
honor YOU" to the lips. 81 praise
you;" to the heart, 81 love you y
to the knee, foot and ground, 81 am
your servant"
But, as we might naturally suspect,
it means no more usually than our
own situations, when, for instance,
two persons pass hastily on the street
and say, GLOW do you do?" and
never think of waiting for an answer,
or that absurd custom which compels
a man to address another whom he
has never known or for whom he has
no ELECTION or respect as "My dear
SIR and to subscribe himself "Yours
truly" or "Your obedient servant. 7"
There seems to be necessity for a
certain amount of polite and com.
paratively innocent hypocricy, to act
as a kind of lubricating oil upon the
running gear of society and make il
work easily and harmoniously. There
is something of it even in those who
are most strictly honest and despise
it most, they can't help it. But in
Oriental countries they don't want to
help it, they love it, they practice il
and develope it into the most refined
inconsistencies.
The missionaries will tell you that