New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-30
THE FALSE PROPHET.
A LECTURE BY GENERAL STONE.
IMPORTANCE OF THE MOVEMENT OF FL MAiiDl-
GoRpON's APPOINTMENT.

CbcLerino Hall on the False Prophet Of the Soudan III
Mahd on the platform were Eugene Kelly Judge Da'S'
Joseph W. Drexel. V. Mumford Pinchot' Parko nou-
win Richard Butler and others connected with the bar
tbodi statue There was large map of Africa stretched
in the rear which had been lent by the Geographca Do
ciety The audience was not numerous Inc eVt"'.
appeared puncualy I'm evening dress with the Oruer
the Mcdidieh OF the sc0nd class sparkling with damoS
upon bis shirt front. He heartily weicomed ny ms
audience after his introduction by Parke Goodwin ana 'a
in substance:
tits probable that ten years ago Mohammed Ahmed
the moor and unknown Fiki KOTanreader far up on
the White Nile little dreamed that within that Time us
name and deeds would he heard OF ana discussed III
every mart of the civilized world Even 1ad MS ahpitoh
tempted him at that time to play the part OF the hahu
his udgmentwoud have told him to abstan for then the
soudan was firmly held by hand OF steel though goved
,n lvot-that Of the Kbedye Ismal. And Mohammed
Ahmed must have well OF the fate OF another
sOudan Fk who shortly before assumed the ute III the
region OF Taxa. That poor creature proDaDiy nan III
sane declared himself the Observation-Disclosures Mahd anu
quickly had considerable following who firmly DeneVeu
his declarations that he and his were nvuneraDle ana
had only to undertake conquest and dominion TO OBTAIN
them He and his horde. when sufficiently numerous 70
begin operations advanced upon the principal town III
his district creating CONSERVATION among the super
sions natives. But the waclliu energy WHICH 'heH
ruled Egypt and its dependencies sent at the beginning
of his movement regiment Of three battaons with
to the eluded multitude that cannon shot and musket
halls PRODUCED sensible effects their masses ana the
Door pretender was deserted more rapidly than he was
Joined Everybody IN Isam who heard OF the matter
denounced him, OF course, rs n base pretender
Mohammed Ahmed proclaimed himself under more
favorable circumstances The watchIul ana eheIseuc
Jsmai had been driven from Egypt by the two great
Pc yers representing his bondhoders and there regned
instead his son Mohammed Tewfk who not only had NOT
the experience and power Of his father but whose hands
were held by England whenever he desired 10 ACT Vg
onsy to maintain his great provinces Of the Interior the
rarrson of the Souan had been weakened To the lowest
point possible a measure OF economy European j."
ercntion in everything concerning the internal affairs
Of Ecvpt had created great uneaSineSs among he ha'
Mahometan population, and had excited ahauciSh al"
hostility among the Arab tribes Everything III 1ac con
c1rred to favor the appearance of strong man appeal
| ing to Arabian Islamic sentiments, ana MoHihHle'
Aimed left his in the island OF Aho ana made DIS
! appeal
| THE LEGEND WHICH PROFITS AHMED IL MAIIDI,
Before going further In order to get full appreciation
OF the vast importance Of this movement let lis get an
idea Of what is meant by this appearance OF III Mahd
sitting one day in my Office in the war Department III
Cairo a confidential secretary Of the Prime Minister
ur, cdv entered and asked the part of the Min
lister where the Island OF Aho was, informing me Ihat
news had come by telegraph that rebellion had broken
t there and man wa, calling himself the Mahdi. As
military measures became AT once necessary utalIcu 10
know what was meant by the WOro and now IL Woud
aiert the religious feelings of the troops After consult
| ing u translation of the Koran without IealhhE lh
meaning, | had recourse To- an lhtGlscil i
well vcrsed in slamic traditions From nm learned
that there nothing to be found IA the Koran ISs3
ing this parsonage hut that tradition mmhiihcu va,
during the last days Of this world an ARAB aloe opHe'
viii rise up who viii conquer first al the country DC
cuped by the Arabs, then all Asia Minor ana men te
rest of TIE world; that once IN possession OF m p9wSt
for that Jesus Christ would then appear on earth near
IerI.e,u and call mp from their graves the great al
one such salute the ancient with the lsamc i
| aud autif,, md
5alutat0n. AlcicEOum Saaan,' ana JON MS IoIGt,i
that with ts nyincl6e army oGnn hat cy nnd
there proclaim the truth OF the slanic doctrine WIN
mem and aI Christians who refused to accept the truth
w0nd he destroyed and sent TO hell In those days lions
cae bears and sheep shall live together In peace ana
! n child playing with sorpcntS shall he uuhurt
When Mohanmcd Ahmed proclaimed himself Mahdi,
hea of MIN believed that he thing more than
vulgar impoStor-nor for two years aiiGWau Hu ho T
The world outside Of the Soudan. Had he been promptly
Ircor m urctcuslon was, the world outside OF tie SOU
dan would never have heard Of him But whcn III last
Yus,uf paca sent against him WIN force Ihat
would al first have been ample be and bis troops were
suddenly overwhelmed The result WaS-moIr lrc.lSe
or Mohammed Ahmed, widespread Know 81 III.
cyscucc aud prccnSions in Islam, and the beginning OF
% doubt the part ot Mussn1lu troops Whelher ~ ~
of Allah Aud tho troubles at Cairo prevent ci MS heinz
dealt with thoroughly The sOudan far OF, and while
duomatists wrctlc'l in Cairo aud Alexandria FL Mahh
steadily extended the area of his Influence occasionally
orders were lrcm the Government against NM but
before they could he put in practice Then came the
oen rcheliion of Arab Pacha from April lss2, 10
Orohcr OF that year. either in Europe or III Egypt
wasted a thought upon him.
THE GROWTH OF THE ARABIAN CRUSADE.
Then came rude awakening. While Lower Egypt
had been couvulscd by bombarnent and battle the
soudan had been the scene Of many attempts on the
mart of the to suppress the pretending
Ell Mahda resulting in disaster in the loss of several
thousand Egyptian soldiers and the conquest by the
pletender, OF SEMINAR ana the southern lol non oI t
ie NJ fhe BararI0s and by their aid he bc,icgcd
III Obed the capital of kordoan, and cut 1t on from gu
communication with KhaItoum, the capital OF all the
Souian His following had become 10000 lighting men;
and in FL Obed only 1000 men, The khedlIe ana
his Ministers were fuy awe TO the hece.5iy oi PIonp
and vigorous action But the trouble IN the SOudan cut
of much of the revenue while the b0ndhOldero expected
greediy their semi annual interest ana the British GOV
eminent itself was quietly pressing IOr tne money tees
saTy pay the expenses OF thclf army o. 9ocuP"on.
many grave t ~ sIr ct them something and
they would relax the strings for second oy
would have tho uttermOst fartlng OF the public debt
they would carry the sinking fund measure ~ II
there was danger in the Soudan, ana they actually
proposed that force should De organizer LOT t' uc
slrction OF the Mahd without permitting the Esy plah
Government 10 increase the army budget one cent Inc
Khedlve called upon his Chlet OF Stan IN American
officer, organize such force and take command 81 H.
and AT the same time offered to Isnail Ayoub Pacla
formerly General OF the SOudan the position
nj civil Governor General The American Chief of SiaG
accepted the task and estimated th4t i9lce Oh oOo
funds II the British had been willing, the revenues OF
/
mi thcy were unwilling. The Chief OF stan was IN
fouucd that so large force could not be furnished aud
he could only that with less he could not undertake.
fhe work So tile brave hut unfortunate Hicks Wa' sent
with 10 900 men, sent forward slowly In attachments
me winter season was lost and the preender forced the
surrender of FL Obcd with Its garrison arms stores u'
treasure and this brought to him 2OOOOO nFhuhS men
before tbc next rainy arrived, permitting HICKS 10
! advance The most unfortunate result Ol That ADVANCE
i, known to all who hear me, and the additional iicsSc
! and mower gained by MOlamncd Ahmed have made ll,
name noted throughout the world wherever MussuIhias
| live, or newspapers are puDllshcd ,. $500.
buNe al an ed
| company of rcinorcemcnts has been sent 70 tHO~e
brave officers who still maintain discipline IN tho hHnV
of The KhcdiVe. For after the crushing dccat OIL
Hicks, IL not too late to recover tue SOudnn khai
toum held out, and holds out On the front me ia the
of Tie whole gnrI,Ons hAve mAmlIlmlu