The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-10-02


: flowers and bubbling water.
Religion offers them, these men I
hard lives and stern work-as the on
supreme delight of the after world
the luxury of idleness. They are nc
4 even to take the trouble to turn upo
e their beds of roses to eat and drink
! for exquis tie beings, blessed wit
:. perpetual girlhood. will always b
!, at their side to offer them a.
they want before they can even ask TO
. it. The fruit VIII bend down to thei
lips. the fountains of exquisite sherbet
rise to them. They are never TO grow
older than the prime of manhood. and
if they choose, need never, no, never
all through the cycles of Immortality
stir an inch from the spot where an
gelic arms. carrying each from the bat
tlefield. have lain hum down on the per
fumed sward under the tooba tree. Nc
more camels to drive. No more in
fidels to shoot them. Peace and plenty
perpetual youth and sacred laziness.
The birds even. in the boughs, are only
to sing in murmurous fashion. No ear.
splitting clamorous song Will be heard
there. The arboreal choir VII all be
beautiful n'ghtingales, singing through
wells. aS it were, the softest whisper
ings of melody, that shall never be the
same long enough for the listener to
recognize tune twice. The perfumes.
in the same way, will glide impercepti-
bly, from one fragrance to another. and
each in turn will be new and exqu site.
The sherbets will be nectareous blend
ings of all the hydromels, somaS and
meads that poets have devised for hap
py heroes in the Cities of Rest" and
"Elysian Fields" and are to pass by
| subtle demonstrations from rose to
pomegranate, and from c.tron 10 date,
from orange to grape. and SO on
through all the pippins and berries
of paradisaic orchards. favored with
such fruits as saints have worked
miracles with. such as tempted Eve,
such as the champions of Christendom
knew of, as the p.lgr ms found in the
Masters garden. as heroes and god
desses have str.ven for-the apples of
bliss and immortality The hours,
toO-"the dark-e,ed maids aboye"-
even they are not to weary the eve by
monotony. Sixty is the smallest al
lowance. the half-rations. as it were.
OF a common, ordinary sort of true be-
lever. In exceptional cases they are
10 be in number beyond counting, and
at the wish of their possessor they will
change their age, their features and
their voice. 1t Is not enough that they
shall each be perfect in her own way.
Then. to think OF it, superadded to all
this. the perpetual GOODNESS of thick
foliage overhead and gentle breezes,
and. above all, utter and inviolable
laZiness.
1t is no wonder then that the Mahdfs
soldiers, released from the drudgery
OF beasts of burden only to march and
fight in the desperate Soudan, escaped
from the tyranny of petty masters to
fall under the unrelaxing despot SIN of
q fanatic leader. should 60 to their
deaths lightly. They believe, with a
stern faith. every iota of the promises of
future pleasures held out to them. and
on that belief gladly stake the wretch
edness of their life and risk the brief
agony of death on the battlefield. |
Faith. frenzied faith. once welded
firm and fast to some dear falsehood.
hugs it to the last" and those who
were in the Soudan bore. ample testi-
mony to the amazing. bewildering
recklessness and disregard of pain with |
which these soldiers of the Mahdi came
charging on to their fate.
The truth is. they looked beyond the |
British squares at the green groves of |
parads Sc. The glitter Of the grim bayo-
nets before them was as nothing to the |
radiance of the great gates they could |
see opening for them. In front the |
flash of rifles and the low rolling smoke |
of the cannon. dull masses of men in |
gray, and camels in tumultuous mo-
ton. But further off and visible only |
to the eyes Of those on-rushing fanatics |
were the fluttering of robes of green
silk, the simmer of golden ornaments.
Here. close at hand, were the furious
roar of the artillery, the pit less fusA-
lade. the fierce clamor OF men giving
and receiving death; but. above it ali. /
the ears of the true believer. quickened
by his mortal wound, caught the sweet
lift ngs of heavens singing birds, the
of the breeze in the leaves, the
of the fountains of Zem-zem,
the whispered caresses of those hidden
pearls 1.-THE maids"
So they came on in a rush all to-
getner, or IN small parties, or even |
'ingly, to meet the death (Which leads
70 paradise. Out from the bush and
rom behind rocks they came on. one
aga INST a hundred, dancing and shout
ing. What if they fell? 1t was an inf
iers hand that laid them low. Their
ind was achieved. Or, if they reached
he unbeliever's line. and drove their
spears home before they went down
before the bullets. all the greater was
he gan. all the larger was the fullness
If eternal bliss.
The leaders of Islam have ALWAYS
Known how to avail themselves of this
intense confidence in the immediate
of paradise Mohammed
limself never failed to employ it to
he utmost. and his successors, on
many field of victory, have proved
Is potency. The Moslem sees his re-
ward actually within his arms length.
he has only to strike and it is his. If
lie kills-or is killed-he is assured of
he Prophets favor. and if he dies kill
ng he is doubly secure. The lives of
'uch men are, after all. but dull
1