The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-04-09
FL MAfiDis
How He Looks aud Arts-His Fame {
SANITY Man.

Imagine a man about 40 years of
age. OF medium height. as lean-as the
saving is-as shotten herring, with 4
mahogany complexion. coal-black
beard and eyes. and three vertical
slasues ON his pallid cheeks; add 10
this long cotton shirt as a garment.
Il narrow turban aS 4 head-dress. pair
of wooden sandals, and in the hands
dry As those OF mummy string of
ninety beads, corresponding 10 an
equal number of divine attributes. and
you have the Mahdi. Those who have
seen him say that Mohammed-Ahmed
plays to perfection the part of vision
ary dervish, waving his head when
walking and murmuring constant pray
ers, his eyes fixed on Heaven. His
father was carpenter on Naft Island.
in the Nubian Province of DongOla,
and about 1852 came, with his four
children, to Chindi, 4 small city on the
banks of the Nile, south of Berber.
When still very young he was placed
as an apprentice under the care of one
of his uncles, shipbuilder of Chaba-
kah, opposite SEMINAR. 1t seems that
the future prophet was not without his
failings, for one day his uncle thought
well of fiogging him in a regular
French style. The proceeding was not
appreciated, and the child ran away
until he arrived at Khartoum, where he
entered sort of school or convent of
begging dervishes who were in charge
OF the monument erected over the ven
Grated remains of Cheick Hoghall, pat
ron of the city. There his life was
remarkable one for piety. As to edu-
cation, he was never taught how to
write or even how to read tluentlv.
Later he went to a similar institution
in Berber, then to one in Aradup, ON
the south of Kena- In the latter city
he became in 1870 the favOrite disciple
of an eminent fakir, Cheick Nur-el-
Daim, and finally was ordained by him
and went to Abbas Island, White Nile.
His fame as sanity man was every
year on the increase. lie lived in i
kind of pit or subterranean repository
for grain, called silo, which he had dug
up with his own hands; and there he
passed his life, fasting and praying,
burning incense day and night, and re-
peating the name of Allah for hours at
time, until he would fail to the
ground painting and exhausted. If
anybody spoke to him he gave back no
sacred books of Islam. Earthly things
seemed to inspire him with disgust and
pity. He had made VOW to absorb
himself in the contemplation of divine
perfections and to weep all his life for
the sins of mankind. But his tears did
not destroy his power of vision, and he
kept his best eye wide open to business,
and, the faithful coming by thousands
Oh "A, IL
mouth of his silo, he never failed to
see the gifts nor to stow them away
carefully for stormy days. In 1878 he
had become so wealthy that he felt the
necessity to declare that Allah had
ordered him to leave his silo and to
take unto himself 4 large collection of
wives, whom, as truly practical mau.
he chose among the most influential
families of the country, especially that
of the Bagaras, the most opulent slave
traders Oh the White Nile.
Every one has still fresh in his mem
ory the appalling determination OF
Hicks Pasht's l, IGu men. surrounded
the 5th of November. lSS:; the irst
day of the fourteenth century OF the
Hegirai-at kushgii. while marching
on FL Obeid. This horrible butchery,
HdppeuluP On TIC ltEtsIlOiu Vi the cen
tury announced as the one of the last
prophet, gave bloody conservation TO
Mohammed-Ahm who. after the
three days battle, went all over the
battlefield, piercing with his spear the
CHASTITY corpses of his enemies. ami ex-
claiming: lit is |. |, the prophet. who
DESTROYED the heritics.' Compared to
him. Mohammed WAS no more, in his
mind, than u small prophet. He alone
was the only great and powerful Mes
siah announced by Mohammed himself
The Sultan OF Constantinople WIS no
more the supreme Caliph, the Chief OF
Islamlsm: it was he. Mohammed-Ah-
med, and he ordered hi' own name to
be invoked in pubic worship in the
place OF Mohammcd's right after the
name of Allah.-Dr. 4. AZ. cote, in
the Catholic H0rld.