The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-10-06
lIOHAMMEDAN SCHOOLS.
a SCENE WHICH is VERY LUDI-
CRoUS TO A EUROPEAN.

How Reading Is Taught the Young Mos
lem--Tonc of the Voice in the East.
Tediousncss of Reading Manuscript Vol
Umcs-!A Trick.
If the stranger in a Moslem country in pass
inS through the streets is attracted by q noise
for which he cannot satisfactorily account
towards the building in which the school is
held, he will, on looking in, probably see a
long and narrow room, at one end of which is
seated a man with long beard SCHOOL
masters retain their boards even when whisk-
cr' only are sanctioned by general usase,,
while the SIDES are lined with little bows of
various ages squatted upon their heels OH the
i""r which is generally covered with thick
mat. III addition to which those parents who
can afford it provide their sons with Il bit of
r;l'l'' or felt i'll Persia, or with Il cushion in
I"r&"y, to place between them and the mat.
som" "i the elder boys go so far as to obtain
" cushion to INTRODUCES between their backs
and tn" wall, but this luxury is rather dis
c"uitenalicc,l 10y the masters as an cncroach-
mcht on their own peculiar dignities. All
the boys have their heads covered, but they
are without their shoes, which arc left near
tue door, So ming sled and 50 similar in shane
and color that it would seem difficult for
each to find his own; but on tho breaking up.
every one seems to slip his feet into his own
shoes without any Of that individual hesta-
ton or general confusion which might be OK
pcctcd.
When the boys are learning their lessons.
or repeating them to their master, they do so
all mt once with u loud voice, and with a con.
imual seesaw Of the body, without which
movement they seem to conceive it impossible
that anything can he learned. The scene
which this affords is extremely ludicrous to
European, particularly us the zeal of the
learner is estimated by tho loudness of his
Voice and the violence of his secsnw: and
hence, when conscious of the approach of n
person whom the master OF pupils wish to
impress with favorable opinion of their
Application and progress the noise i'll the
school room, which may previously have
sunk int" low hum, rises abruptly to the
clainorouS uproar Of many voices. 1t seems
That III reading all at once to the master the
elder boys, in theschool ut large, are expected
I" give some attention to the others near
'hrnl. The master cannot, in such u noise.
distinguish the individual accuracy of each
r'a'i''i ana his attention is, therefore, directed
I" observe that time is as nearly as may he
kept hy the voices, and, i'll some measure, in
the motion, also Of the pupils. This object,
seems hut poorly attained. This style of
reading is most unnatural. 1t is I, drawing
chant, uttered i'll Il very loud voice
In the east generally tho tone Of voice is
very nigh, even in common conversation.
but in reading it is raised to SCREAMING
Some Arabs desired IL friend Of nine to let
them hear him read. He compl ed, on which
they exclaimed, You are not reading. Won
are talking" The fact, however. is that cx
crpt among those of tho learned professions,
few Of those who have profcssedly learned to
read IN the schools can or do exercise the
requirement in after life; and the few who
1t" man actually qualified to read with
iarIliiy, rarely do so without some stimulus
inroInphrably stronger than would be ne.
l'ilred IN this, or perhaps, any European
country. Attern residence of several years
among Mohammcdan people, do not rccol-
l"rt more than three Instances in which [
haN" seen persons quietly engaged in reading
IL book to themselves, although all the ac-
ti"ns Of their ordinary life are much more
exposed To public notice than can well be
imagined in this country.
These facts are easily explained Books
arc expensive articles of luxury in Mohanl-
ic'itn countries, and this is alone sufficient
To account for much that we have stated,
Before the Introduction of the art Of printing
I'll" state Of knowledge among the people was
u"t more favorable in this country than it is
i'll Persia now. There is also another less
obvious circumstance, which would have
great influence even We're manuscript books
much more common and cheap than they
are. THIS is the difficulty of reading manu-
script This difficulty should not bo under
rated. Even in this country most educated
persons would require considerable stimulus
t" induce them to 60 through Il manuscript
volume. Those only whose duty IL is to cx-
;tinii" manuscripts and to prepare them for
the press can describe the tcdo,isness of tle
operation. 1t is not one of the least alvant-
gc' "' printing that it has tended to simplify
the character employed in heprcparution of
books and To render it uniform. This COM
l"i'iaon very impertectly illustrates our
for our manuscripts are far moro
lcgible to us than those of the east arc to an
Oriental.
Among ourselves many persons who can
Write shorthand with facility are unable to
read il with case; an Oriental manuscript is
Il sort Of shorthand which many more per-
son, are nblc to write than t, read. The
words ar" abbreviated, as in shorthand, by
tho omission Of vowcls, and when the words
arc dccil,i;cl'el the want of punctuation rem
der, 1t often difficult to discover at once the
meaning Of ih" phrases When to this it is
added that there are several different stvlcs
ii writing, besides the difference occasioned
IN 'he several manuscripts by the variety of
individual hand, and foW ishcs, it will be
perceived that Il person cannot read with
Facility without more practice than the state
pi literature and knowledge encourages any
cor siderable number of students to seek or
nlbles them to obtain A stranger is very
liable 10 be deceived in estimating the COM
potency Of MohanmeGan to read. y very
large part Of II common education consists i'll
Earning by heart very considerable portion
4 tic current literature, particularly OF the
Koran, He is, therefore, able to repeat by
rotc the most striking passages of almost any
II the very limited number Of books which
are likely to lie placed before him. He will
turn over its leaves until he can find some
passage with winch he is acquainted, and
VIII repeat it correctly as if from the book;
but, il suddenly interrupted he is afterward
quite unable to indicate the part of the page
NJ which the interruption took place.-Lon-
don Standard.
American Lamps in Paris.