Wichita eagle., 1888-08-31

How Beading Is Taught tho Young Mos
lem-Tonc OF the Voice In the East.
Tediousness of Reading Manuscripts Vol
umes-A Trick.
II the stranger in a Moslen country in pass
ing through the streets is attracted By noiss
for which he cannot satisfactorily account
towards the building IN which the school ID
held, he viii, on looking in, probably see a
long and narrow room, at one end of which is
seated man with a long beard school
masters retain their boards even when whisk-
ers only are sanctioned by general usage,,
while the sides arc lined with little boys of
various ages squatted upon their heels on the
floor which is generally covered with thick
mat, in addition to which those parents who
can afford it provide their sons with bit OF
carpet or felt in Persia, OF with cushion in
Turkey, 70 place between them and the mat
Some OF the elder boys go 50 far as TO obtain
cushion 60 introduce between their backs
and the wall, but this luxury is rather dis
countenanced by the masters as an encroach-
melt on their own peculiar dignfties All
the boys have their heads covered, but they
are without their shoes, which are left near
the door, SO mingled and so similar in shape
and color that 1t would seem difficult for
each to find his own; but on the breaking up
every one seems TO slip his feet into his own
shoes without any of that individual hesita-
ton or general confusion which might be ex-
pected
When the boys are learning their lessons,
or repeating them TO their master they do so
all at once with loud voice, and with a con-
tiuual seesaw Of the body, without which
movement they seem to conceive it impossible
that anything can be learned The scene
which this affords is extremely ludicrous to
q European, particularly as the zeal of the
learner is estimated by the louiness OF his
voice and the violence Of his seesaw: and
hence, when conscious of the approach of
person whom the master or pupils wish to
impress with a favorable opinion of their
application and progress the noise in the
school room, which may previously have
sunk into low hum, rises abruptly 70 the
clamorous uproar OF many voices. 1t seems
that In reading all ut once to the master the
elder boys. in the school at large, areexpected
to give some attention TO the others near
them. The master cannot, in such a noise
distinguish the individual accuracy of each
reader, and his attention is, therefore, directed
to observe that time Is as nearly as may be
kept by she voices, and, in some measure, in
the motions also of the pupils This object
seems but poorly attained This style Of
reading is most unnatural 1t is "a drawing
chant, uttered in very loud voice
In the east generally the tone of voice is
very high, even in common conversation,
but in reading it is raised to screaming.
Some Arabs desired friend of mine to let
them hear him road Ha
they exclaimed, 'You are not reading, you
are talkingl' The fact, however, is that ex-
cept among those of the learned professions,
few of those who have professedly learned to
read in the schools can or do exercise the
requirement in after life; and the few who
do remain actually qualified TO read with
facility, rarely do so without some stimulus
stronger than would be re-
quired in this. or perhaps, any European
country. After residence of several years
among Mohammedan people, 1 do not recoI-
lect more than three instances In which
have seen persons quietly engaged in reading
& book to themselves, although all the ac-
lions Of their ordinary life are much moro
exposed to public notice than can well DO
in this country.
These facts are easily explained Books
are expensive articles of luxury i'll Moham-
medan countries, and this is alone sufficient
TO account for much that we have stated
Before the introduction Of the art of printing
the state of knowledge among the people was
not more favorable in this country than it is
in Persia now. There is also another less
obvious circumstance, which would have
great influence even were manuscript books
much more common and cheap than they
are. This is the difficulty of reading manu-
script This difficulty should not be under
rated. Even in this country most educated
persons would require considerable stimulus (
10 induce them to go through manuscripts
volume. Those only whose duty 1t Is To ex-
anime manuscripts and to prepare them for
he press can describe the tediousness Of the
operation. Ii is not one of the least advant- I
lges of printing that it has tended to simplify
he character employed in the preparation Of
looks and to render it uniform. This com
,arison very imperfectly illustrates our
for our manuscripts are far more
egible to us than those OF the east are to an
oriental.
Among ourselves many persons who can
write shorthand with facility are unable TO
cad it with ease; an Oriental manuscript il
sort Of shorthand which many more per-
ons are able to write than to read. The
words are abbreviated, as in shorthand, by
he omission OF vowels, and when the words
ire decipbened the want Of punctuation rem
lers it often difficult to discover at once the
meaning of the phrases When TO this it Ii
Ilded that there are several different styles
Il writing, besides the difference occasioned
q the several manuscripts by the variety Of
hands aud hourisbes, it viii be
,erceived THAI a person cannot read With
AGILITY without more practice than the state
Z literature and knowledge encourages any
unsiderable number OF students TO seek or
nsbiss them to obtain A stranger Is very
liable to be deceived in estimating the CON-
,etency Of Mohanmedsn TO read a very
arge part of a common education consists In
earning By heart "a very considerable portion
f the current literature, particularly Of ths
Koran. He Is, therefore, abie TO refea: by
ote the most striking passages Of almost any
{ the very limited number Of books which
re likely to be placed before him He VIII
urn over its leaves until be can End soGae
assage with which he is acquainted, and
iii repeat It correctly rs IL from the book;
ut, IL suddenly interrupted be is aft@-vard
ute unable to indicate the part OF s5e page
!: which the interruption tDok piace.-Lon-
on Standard
UGclINE or MINIS TH5LSY.