Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-13
DURING THE RAMADAN.
FASTING IN DAYTIME AND FAST
ING AFTER SUNSET.

FASTING IN DAYTIME AND FAST
ING AFTER SUNSET.
Scenes in Syrian Town-Magic Changes
Brought About by the Boom of the |
Sunset Cumulative Concert-Conscien- |
tiousness. |
1t was Massachusetts, boy, believe, who |
said he preferred fast to Thanksgiving, be- |
cause after Thanksgiving you had to live on |
pickings, but there was always good, |
square meal to make up for the fast" Mo
hammedanism agrees with the boy from
Massachusetts,. 1t believes in compensation.
Rarnadan is the yearly month of fasting
daytimes, but from sunset to sunrise the
Moslem may feast on what he pleases. Rama
dan follows the lunar division of the months
and falls about ten days earlier every year,
so that the number of hours in the twenty
four when the people must fast varies ac-
cordipg as the sacred month comes in sum
mer or in winter After the fast there are
thne days of feasting, when the Moslems,
decked ont in their best, indulge in all sorts
of anlusements.
The other day thought that would pass
through a certain Moslem district about sun
set. Expectancy reigned. In the cafes, 10
the shops, in the street, every one was wait
ing for something, was preparing for some
thing. Wearied booking men hurried along
with fresh loaves of bread In their hands,
An old Moslem with long robe and white
/ lns n aV
pared for use Small boys bore along little
plates of salad, which came from an impro-
vised shop at a corner, where a lank man in
blue sat on stool turning out salads as fast
as he could to meet the increasing demand as
the sun neared the horizon A butcher was
cutting off junks of meat. Turbaned Mos
lens, in bright clothing, bargained for vege-
tables with the pale shop keeper, who sat be-
\ hind a lot of trays of wickerwork, covered
with tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, summer
souashes, apricots, etc. A nonchalant young
man adorned a wooden booth In the street
with plates and bowls of starchy looking sub
stances like jellies. covered with nuts Num-
bers Of men and boys stood idly waiting
Every one seemed tired and languid. There
was no loud talking.
''Boom,r roared the cannon from the bar
racks A dozen matches were struck,
dozen cigarettes lighted, and a cloud of blue
smoke arose Smoking even before eating
or drinkingl The change was like that
effected by the kiss of the fairy prince. At
the sound of the gun everything in the line
of eating and drinking and smoking went
quietly on as if it never had stopped. Some
had hearty meal in several dishes all ready
before them, and fell to at once, in a business
like way The shop keepers broke their fast
with what they were selling. The fruit
dealer swallowed an apricot, and evidently
enjoved it, A seller of sweets took up most
indigestible looking piece of confectionery,
and nourished himself with that OH the Joy
of one old fellow, who poured tiny stream
of water down his throat from jug held
high over his head, in the eastern fashion.
The favorne dish seemed to be made of
pounded pulse, garnished with a bit of green
and covered with oil.
Very little sleep is taken in Ramadan ex-
cept by the rich, who can prolong their slum-
bers into the day. The cafes are fun for two
or three hours after midnight Last week
some famous wrestlers performed in q cafe
near the government building. Our guide
= was young Moslem who is a student in the
American college. From the wrestling be
! took us to i'heaI some music" in another part
e of the city. was curious to see what the
b concert hall might be We were taken to an
a open place where several roads meet. At ons
n corner was a mosque with brilliantly
il Ii shted minaret, at another couple OF cafes
. at a third large building with small door
and no windows. showing that it was a pub
lie oven. 1t was at this door | had seen the
/, most lpdicrous as well as the saddest figurt
in Ramadan l was passing by one day wher
there suddenly emerged from the oven a tail
pale baker in long robe of blue linen. Be
hind him, as he stood leaning against tn,
door post, was the bakery with its cleaning
furnace and fragrant piles of new bread
crisp and tempting. His white, hungry fac
expressed despair which seemed unable t.
stand for moment longer the signt of foot
which he must not touch. The irony of tn
situation was too much for him
A large crowd had assembled to hear tn
music, but the people were either silent o
else spoke only in whispers. All at once th
sweet, shriIl notes of boys soprano foate,
down from behind the three tiers of lights il
the lofty minaret. The voice was of extraor
binary fexibility. and executed roulades
turns and cadenzas with skill that brough
forth "Ahs and ''Ohs" of quiet satisfactio
from the widely scattered hearers far below
1t was a unique concert. could think @
4 nothing but lGrks on the Wiltshire downs
Presently another boy began to sing alont
then third, and the first began again, an
they Joined in a soaring trio, full of curiou
Oriental transitions. 1t seemed monotonou.
but then the Orientals call our music mont
tonous, and who is right3 Is there not PEI
|. haps some idea underlying the eastern mus
which We have not yet caughtf
8. How many Of these people really fast
is question have lately put with variet
of answers As such answers are apt to /
largely subjective, it is hard for strange
TO get correct estimate A eonscientio,
Moslem will be apt to conclude that the m
jority are conscientious. The man who ca
secretly will probably suspect that his pr
vate transgressions are common to mai
others. "Only the crazy fast" was ol
answer got. I fancy that the truth of tt
matter is that Mohammedanism, like &
other religions, has mixed band OF follo'
ers, with varied correspondence betwe,
their preaching and their practice. ce.-Beir
SYRIA Cor. New York Post.