The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1888-09-15
DEnVlsHEs OF CoNsTANTINoPLE.
Scenes Which Arc Iikely Co Affect the
Nerves of the SPECTATOR.

These dervlslles hold their ''services'
In sort Of square hall around which Is
a wooden gallery provided with a few
benches for visitors. The dervishes
themselves sat first IN row on the
floor at one end of the hall, opposite
them tho emir or high priest. They
were clothed In long cloaks and wore
heavy felt turbans on their heads. AT
first both their gestures and voices are
moderate. They simply sway toward
the ground, intoning q specious OF
litany. Now and then the voices rise
into shout, and the call upon Allah
and the word "Blsmillah" are disting-
uished among the unfamiliar Turkish
sounds. This lasts some time, and one
is beginning to wonder If this Is all
when it stops. However, they all rise.
and now, as the Germans say, ''es geht
los." Each man comforts his. body as
best pleases him, some throwing 1T
violently backward and forward, some
twisting 1t from side to side, some
turning their heads with such a velocity
that tho eyes almost start out OF their
sockets.
Soon the perspiration begins to stream
from their faces; an attendant goes
about and relieves first one and then
another OF his turban, which he kisses
as he receives 1t, supplying in its place
white cotton skull cap, which the
dervish draws on without desisting
from his frantic motions. accompanied
by incessant measured stamping on tho
floor, violent cries OF almost unearthly
| groana like sound from some pursued
and exhausted animal. frhe nerves Of
the spectator become 80 affected at last
that 1t seems as If his own head must
begin to bob and his limbs to comfort
themselves. Every minute you think
that the 'ecstasy'' into which these
men have worked themselves must
hurl one or the other Of them In fit
upon tho ground; you actually desire
that something awful and worth SO
much effort may occur, and you feel
disappointed when, at u given signal,
they stop short and stand there perfect
ly quiet, wiplng their faces as If 1t
were merely warm day. In former
times, when q certain pitch Of frenzy
was attained they used to cut themselves
with knives. This hpa ':o7isg,,,Isr-,s =.
hidden py 4,ba
sEsssH asii b foFhsrI a use sum decor
& Fate the walls.
The emir himself took paTJ In tht
Iotfor ct of fbo rnrrorn,anooo ooI Al
is not necessary to be dervish to par
tlclpato in them. Various laymer
howled and twisted with the others
and a certain Turkish officer has made
himself quite famous with his strength
OF voice and suppleness of limb. for
got to say that they are continually in
cited to fresh efforts by professional
''sInger'--a Turkish youth who sal
upon the floor and screamed at the tor
Of his lungs. at the close OF the per-
formance persons afflicted with rheuma
tlsm or other similar diseases lie dowr
and let the emir walk over them
Children are also laid upon the ground
that they may step on ihem; ono ci
these was little girl not more than
years old. This tread Is supposed tc
impart both healing and holiness. Very
) different from the howlers are their
: brothers, the dancing dervlshes. These
simply form themselves into two OF
three circles, and, with outstret shed
arms and air filed shirts, turn and
turn, like so many tops, concluding
with the same graceful composure will
, which they began.