Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-10-24
SCHOOLS IN TURKEY.
How Young Moslems Are Taught
to Acquire knowledge.
They Sit All Day on = Mat and Yen at the
Tops of Their voicss-Comnitting
Whole Books TO Memory
Peculiar Customs.

If the stranger in Moslem country in
passing through the streets is attracted by
noise for which he can not satisfactorily
account toward the building in which the
school is held, he will, on looking in, prob
ably see long and narrow room, at one
end of which is seated man with long
beard (schoolmasters retain their boards
even when whiskers only are sanctioned by
general usageI, while the sides are lined
with little boys at various ages squatted
upon their heels on the floor, which is gen.
orally covered with a thick mat, in addition
to which those parents who can afford it
provide their sons with q bit of carpet or
felt In Persia, or with cushion in Turkey,
to place between them and the mat. Some
of the older boys go so far as to obtain a
cushion to introduce between their backs
and the wall, but this luxury is rather dis
countenanced by the masters as an en-
croachment on their own peculiar dignities.
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 it would seem difficult
for each TO find his own; but on the break
ing up every one seems to slip his feet into
his own shoes without any OF that individual
hesitation or general confusion which might
be expected.
or repeating them TO their master, they do
so all at once with a loud voice. and with a
continual see-saw Of the body, without
which movement they seem to conceive it
impossible that any thing can be learned.
The scene which this affords Is extreme
~ ludicrous to a European, particu-
larly as the zeal of the learner is estimated
by the loudness of his voice and the violence
of his seesaw; and hence, when conscious
of the approach of q person whom the mas
ter or pupils wish to impress with favor
able opinion of their application and prog
ress the noise in the school-room, which
may previously have sunk into a low hum,
rises abruptly to the clamorous uproar of
many voices. 1t seems that in reading all
at once TO the master the elder boys, in the
school at large, are expected to give some
attention to the others near them. The
master can not in such a noise, distinguish
the individual accuracy of each reader, and
his attention is therefore directed to OBJ
serve that time is as nearly as may be kept
by the 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 drawing
chant, uttered in very loud voice.
In the East generally the tone of the
voice is very high, even in common CONVEX
ing. Some Arabs desired a friend of mine
to let them hear him read, writes cor
respondent of the London Standard. He
complied, on which they exclaimed: "You
are not reading, you are talkingl" The fact,
however, is that except among those Of
the learned professions, few of those
who have professedly learned to read
In the schools can or do exercise the &C
quirement in after life; and the few who do
remain actually qualified TO read with facil-
ity rarely do so without some stimulus in
comparably stronger than would be re-
| quired in this or, perhaps, any European
country After residence of several years
among Mohammedan people, do not recol-
| iect more than three instances in which
have seen persons quietly engaged in read
| ing book to themselves, all the actions 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
| are expensive articles of luxury in Moham-
medan countries, and this is alone sufficient
to account for much that we have stated.
Before the introduction of the art Of print
ing tie state of knowledge among the peo-
pie 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 the
manuscript books much more common and
cheap than they are. This is the difficulty
OF reading manuscript. This difficulty
should not be underrated. Even in this
country most educated persons would re-
quire considerable stimulus to induce them
to go through a manuscript volume. Those
only whose duty 1t is to examine manu-
scripts and to prepare them for the press
can describe the tediousness of the opera
ton. 1t is not one of the least advantages
Of printing that it has tended to simplify
the character employed in the preparation
of books and to render it uniform. This
comparison very imperfectly illustrates our
meaning, for our manuscripts are far more
legible to us than those of tue East are to
an Oriental
Among ourselves many persons who can
write shorthand with facility are unable to
read 1t with ease; an Oriental manuscript is
a sort OF shorthand which many more per
sons are able to write than read. The
words arc abbreviated, as in shorthand. by
the omission of vowels, and when the words
are deciphered the want of punctuation
renders it often difficult 10 discover at once
the meaning of the phrases When to this
IL IS ADDED that there are several different
styles OF writing, besides the difference oc-
casioned in the several manuscripts bv the
it will be perceived that person can not
read with facility without more practice
than the state of literature and knowledge
encourages any considerable number of
students to seek or enables them to obtain,
stranger is very liable to be deceived in
estimating the competency of Mohamme-
dan to read. A very large part of common
education consists in learning by heart a
considerable portion of current literature.
particularly of the Koran. He is, therefore,
able to repeat by rote the most striking pas
sages Of almost any of the very limited
| number of books which are likely to be
| placed before him. He will turn over its
leaves until he can find some passage with
which he is acquainted, and will repeat it
correctly as if from the book; but, if sud.
denly interrupted, he is afterwaY6 quite
! unable to indicate the part OF the page at
which the interrEptlon took place
MOST of the flowers of Montana have no
fragrance.
LITTLE bugs from Australia, not larger
than tieas, have been brought into California
to feed on fruit pests, and are said to be
rapidly destroying them.
SLIDE MOUNTAIN, in the Catskills. has
singing bird, called from its discoyerer the
blcknell thrush, not known to any other
"~'nes' us zones are SAID 10 be exceeding
ly agreeable
The angry Free is the name of curious
plant m Nevada. IL doesn't like to be dis
turbed, and shows its vexation by ruffiine
up It's leaves like hair on the tail of an
angry cat, aud giving forth an unpleasant
and sickly odor
A CURIOUS fish. with head almost identi-
cal In shape and expression with that of
frog, was caught OF the coast of California.
near San Diego, recently. Near the head
on either side, is q fin resembling frogs
ioreleg. The fish rs poisonous, and its bite,
1t IS said, means certain death
ENGLISH papers say that the swallows are
scarce In various parts OF the country where
they used to be abundant. In some localities
they are hardly seen at all This is at
trihuted 10 the rain, which has dcprive1 the
swallows OF the necessary supply of winged
insects, which are fostered by sunshine