Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19

like the men In the street. One wore the
tattered uniform of a soldier. All of them
were ragged and dirty, and they appeared
to be runnlngt the poverty ideafora all it was
worth. Some of them were seated in a
group on a prayer carpet, chanting a mon
otonous strain. bowling and swaying Wild
" as they sang. The burden of their song
was a perpetual repetition of the words
'la illah-illah-la." The main word was
pronounced ''ilyah." On the first syllable
they bent forward with a jerk; at the
second, they Strengthened up; at the third
they throw their head back. and so ON.
The movements are convulsive, and as
they proceed they warm up and their
tones became wild and savage. Now and
then comes a yell In concert like Hoo
but it is really ''Ya-hu, Allah" or "Je-
hovah!' with the accent ON the last syl-
liable. As nearly as l could ascertain, this
sing-song is a task to repeat the name of
Allah 800 times, and the ''hoo" in the tai
ly mark.
Some of the dervishes then ranged them
selves in a line against the farther wall of
the chapel. Then they began to sway
their heads up and down, and right and
left, with a heavy breathing sound, like a
man chopping wood. 1t was a sort of des-
perate grant which they intensified and
made more cultural, while they swayed
their heads and shoulders with a violence
which amonted to fury. The grunts and
the motions seemed to indicate the most
agonizing sensations and all the devotees
became very pale and CHASTITY. We were
astonished that some of them did not drop
senseless on the floor. While the party
near the wall had been going through these
gyrations another party had seated them
selves on a praying carpet and kept to the
old refrain, sometimes g~estlculatlng at the
more active band.
At last it looked as though the ~frantics
intended to shake their heads off if they
could, and their cultural spasms became
more disgusting. An old man repeated
some sentence, and the others yelled
'Yahu" so fiercely that a couple of ladies
retired in terror from the gallery, though
their guide tried to persuade them that
their was no danger. But the ceremonies
were finished, and the exhausted devotees
dropped upon the floor to recover their
breath and strength. It was a poor cause
in which to waste a man, but they believe
that paradise is their reward.
After the rites were finished a very aged
sheik came in, and stood in the middle of
of the floor. Then the people came IN,
bringing children with them to be healed
of their maladies. A little child was
placed on the floor. and the sheik put his
foot on it, which seemed to afford the
mother a great deal of comfort. A cripple
then took the same position on the floor,
and the old sheik actually stepped upon
him with both feet. The patient did not
cry, or make other signs, and | have no
doubt he believed the medicine would do
him good. Others were simply touched,
or treated in some other manner, and all
of them seemed to be entirely satisfied with
the treatment.
Our party left the monastery and so did
those who had been on the stage the
action it was still raining and the poor
dogs were still exercising their ingenuity
without success to warm and dry themselves.
If the Sultan is not disposed to abolish
or materially change the programme of the
bowling dervishes it would be an act of
hu -nanity to gather up the dogs and ''cut
their tails off close behind the ears"
OLIVER Optic.