The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-12-10

better than sleep" Five times day
must the Mohammedan engage IN wor-
ship. As he begins, he turns his face
toward the city OF Mecca, and unrolls
upon the ground rug which he almostal-
ways carries. With his thumbs touch
ing the lobes OF his ears, and holding
his face between his hands, he cries:
"God is great" Then folding his hands
across his girdle, he looks down and
says: Holiness to Thee, o God, and
praise be to Thee. Great is Thy name.
Great is Thy greatness. There is no
deity but Thee" Then the worshiper
sits upon his heels. then he touches his
nose to the rug, and then his forehead,
these genuhections accompanied with
the cry, "Great is God" Then, raising |
the forefnger Of his hand toward heaven,
he says: 81 testify there is no deity but
God, and testify that Mohammed Is
the servant Of God, and the messenger
OF God" The prayers close by the wor-
shipper holding his hands opened up
ward as II to take the divine blessing,
and then his hands are rubbed over
his face as II to convey the blessing to
his entire body.
There are two or three commendable
things about Mohammendanism. One
is that Its disciples wash before every
act Of prayer, and that is five times
day, and there is gospel in cleanliness.
Another commendable thing is, they
don't care who is looking, and nothing
can stop them in their prayer. Another
thing is that by an order OF Mo
hammed, and an order obeyed for
thirteen hundred years, no Moham-
medan touches strong drink. But the
polygamy, the many wifehood OF Mo
hammedanism has made that relig-
ion the unutterable and everlast-
ing curse Of woman, and when woman
sinks, the race sinks. The proposition
recently made in high ecclesiastical
places for the reformation OF Mohamme-
danism instead OF its obliteration, is like
an attempt to improve plague or edu-
cate leprosy. There is only one thing
that will ever reform Mohammedanism
and that is Its extirpation from the face
OF the earth by the power Of the Gospel
OF the Son OF God, which makes not only
man, but woman free for this life and
free tor the life to come.
The spirit OF the horrible religion
which prevades the city Of Damascus
along whose streets we walk and out OF
whose bazars we make purchases and
whose mosques We study the wood carv-
! ;,os and baJizanmanta waa dau0n-
strated as late as 1860 when in this city
1t put to death six thousand Christians
in forty-eight hours, and put TO the
torch three thousand Christian homes,
and those streets we walk to-day'were
red with the carnage, and the shrieks
and groans OF the dying and dishonored
men and women made this place a
hell on earth. This went on until a
Mohammedan, better than his religion,
Abd-el-Kader by name, great soldier,
who in one war had with twenty-five
thousand troops beaten sixty thousand
OF the enemy, now protested against
this massacre and gathered the Chris
tians Of Damascus into castles and pri-
vate houses and filled his own homo
with the affrighted sufferers. After q
while the mob came TO his door and de-
manded the "Christian dogs" whom he
was sheltering. And Abd-el-Kader
mounted horse and drew his sword
and with few OF his old soldiers around
him, charged on the mob and cried:
"Wretches! Is this the way you honor
the prophet? May his curses be upon
you! Shame on you'll Shame! You will yet
live to repent You think you may do as
you please with the Christians, but the
day Of retribution will come. The
Franks will yet turn your mosques into
churches Not Christian will give
up. They are my brothers. Stand
back or will give my men the order Ia
fire." Then by the might OF one grea,
soul under God the wave OF assassina.
ton rolled back. Huzzah for Abd-el.
Kaderl Although now We Americans
and foreigners pass through the streets
OF Damascus unhindered, there Is in
many parts Of the city the subdued hiss
ing OF hatred for Christianity that II
it dared would put to death every man,
woman and child in Damascus who does
not declare allegiance to Mohammed.
But am glad TO say that wide, hard,
splendid turnpike road has within few
years been constructed from Beyrout on
tho Mediterranean to this city Of Damas.
Gus, and, II ever again that Wholesale
assassination Is attempted, French
troops and English troops would, with
jingling bits and lightning hoois, dash
up the hills and down on this Damascus
plain and leave the Mohammedan mur
derers dead on the floor OF their mosque,
and seraglios 1t is too late In the his
tory Of tho world for governments to al
low such things as the modern massacre
at Damascus For such murderous at
tacks on Christian missionaries and
Christian disciples, the gospel is not Sc
appropriate as bullets or sabers sharI
and heavy enough to cut through with
| one stroke from crown OF head 10 saddle
/ But must say that this city Of Da
mascus as see IL now is not as absorb
ing as the Damascus OF olden times
, turn my back upon the bazars, with
! rugs fascinating the merchants from
Bagdad, and the Indian textile fabric o
, incompatible make, and the manufac
: tured saddles and brides gay enough
for princes Of tho Orient TO ride anC
pull, and baths where ablution becomes
{ inspiration, and the homes OF those bar
, gaiu-makers Of to-day, marbled ant
, divaned and fountained and uphol
, stored and mosaiced and arabesquet
| and colonnaded until nothing can b.
added, and the splendid remains o
the great mosque Of John, originally
, built with gates so heavy that It re