Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-12-19

OlC pIlle IN kQeine Two alNefa OF his NOun
try. and when Elisha the prophet told him
that IL he wantsd to get rid OF his leprOsy
he must go ami wash in the Jordan. he felt
as We who live on the magnificent Hudson
would feel il told that We must 20 ani wash
in the muddy Thames or as II those who live
on the transparent Rhine were told that they
must go and wash in the muddy Tiber.
So General Naaman cried out with a vocs
as loud as ever he had usei In commanding
his troops, uttering those memorable WORKS
which every minister Of the Gospel sooner or
later takes for his text Are not ALBANIA and
PhArpar rivers OF Damascus better than the
waters OF Israeli May not wash in them
and be cleanT Thank God, we live in a land
with plenty of rivers aud that they bless all
our Atlantic coast and all our Pacific coast.
and reticulate all the continent between the
coasts. Only those who have Travelled in the
deserts OF Syria, or Egypt or have in the
oriental cities heard the tinkling of the ball
of those who sell water can realize what It is
to have this divine beverage in abundance.
Water rumbling over the rocks, turning the
mill wheel, saturating the roots OF the
corn, dripping from the buckets, filling the
pitchers Of the household, rolling through the
fonts or baptistries of holy ordinance, filling
the reservoirs of cities, inviting the cattle to
come down and slake their thirst and the
birds Of heaven to dip their wing, ascending
in robe of mist and falling again In benedic-
ton OF shower-water, living water, God
given water
We are awakened in the morning in Da-
mascus by the song Of those who have
different styles OF food TO sell. 1t Is not
street cry as in London or New York, but
a weird and long drawn out solo, cum
pared with which buzz saw is musical.
1t makes you inopportunely wsken, and
will not let you sleep again. But to those
l. 4. - - h.,
song il becomes quite tolerable, for they
sing: God is the nourisher, buy my brsad;'
God is the nourisher, buy my milk" God
is the nourisher, buy my fruit" As you
look out OF the window you see the Moham-
medans who are in large majority in the
city, at prayer. And II IL were put TO vote
who should be king Of all the earth, fifteen
thousand in that city would say Christ but
ono hundred and thirty thousand would say
Mohammed. Looking from the window, you
see on the housetops and on the streets Mo
hammedaus at worship. The muezzin, or the
officers Of religion who announce the time OF
worship, appear high up on the different
minarets or tall towers, and walk around the
minaret, inclosed by a railing and cry in
sad and mumbling way; "God is great
bear witness that there is no God but God.
! bear witness that Mohammed is the
apostle Of God. Come to prayersi Come to
salvationl God is great. There is no other
but God. Prayers are better than sleep"
Five times q day must the Mohammedan
engage In worship. AS he begins he turns
his face toward the city Of Mecca, and I'M
rolls upon the ground a rug which he almost
always carries. With his thumbs touching
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 saysi holiness to Thee o
God, and praise be to Thee. Great
is Thy name. Great Is Thy great
ness, 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 genufectons accompanied
with the cry, Great is God" Then, raising
heaven, he says: II testify there is no deity
but God and I testify that MOhammed is
the servant Of God, and the messenger OF
God" The prayers Close by the worshlper
| holding his hands opened upward as II to
take the divine blessing, and then his hands
are rubbed over his face as il TO convey the
blessing to his entire body.
There are two or three commendable
things about Mohammsdauism. One Is that
it's disciples wash before every act Of prayer
and that Is five times a day, and there Is
q gospel in cleanliness. Another commend
able thing is they don't care who is looking
and nothing can stop them in their prayer.
Another thing is that by the order OF Mo
manned, and an order obeyed for
thirteen hundred years no Moham-
medan touches strong drink. But the
polygamy, the many wifehood Of Mohomme-
danism, has made that religion the unutter.
able and everlasting curse of woman, and
when woman sinks the rec sinks The
proposition recently made in high ecclesi-
astical places for the reformation Of Moham-
mechanism instead of its obliteration. is like
an attempt to improve plague or educate a
leprosy. There is only one thing that will
ever reform Mohammedanism, and that is
its extrpation 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 for 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 i'll whose mosques we
study the wood carvings and bedizsments
were demonstrated as late as 1880 when In
this city it put to death G0OO Christians in
forty eight hours and put to the torch 1000
Christian homes, and those streets we walk
to-day were red with the carnage, and tbs
shrieks and grcans OF the dying and dishon-
ored men and women made this place a hell
on earth. This went on until Mohamme-
dan. better than his religion, Abb -Kader
by name great soldier, who il ona
war had with $500 troops beaten coon
Of the enemy, now protested against
this massacre and gathered the Girls
tians of Damascus into castles AID
private houses and filed his own home
with the atfrighted sufferers After a while
the mob came to his door and demanded ths
christian dogs whom he was shslterng.
And ADD e-Kader mounted a horse ant
drew his sword, and with few OF his OLD
soldiers around him charged on the mob AMI
| priNI '1W ratrhaai 10 this tina "
the prophetp May his curses be upon you
Shame on you Shame! You will yet live
to repent. You think you may do as you
please with the Christians but the day OF
retributon will come. The Franks will yet
turn your mosques into churches. Not a
Christian will | give up. They are my
brothers. Stand back or will give my m 81
the order TO fire"
Then by the might OF one great soul under
God the wave OF assassination rolled back.
Huzza for Abd-el-K ader Although now we
Americans anu foreigners pass through the
streets OF Damascus unhindered, there is in
many parts Of the city the subdued Kissing OF
. hatred for Christianity that IL it dared
would put to death every man, woman and
child in Damascus who does not declare al.
legianoe 10 Mohammed. But | am glad ia
say that wide, hard, splendid turnpike
road has within few years been con.
structed from Beyrout on the shore of the
Mediterranean, to this city of Damascus, and
II ever again the Wholesale assassination /,
attempted French troops and English troop.
would, with juggling bits and lightning
hoofs, dash up the hills and down this Da
mascus plain and leave the Mohammedar
murderers dead on the floor of their mosques
and seraglios. 1t is too late in the history Of
the world for governments to allow such
thingsas the modern massacre at Damascus
For such murderous attacks on Christian
missionaries and Christian disciples the Cos
pei Is not 81 appropriate a. bullets or saberi
sharp and heavy enough to cut through with
ons stroke from crown Of head to saddle.
But must say that this city Of DAMASCUS