The Opelousas courier., 1892-10-29
THE MECCA PILGRIMAGE
IMPOSING ANNUAL CEREMONY
OF THE M~oHAMMEDAN WORLD.

AAOA In "
She "Holy City"-scenes of Desti-
tuition and Death.
TYHE pilgrimage to Mecca which
occurs every year in the holy
month which the Moham-
g medans call Ramadam is, from a
religious as well as a sanitary point of
view, one of the problems with which tho
civilized world will eventually have to
deal. Every year it adds ley fuel to the
,fanaticism that seeks by the conquest of
the interior of the African continent to
maintain the slave trade, and it is a
means of infection by which is dissent
mated that most deadly of epidemic
scourges, the cholera. The faithful in
all parts of the Mohammedan world sus-
tain it,and the two principal Mussulman
rulers-the Khedive of Egypt and the
Sultan of Turkey-lend it countenance
in order to maintain their authority over
their subjects and their moral supremacy
among the followers of the prophet in
general. The Khedive sends annually,
with imposing ceremony, a consecrated
carpet, and the Sultan a quantity of
valuable presents, accompanied by a
magnificent cortege.
Access to the holy city is easier than
In former times. Mecca is sixty-ive
miles from Jeddah on the Red Sea, and
Is most easily approached by this route.
The Mohammedans of Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia, Tripoli and the north of Egypt
go to Jeddah by steamer when they can
afford it, or find their way to the Red
Sea by caravan. Those from the cases
of the Sahara, from the Soudan, or the
interior of Africa follow generally the
caravan routes to Suakim, Massowah or
other ports on the western shore Of the
Red Sea, whence they cross to Jeddah
in dhows. The Mohammedan0 from
India come by the French, English or
German steamers that connect Europe
with the far East, bringing the germs of
the cholera in their filthy garments.
There are four other principal routes be-
sides that of Jeddah, which are entirely
overland. These lead from Yemen in
Southwestern Arabia, from Nejd on the
Persian Gulf, from Persia aud from the
north of Syria. The Persian route passes
to the aorth of Nejd. The gifts of the
Sultan start from Damascus and pass
south through Palestine into Arabia,
where the caravan has the protection of
several subsidized tribes. 70 this caravan
are generally joined the Kurds. Turks,
Albanidas and Syrians. The Yemen
carave lAsets out from the city of Sana.
The pilgrims of means travel with
camels or horses and go well provided
for the journey, but the.o are always
with tle caravans a great number of per-
? sons in such a state of restitution that
they are obliged TO live entirely by aims
given by their fellow travellers with more
or less willingness while their own stores
last. These poor wretches are the most
fanatic believers. Even under the most
favorable circumstances their bones strew
the desert for the entire length OF the
route. An unbeliever who had the
audacity to unite himself to a caravan
would be detected and assassinated long
before reaching Mecca, unless like Bur-
ton, he were thoroughly acquainted with
the language of some Mohammedar
country and with Mohammedan customs
and religious rites. When the multltudes
brought by all these caravans have con.
verged at Mecca,a city badly provisioned
whose water, naturally bad, is polluted
by the presence of such fifty hordes sub
iected to no sanitary regulations, where
the heat during the Rsmadsm month is
always intolerable, the misery is indie
scribable and the mortality excessive
even in seasons considered healthy.
When the cholera prevails Mecca is sim
ply a charnel-house, and what passes is
only known to the Christian world by
the chance reports of more intelligent
pilgrims which find their. way into the
European papers.
When all the rites and ceremonies ex
acted of every faithful pilgrim hav'
been conscientiously performed at the
holy city those who have not sue
cumbed to heat, fatigue Or disease turl
their faces homeward, carrying will
them usually the germs of some disagree
able or dangerous disorder, aud in.
variably in their hearts a more ~ferociou:
hatred of the in6del. In Persia this
fanaticism finds vent in revolts directed
against the Shah, who Is accused Of
being too favorable to tue Christians, in
Turkey in a general opposition to foreigI
influence, in Algeria in threatened in
surrection against the authority of tn
French, in the Soudan in the main
tenance of the slave trade. It is on TIL
traffic that Christianity and NOLAN
mechanism will finally have to join issue
1t is only Mohammedanism that main
tains slavery. Its strongholds are il
Morocco and Arabic, to supply who's
harems Tippu lib and other traders Of
Arab descent, or natives converted b.
the Mohammedan invasion, make theil
razzias and decimate the African tribes
This question of interest renders thu
problems arising from the relations o
Christianity to the followers of Mo
hammed much more difficult of solution
The Mecca pilgrimage bids fair to pla.
its part this year as usual in spreadin!
the cholera, which has appeared in violen
epidemic form In several localities il
India and Central Asia.-San Francisc
(jhronicIa