The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-11-28


Last evening three persons Joined
Asbury M. e. Church on probation.
Hammbuce Monkaddem of Mt
Lebanon, Syria, country, under the
rule OF Turkey, as announced In Sat
Iurday's DAILY REPUBLICAN, drew q
crowded house with n large overflow.
He Is now a student of Jefferson Medi-
cal College as preparatory to mission
AIRY labor In his own country where a
lMohammedan woman will sooner die
than let a Christian man be- her physi-
clan. He was In his native dress and
spoke mainly of the manners, religion,
life and customs of his own native
people, the Druse.
He. treated his subject from the
standpoint OF personal experience
rather than general Information.
Mt. Lebanon il 90 miles from pa-
Imaseus and i20 from Jerusalem.
From years of age to is his father
sent him to missionary school A
lady continued his education at Sidon,
Ia city of $1,000 Inhabitants, in that
line until he was 10. At 20 he became
ian interpreter In Gen'l. Wolseley's
British expedition in Egypt.
In 1883 he returned to Mt. Lebanon.
whose cedaIs are still famous and
protected by Turkey. The climate is
delightful. Five pounds OF grapes or
figs can be- bought for three cents.
All our kinds Of fruits will grow there.
They have the same animals with
camels. They have the Bible sheep
with large, lint tails, all fat and no lean.
weighing some 3B lbs. when the whole
animal weighs l55 to 100 lbs.
i The DrllSe number $1,000 In and
IarouLd Mt. Lebanon. The speaker
had never seen satisfactory account
lof them in any cyclopedia. Their re-
tligion is written in five books by five
Eso-called prophets who. they say. lived
lin some internal "China" hemmed in
by mountains, country now I'M
known.
They think 1t right to kill Christians.
They believe in the transm grafton of
souls SO that tho general population
OF the earth remains the same as the
souls which go out of persons in one
country at death aud appear In per.
sons born in some other country.
| They have no church or mosque, but
Ia large house OF prayer. This 10 d.
yided by wall. ona side being occu-
pied by the men and the other by tho
women, who listen through the wall
land hear the men pray.
I member of their religion Is not al
lowed to smoke drink alcoholic bever.
ages or wear silk garments. The rea.
son there are more saloons aud drink
ers in Egypt than Syria Is because
there are more Europeans in proper
ton to the whole population. The
lMohammedan religion. US we'll as the
IDruse, forbid IL, and the majority alb
stain.
i The lecturer described a mosque
with its central fountain for washing
before prayers and for male worship
pers only. Several times q day u inar
goes to the top of its high tower and
Shouts God Is great and Mohammed
lis Iiis prophet Then all good Mo
inammedans who hear him, put theil
hands to the sides of their heads aud
bow their faces To the earth's surface
IThe women pray at home.
| Blind men are considered more re-
ligions and hence are PLACED In from
I In the funeral procession.
4 IL is A. to 80 years since the first
missionary went TO syria where now
are numerous schools and churches.
With men the longer robe is the
more stylish. The women wear wells
eitller black or white. of muslin, cot
ton or silk. Sometimes coQiIetLe
wears a very thin one. Their religion
requires the veil When IL man pro
poses To- call on his neighbor he gives
notice by u noise so tine wife retires to
another room and the husband only
secs him. A cup OF lemonade or cot
lee is given to a guest. III presented
quickly after he arrives 1t is notice te
make Il short call.
Dancing and floral decorations are
II part OF their marriage ceremony.
Polygdmy is practiced A divorce IL
secured when the husband says ego.
and pays her $50. A man cannot mar,
ny again the woman he has divorced
as that would disgrace her. But ii
another man murrfes the divorced
wife and divorces her. the first hus
band can then marry her a second
time. The people of that country arc
very superstitous. The audience was
well entertained and much pleased.