Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-08-29
THE PILGRIMAoE TO MECCA.
No Unbeliever Is Allowed to Join a Mo
 hamme alan Caravan

wnlCn the call hduud- dam is, from a religious as well as sanitary point of view, one of the prob lems with which the civilized world will eventually have to deal. Every year it adds new fuel to the fanaticism that seeks by the conquest of the in- terior of the African continent to main tain the slave trade, and it is a means of infection by which is disseminated that most deadly of epidemic scourges, the cholera. The faithful in all parts of the Mohammedan world sustain it, and the two principal Musselman rul- ers--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, consecrated carpet, and the sultan quantity of valuable presents, accom- panied by magnificent cortege.
 Access to the holy city is easier than in former times Mecca is sixty-ive miles from Jeddah, it's port on the Red sea, and is most easily approached by this route. The Mohammedans of Mo rocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Tripoli and the north of Egypt go toJeddah by steamer when they can afford it, or find their way to the Red sea by caravan. Those from the oases of the Sahara, from the Soudan, or the interior of Africa, follow generally the caravan routes to Sual1im, Massowah or other ports on the west ern shore of the Red sea, whence they cross to Jeddah in dhows. The Mo hammedans 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 besides that of Jcddah, which are entirely overland These lead from Yemen, in southwest ern Arabia, from Nejd on the Persian Gulf, from Persia and the north of Syria. The Persian route passes to the north of Nejd. The gifts of the sultan start from Damascus and pass south | through Palestine into Arabia, where the caravan has the protection of sev- eral subsidized tribes. To this caravan are generally joined the Kurds, Turks, l Albanians and Syrians. The Yemen | caravan sets out from the city of Sana. | The pilgrims of means travel with l camels or horses and go well provided for the journey, but there are always l with the caravans a great number of | persons in such state of destitution 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 circum- stances their bones strew the desert for the entire length of the route. An un- believer who had the audacity to unite himself to caravan would be detected and assassinated long before reaching Mecca, unless, like Burton, he were thoroughly acquainted with the Ian guage of some Mohammedan country, and with Mohammedan customs and re- ligious rites. When the multitudes brought by all these caravans have con- verged at Mecca, city badly provi- stoned, whose water, naturally bad, is polluted by the presence of filthy hordes subjected to no sanitary regulations,
 where the heat during the Ramadam month is always intolera ble, the misery is indescribable and the mortality eX- cessive even in seasons considered healthy. When the cholera prevails Mecca is simply a charnel house, and what passes is only known to the Chris
 
 more intelligent pilgrims which find their way into the European papers. When all the rites and ceremonies eXacted of every faithful pilgrim have been conscientiously performed at the r holy city those who have not succumbed to heat, fatigue, or disease turn their
 faces homeward, carrying with them usually the germs of some disagreeablc or dangerous disorder, and invariably in their hearts more ferocious hatred ) of the intidel In Persia this fanati 6nds vent in revolts directed against s the Shah, who is accused of being too D favorable to the Christians, in Turkey | n general opposition to foreign in-
 iluencc, in Algeria in threatened inSur- , rections against the authority of the French, in the Soudan in the main l tenance of the Mahid, and everywhere Q in Central Africa in that conquest of l native tribes which means hostility to
 the extension of European influence
 md the maintenance of the slave trade. - 1t is on this traffic that Christianity and
 MOhammedanism will have to join r issue. It is only Mohammedanism that = maintains slavery. Its strongholds arc 8 n Morocco and Arabia, to supply whose r harems Tippu Tip and other traders of t Arab descent, or natives converted by B the Mohammedan invasion, make their 8 razzies and decimate the negro tribes.
 This question of interest renders the X problems arising from the relation ot 2 Christianity to the followers of Moham 3 med much more difficult of solution The Mecca pilgrimage bids fair to play | it's part this year as usual in spreading
 the cholera, which has appeared ir
 violent epidemic form in several locali : ties in India and Central Asia-San
 Francisco Chronicle.
 Opening of the Campaign.
 Happy Jack-Where's you goin' tc
 s0n,,, do baofad @arrn Mocao