The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-03

/ mother trundlcs in her arms III the ma
. lives would riss el nasse, by the sheer
/ force of numbers they could drive out
/ their prosecutors. But only one-fifth of
| them are Mohammedans. Three-tiths
are Hindus and Buddhists. They are
! mo fighters, and it is against the law Of
| their religion 10 kill. Yet if the MOham-
medans should rise against the British.
! the Hindus and Buddhists would unite
| with the British against their old enc
mics. And, therefore, because the house
is divided, a foreign interloper has en-
tered and has taken full possession.
The four months | spent IN India form
the pleasantest memory of my life l
lived among Mohammedams all of this
time. 1 found a richer, better, higher
civilization among these so-called bar
barians" than | can find in the great me-
tropols of the new world to-day. The
Saracenic architecture at the time
of the Emperor Akber is the
| most beautiful in the world. / have
never seen anything which can compare
with the grandeur, the beauty and the
simplicity of the great mosques. The
| Mohammedan merchants are honorable,
| courteous, refined and devout. l confess
| that my relations with them made me at
| heart a real Oriental as well as sincere
| Mussulman.
| One has no right to condemn what he
/ uOto llbU uuutISbdltA. I1DN many u butjS6
| who have called me an ''audaciOuS fana-
| tic because I believe in the Koran have
| ever read the Koran How many of those
| who condemn its followers as ''barbaP-
| ians' have ever met or conyersed with an
! intelligent Mohammedanl We of the
west judge Mohammedanism by the
| Arabians of the desert 1t would be just
| as reasonable for the east to judge the
| Christians by ministers who are impris-
| iOnad for fhaiYs laa1e
| MOhammedanism satisfies the soul !;
! Christianity does not. But will not bur
den you with missionary pleading.
wish that you may visit the east as
have visited it; that you may meet
and know these devout men who leave
! their business, no matter how important
| it may be, when the hour for prayer ar
rives. His brothers of Islam, friends and
strangers alike are always welcome to
| eat at the Mohammedan's table and to
sleep upon his mat. He is not suspicious
that he will be robbed. He does not
spend his time in the emjoyments of this
world. He does not seek wealth and po-
sitiOn with that greediness which char
acteIizes eastern people. He considers
this earth but brief stopping-place a
period of preparation for the world to
come, and upon this principle is fashioned
all the habits and actions of his life.
One can scarcely open an American
newspaper that he does not read of some
revolving instance of mans or woman s
immortality or disloyalty For years the
Christian church has fought crime and
misery and immortality, but crime and
misery and immortality will exist, yes,
are even increased. We never see an out
cast woman upon the streets of Moham-
medan city. We never witness any of
these revolving scenes common to our
own cities. The besotted, filthy, disgust
ing creatures, bereft of all the nobler in
stincts of manhood and Womanhood, who
come before the judges of our police
courts in New York, could not exist in
Moslem city l am a believer in poly
gamy.
Before you throw up your hands in
horror wait until YOU have heard what
can say To teach polygamy is not for
the present part of my teachings here
1t is not now, and it never has been, one
of the doctrines of Islam, although it is
not forbidden. The Mohammedan hus-
band makes only one of the women of the
harem his real wife. The remainder are
merely dependents who have found a
home in his house. They receive the
shelter of his roof, eat of his food and are
clothed by him. They become compan-
ions to his wife and enjoy a pure social
atmosphere. Is this not better than the
Christian way of throwing the woman
upon the streets to earn livelihood by a
means against which the soul of woman
possessing even 1.-THE of purity revolts2
During the winter l shall lecture
throughout the country upon the reli-
giOns of the east. Beginning this com
ing week we shall begin an active cam
paign to propagate the doctrines of
Islam. Several devout Mohammedans
from the east will aid me with my work
during the winter. Haiee Abdullah
Arab, one of the wealthy merchants of
whom l have already spoken, will be
among these. This remarkable man has
history which has peculiarly eastern
flavor about it. He was a wealthy mans
son. While yet young man he gave all
of his money to charity and for several
years lived as hermit in the woods. ex-
listing upon the most frugal diet possible
and deVOting himself to the study of his
religion. AT the request of his friends
he returned to the world again and inside
OF a year had ar assed a second fortune.
He owns several iron steamers, has
houses III Bombay, Jedda, and Medina
and transports many Of the pilgrims to
and from Mecca during the annual
Hui"
/ expect the arrival of Moolla Mira
Kahn next week. He comes to remain
permanently in America to assist in the
good work. He brings with him a cook,
an EngllSn clerk, MOulVl and q HafiZ,
The latter two names need an explana-
ton. A MOulvi is a person versed in the
Arabic tongue and a Hafiz is one who is
able to repeat the Koran from beginning
to end from memory, truly wonderful
accomplishment, even the critical Christ
ian must confess. My other visitors this
winter will be Haiee Rhamtullah. Haiee
DawoOd and Moulvi Hassan Ali. 1t is posi-
BILE also that Hajee Mohammed Abdus
Salam Sahib, of Madras, a wealthy mer-
chant and brother of the Turkish consul
there, Jan Mohammed Gangjee, well-to-
do merchant of Calcutta, and Haiee Ha-
roun Joffer Yussuf, a very wealthy mer-
chant of POOna, may also be here during
the fall or winter.
Many persons have asked me why the
name "Mohammed" is placed before nv
name. 1t is the custom among Mussui-
mans to name their children after the
prophet or one of the saints or khalifs of
the early days of Islam. When a Chris
tian is converted he retains his own name
but adds a Mohammedan name to il.
When l was in RangOon, Burmah, the
Mussulmans assembled IN the grand
mOsque'on Megul street and selected for me
the name ''Abdulla" which means servant
of God. But when / reached Bonn bay the
MuSsulmans there thought that | should
have a more honorable title so it was ar
ranged to bestOw upon me the name of
"Mohammed, which is the most honored
of all MOhammedan names. II is difficult
to convey in English a correct idea of its