Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-03-01
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the Arab faith. Such an experience,
however, fell 10 the lot of some stu
dents and thinkers who accepted an in
vitation from Colonel David B. Sickels,
ex-United States Consul to Siam, to
meet Mohammed Alexander Russell
Webb Monday evening at the formers
house, No. 49 west 10th street, New
York. and listen to his arguments why
they should become Moslems.
Those who expected Mr.. Webb to APP
pear in Arab dress were disappointed.
He is florid faced, with big, sparkling
brown eyes, aud q luxuriant brown
beard After Colonel Sickels had in
troduced him, he attacked his subject
in conversational way, standing with
his back TO the fireplace.
He said that the Mohammedans did
not believe in predestination though
they recognized what they termed the
''foreknowledge of God" which enabled
the Almighty to change the course of
events.
One of the least understood customs
of the Mohammedan, he said, was po-
lygamy. 1t was really intended that
the relation OF man to his extra wife
or wives should be platonic. They oc-
cupicd or should occupy the position in
the household of his sisters, though
that might not always be the case in
practice. Mohammed, he asserted,
was not polygamist. He extended
the protection Of his home to one or
two women after his wife died, but he
was nevertheless living the life of a
celibate.
at is not possible" he went on, ''to
engralt polygamy, as We understand it,
on our western civilization. AS it is
constituted at present it would be a
curse, but five would use its privileges
wisely it would be q blessing and it
would give homes to women who now
walk the streets"
Another excellent feature of the
Moslem faith was the temperance of
its follows. No Mohammedan ever
touched whisky. Cleanliness and fire.
quent prayer were taught also to the
faithful, each one of whom prays five
times day and performs his ablutions
each time.
Mohammedan women had their
rights more firmly protected than
American or English, he argued. The
social evil" was unknown to Moham-
medans and there were no such things
rs faithless wives or treacherous hus-
bands. 1t was only in India, where the
British government maintained the
evil for its troops, that the rule was
ever broken.
As the religion maintained no clergy
there was no temptation to persist in
error. GA st. Louis clergyman told
me that he knew he taught error" the
speaker declared, "but' he could do
nothing else as he was fifty-five years
old, had spent all his means and life in
educating himself for the church, and
was unable to get along elsewhere.
The Moslems have no warning sects.
Their lives are wrapped up in the Ko-
ran, which they reverence and live for.
1.-The Koran is clean and pure book.
IF you can find one impure suggestion
between its covers / will willingly eat
the book. AS for the Old Testiment, it
is mass OF filth. 1t is one of the most
unclean books ever put in print. l
have two little girls, and if l can pre-
vent it they will never see the Bible.
"The Christian religion does not seem
to develop in its followers any better
ambition than that of making dollars.
Social and financial preferment it seems
are the objects sought. In the Moslem
faith the ideals are higher. Every one
is equal to every one else. The prince
is the brother of the pauper. The SEN
timent is that there is only one God
and that Mahommed is his disciple"
DIR. Gabriel, native of Turkey,
made vigorous argument against
Islam, which, he argued, was inferior
in every respect to Christianity, as
it ruled the faithful by fear and prom
ises and did not incite them to do good
for goods sake. He said that the Wom-
en- went about veilcd and that every
where the idea was to prevent tempta-
ton. On the other hand, the Christian
faith taught its people to withstand
temptation: not treating them as child
rem.
To this Mr.. Webb replied that q
proper reading of the Koran showed
that good was recommended for its own
sake and not for the hope of reward.
The idea of the yelling of the women
was custom of the country, not part
of the religion, but based on the idea OF
modesty. The two religions were real.
ly identical, except that the Moslems
refused to believe in vicarious atone.
ment or the Trinity, as they did not ap-
peal 10 their reason.
Mr.. Webb said that the Moslem teach.
ings would be adapted to this country.
They would not be taught, as they are
by the exoteric Musselmans who had
grated lot of things to the religion
that had no right there, but the Koran
would be preached. During his con,
versation Mr.. Webb said that there
were twelve years of the life of Christ
of which there was no record, but he
knew where they had been spent
though the Catholic Church did not
AT this young man jumped UP and
begged MIR. Webb to tell him about it.
as he represented o Yonkers newspa.
per. This MIR. Webb declined to do
1t is said that Moslems claim that Christ
was in India studying Buddhism during