The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-06-15
a STRANGE CEREMONY.
The Pasha's Account of a Football
Match in London.

The Pasha's Account of a Footbal
Match in London
Commander OF the faithful, may tn,
shadow never decreased have thi
day seen strange ceremony Of thes
English Giaours, which viii doubles
interest you. Know, then. that there i
! within the precincts Of this might.
city Oondon), the like for which thl
world has never seen for majesty ant
greatness, a sacred place, set apart by
the priests, called the oval, wherein
many religious rites, peculiar to thes'
idolators, are carried out.
And these obseryances vary with the
seasons insomuch that in the hot days
when the climate moro nearly ap-
proaches that of my beloved Bagdad,
one kind Of ceremony is performed,
while in the cold and rainy season all
the people take part in the strange
proceedings which saw but yester-
day
and my young man did partake Of
our midday meal, and were then con-
veyed by means of a fast caravan, roll
ing on rails of iron, to the gates of this
temple Of the gods. At the entrance
there was found large crowd of wor-
shippers, jostling each other in their
eagerness to gain admission Within
Ere passing the solemn archway we,
lilo ofbare, do,,oc;ta1 49,. orifto a., tlo
alms-boxes to propitiate the gods, and
we found ourselves within the midst
of a large enclosure and of a mighty
throng. In the center of the people
space was made bounded with poles
and banners, and hung with ropes, and
at each end were gateways of wood
of q height greater than the stature of
any man, and white, glistening saplings
were bound above with thongs. Around
two sides of the space were rows Of
seats, the one above the other, where
the most wealthy of the people congre-
gated.
And as / looked, behold! a troop of
priests, clad in bright raiment, leaped
within the enclosed space, bearing
with them a small globe of leather,
within which were imprisoned evil gods
whose authority the people defied, and
who were brought out for public
ordinance every seven days. And, 10!
There stood also, two other priests
bearing silver wands. and one taller
than all the rest, carried In his hand a
golden instrument of shrill sound, with |
which he encouraged the weary, ad-
monished the idle, and directed the
ceremony.
And, behold! The priests on dervishes
danced to and fro and threw the
globe the one to the other, and did
spurn it with their feet; and all the
people shouted and said: Great is the
North Endp and the others replied:
But greater are they of Corinth." And
the dervishes waxed hot, and their
fury increased, until the foam fell from
heir lips, and their actions were like
hose of madmen. Yet there was no
'lackneSS IN their going!
This continued, methinks, for the
space of more than one hour, until, ex-
lausted with their labors, the priests
and then with singing and
and the sounds of music, the
lervishes did retire to the door of one
If the wooden temples. while all the
people made acclamation; and, 10 the
Ioor closed upon them. and saw them
10 more.
But as 1 and my sword-bearers
urned to depart, there saw we, on
~ hand, some who rejoiced greatly,
nd others who were utterly cast down.
nd they did pass the one to the other
ieces Of silver and pieces of gold,
many with great rawlings and unholy
This was the ceremony
which beheld; and as gazed, lo!
7as alone, and a eunich, clad in blue,
nth a staff in his hand, followed me
} the gates.