The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-03-10
Rev. A. S. TwOmbley's Second Lee
ture at the Y. III. C. A.
SOME PHASES OF EASTERN LIFE
The TOPsy-Tursiness of Everything as
Compared to Our Standari-Physi-
clans Who Are Put tn Death IL their
Patients Die-Riding n Camel, etc.

The second of the series of lee
lures given by DR.. A. S. Twombly
for the benefit of the Y. M. G.. A.
Library, was well attended last
evening. The subject was "Orient-
al Oddities" The lecturer assured
the audience that, like Samson, he
would be satisfied if he brought
down the house; and it may be
added that he did so.
The following is Mr.. Twombly's
lecture, greatly condensed:
a friendly eagle, so the classic story
tells us, once desired an owl to tell him
the peculiarities of her progeny, that
he might not drown them by mistake.
The owl, in her maternal blindness,
decribed her unfiedged owlets of lovely
form, with gay and beauteous plum
age. The eagle, therefore, lighting by
chance upon nest of scrawny, un
couth, ugly birds, incontinently swal-
lowed them, thinking all the time no
harm to the mother owl. In like
manner we intend no disrespect to
patrlarchs and prophets; we mean no
harm TO Abraham, Isaac, or TO Jacob
as we portray their degenerate des-
cendants, whom we lighted on not
many years ago. Who, for example,
would see Joseph ora Joshua in that
queer old turbaned Turk, who with
bags for trousers and tobacco pipe in
mouth, mounted the wheel-house of
our steamer as we entered Alexandria,
and stood there fiuttering in the
breeze, to steer us in Rather would
you see in him the walking adver-
tisement of some enterprisipg Alexan-
drian tobacconist, sent out to inveigIe
strangers to his shops, and so it is
Throughout the east, the manners,
features, customs of the people mark
a race degenerate and altogether less
alive than the most sluggish of their
ancestors. 1t is true, they gather
dreamy memories about them of the |
past. Their garments flow in lines |
and curves as gracefully as when |
young Jacob wooed and won his
Rachel. And yet, from the gaunt and |
grisly forms of Arab sheikhs to the |
light tripping water carriers of Cairo, |
they might all turn to sculptured |
forms upon the antique stones of |
Egypt, and leave the world as well off |
as before.
They are at the antipodes of western
that we Go handiiy. They grasp ideas
by the wrong end, just as they
seize their horses by the tail,
and swing themselves into the saddle.
They take their shoes off upon enter
ing room, allowing their head COW
ering to remain. Women hide their
faces, ieavinge-he bust exposed An
Arab takes the name of his first-bo
son; to be polite to an Oriental you
address him as a father, whether he
has ever had a son or not AS the
names of daughters are taken from
Lhe most fairy objects and as the
mothers take their daughters names,
t sounds strange to hear the veriest
Did hag accosted as the "Mother of the
sweet Moon," and some old beggar
may be called the stMother of
iod's Bounty" In our land it is the
custom for mothers to use the rod for
he benefit of their sons, but in the ,
East the sons use it for their mothers
5ood, reversing SOlomon's trite say '
ng, and making it 'Spare the rod if 6
'ou would spoil your mother"
On riding at early morning TO in 7
pect the place where Jericho once
TODD, we are ridden down upon by q
wo most fearful horsemen, who with V
rantic speed rush at US, fiourishing h
heir weapons, till, just as they are |,
ear enough 20 touch US with their a
pears, they cheek their steeds, put f.
heir spear points to the ground in V
)ken OF submission, and are ours TO n
'ok at and to pay for the excursion to i
he fords- They wear rough jackets a
some ragged patchwork with Cir G
les OF the same, in which are stuck "
uge pistols of a former and defunct 8,
lake. a long, curved hanger swings a
Y their side, and trumpet-shaped, A
lort gun hangs from their back In "
leir hands are spears of fifteen feet in h,
myth, tipped with rude beads of II
on. Their bare feet are thrust into fe
urrups of a shovel shape, used by W
lem in place of spurs, and horses aud n,
ders seem animated by the same gf
lid, shaggy mind, if such creations S0
II be said to have mind at ALL y
1t is now plain riding for az hour N
ward the Jordan, and we give these f.
rabs "backshish," signifying desire
see some feats of horsemanship. So
t they go like madmen, till from af
'ints hundred yards apart they ed
sh together, urging their low-bod- w,
i, sharp-nosed horses to their ut ri,
ost speed. Their loug spears pass w.
thin an inch of that rough head tb
ar we have mentioned, but al,
ick as thought the spearheads turn. ha
a of hey go for renewed attack
lis time, with horses at full speed. VI
ey swing down under the saddle. wi
nginE by single foot, and from