Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-01-20

Them Sbcrref Of W8zau ana His
English Motler
ii IS doubtless only through chance.
4 raale1deuce Thar hnsshllek between
the Spauiaris and the Af0ors have
broken forth iu This Columbian yeIr.
+ Yct Zine fact Is fruitful Of interesting
. Suggestions. After generations OF
r0u9ict tho African invaders had only
just baeu expelled from tie Iberian
peninsula when Columbus SGT ont On
I his memorable gOvaEe There Is ample
room to question whether had not
Grenada fallen, the sOyereigus Of Leon
and CASTLE would have won a new
world rs when they did il seemed
especially fitting that Immediately after
freeing the soil Of Spain from the foot
% the last inhdcl invader the chilvairy
of Spain should seek to carry the cross
afar into heather lands. And now.
. four centuries later, IN this very jubilee
year, Spaniard and NOors cross swords
again. more fercely than for genera
tions past; only now it is Oh Moorish
soil
The throne Of the emperors Of Nor
Deco is their horse. and their pavilion
Is the sky So boosted Sidi Moham-
med. the father Of the present sultan
cchOing that earlier boast Of Rustem;
"Rakush is my throne; my sword is
my seal; my helmet is my crown, and
all the world is subject unto me- But
while the Pchliya Of Seistan made good
his words, the monarchs Of Morocco
do not So Their horse is their throne,
says a writer in the New York Tri-
bunc. but the whole land does no
Obeislncc 10 it; and they are far from
ruling all that lies beneath the payil-
ion Of The Moorish sky Their vast
and fertile realm. with It's three capt.
tails is divided between tribes OF more
than neutrality-suspicious. The sultan,
indeed is nominal lord Of all; but
nominal, not actual. lie sets governors
over tLe provinces, and W11ngS from
them such taxes as he VIII and there
the functions Of his administration end
So long rs they have lip service TO the
governor and render the tribute Of gold
that is required Of them the tribcsmien
do as they please
These RiGans, or Riffs who are max
ing trouble AT Melilla form such
tribe; and they are perhaps Of all the
most Independent, as well as decidedly
the most savage Their home is IN III
Riff. the range Of hills that run parallel
with and near to the Mediterranean
coast. from the Muluya river to Cape
Spartel Their home is there but not
their field Of work They are uotO-
rious raiders, making incursions alike
upon the Spanish settlements on the
shore and the Moorish settlements in
land They are the Ishmaclites Of that
IShmaclitSh land, their hands against
every man and every mans hand
against them. For many years they
have been practically outlawed hy the
government al Fcz and Nluley Ilassan
win probably be glad ana grateful If
the SpaniardS indict upon them a
crushing now At best the inhabitants
of Morocco are about the most depray-
ed 10 be found on the face of the
earth, given 90 every unspeakable vice
in the calendar OF bestiaiity, But the
Rinans surpass all other tribes in the
empire i'm cOrTuptnesS Of morals, as
also IN cruelty and inhumanhy Woe
TO the stray traveller who falls into
their hands He would fare better in
"a camp Of hostile ComancheS, or ms she
Apachcs' prisoner Of war. Every
studied horror Of lingering torture will
be- his: every revolving outrage that
savage passions can conceive. Even
the other Borbcr and Moorish tribes
have a dread and n loathing Of them,
and use the name Of Rifran instead Of
wolf" to frighten children into obedi
oucc
I'm appearance the Eidan men arr
fierce and uncouth, with rattooed faces
often. aud long, unkcpt hair and beard.
Their strength and endurance are mar
vel0us. they are fine horSemon and good
shots, and In battle display the utmost
disregard of danger The women, un-
like those of olucr Mohammedau tribes.
go about freely unveiled their faces
mndish designs in many colors while
baSoms and arms tattooted with out
their heavy silver bracelets, chains and
bangles" rattle and chatter with cease
less din The women visit the towns
and purchase such things rs they and
the men need. the men never ventur-
ing 10 put themselves SO nearly within
the grasp Of what little law there Is
I'm Moghreb-ul Aksa. As for laws
among the Rmans, there is none; save
TO steal. to harry, to torture and to
Kill. and never TO die 81 bed. And
these laws they practice and maintain
with surprising zeal
one is startled to lind, on landing
I'm Morocco. SO close to the centers of
European light and leading, a land SO
utterly barhar, Three hours in
steam tug carries one from the close OF
tho nineteenth century back to the
ninth: ana 20 the ninth century of a
savage land to boot Here is an EN-
pira of more than eight million people,
with vast cities and a land of ineom-
parable fertility with not wheeled
vehicle. save the one coach which the
sultan owns but never uses! A volume