The herald., 1896-04-12

Mahdists in ferocity, yet they humbled
the strongest armies that Italy could
send against them.
Tue military results will be more
than interesting when active opera
tions are begun, but just now some-
thing about the religious history of
those strange beings is not out of
place. They are one of many sects
which believe in the teachings of Mu-
hsmmad, or Mohammed, as it is more
generally written, and, like each of the
others, they claim their dogmas are the
only true ones, that all others have
been perverted by the infidsls, or
Christians.
Few people have any idea of the
numbers who profess the doctrines of
Islam. There are very close to 2,00O,-
100000 in all and they are divided into
four times as many denominations as
the Christian church. The sultan of
Turkey is always spoken of as being
the head of Islam, but as q matter of
fact only 16,0O0, 600 believers-less than
one-twelfth of the total number, give
him allegiance. or the rest 55,0OO,OOO
are subjects Of the queen of England,
and IL 900, 600 are subjects Of the en-
peror Of China.
sections and the other sects are Off
Sunnis, of whom the sultan of Turkey
is the reputed, but not the real head;
the Shishs of Persia and the Wahabbis
of Arabia. The chief difference be-
tween the Sunnis and the Shiahs ia the
Khaliphate. the Snnnis acknowledging
the Abbaside KhalifRhs, while the
Shiahs maintain that Ali was the
rightful successor of Muhammad, and
that the Khaliphate must run only in
his line
The Wahabbis Of Maid are the Puri-
taus of Islam, and profess to bring
back the religion Of the original teach
ings of Muhsmmad.
The Wahabbis are the extremists and
the Mahdist from the most extreme
sect of these extremists, In other
words. they are the most terrible
fanatics the world over. The Turk,
who is 30 mild in his beliefs that the
Mshdists disown him, has given the
Christian world within the past year
many horrible examples in the awful
butcheries of peaceful Armenians of
what mild fansticism can do. What
then will the Mahdists do! It seems
impossible for the human mind to
imagine anything more atrocious than
the Turk, yet he is scowled upon by
the Mahdists for leaning toward Chris
tianity.
This sect of Mahdists is of compare
lively recent birth. Mohammed Ach-
med, the carpenter of Dongola, chosen
Ell Mahdi, or The Messenger of God,
by the religious societies Of Cairo,
Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers, initiated the
Jehad, or Holy War, of eleven years
ago. It resulted in the capture of
Khartoum January g. 1855, and the
massacce of the famous British general
known as Chinese Gordon and over four
thousand OF his adherents.
During all of the Mahdi's triumphant
campaiRns his chief ieutensnt WAS Os-
man Digna, or The Worded One, who
had been q successful slave driver at
Khartoum until Chinese Gordon at
tempted to break up the traffic. He
was one Of the first of the malcontents
to join the Mshdi's forces, and as he
vas . man of great influence and
power, thousands who might have re-
manned passive to English domination
were attracted by his example.
Ell Mahdi died Of smallpox July 21,
1885. On his deathbed he intrusted
bis sword to Abdullah, his nephew,
Who became the khslifa or successor"