The Van Buren press., 1897-07-24
RUFUS SANDERS.
MusTAPHA GOES TO SCHOOL.
Curious Procession That Attends n
Moorish boy on the First Day.

t1opyil5hts io'''J
Until MuStafa was five years old,
he had lived with his mamma, with
the two other wives and with their
black slaves and attendants, in the
harem, or woman's part, of his fathers
big house in Tangier.
We would hardly call it house at
all, since it is all out of doors. Build
a high wall on four sides of square
and a two-story piazza all round the
square on the inside, and you have
pretty fair idea of Moorish house
The high wall keeps the wind away
and the sun shines down into the
square court where the fountain plays
all day long, and the birds splash their
wings in the spray, flinging it over the
beautiful tiled floor, and the orange
trees scent the air; so that it is not
such an unpleasant place after all.
When it was cold OF rainy, Mustafa,
like everyone else in the house, simply
put on more clothing, so that he looked
like a small round ball of cloth, with a
baby head peering out of the folds at
the top.
Mustafa was a -blooded Moor, as
proud of his long line of ancestors as
any American or European boy could
be. And as none of these ancestors
had ever been negroes or, indeed, any
thing but Moors, he was as white and
fair of complexion as any boy with
black hair ever is in any country. His
sisters had beautiful fair faces, too,
but because they were girls their finger
nails were already, at three and four
years old, dyed red; and their hair was
co!orcd with henna so that it was a
rich golden brown.
But Mustafa Ell Hadri, son of Mus.
tafa, was not to see so much of his sis.
tiers hereafter, for he was now five
years old and the time had come when,
by old Moorish custom, he was to go to
school. By old custom, too, the first
day in school was made great cele-
bration. 1t was quite an impressive
day to Mustafa, and one that he will
long remember.
Early in the morning he was arrayed
in his finest gelaba, or hooded robe,
and after a breakfast of coffee, sweet
biscuits and dates was lifted to the
back OF splendidly ornamented horse
whose embroidered saddle cloth almost
swept the ground. Quite little pro-
cession was then formed A number
Of the sultan's soldiers had been hired
for the ceremony, and they, too, were
all dressed in their best clean white
gowns and turbans. A few of the sol
diers led the procession; Mustafa came
next, his fat little legs sticking straight
out on each side, his pudgy fists grasp
ing the high pommcl of the saddle,
which was covered in the Moorish
fashion with red cloth. Behind, in a
long lue-for the street was narrow
came Mustafa's father and large num-
Der of his friends, the principal mer-
chants and officers of the town. The
rest of the soldiers brought up the
rear.
In this order Mustafa and his escort
rode through all the principal streets
of the town, everyone singing and
shouting at the top of his voice. Final
ly they came to the great open market
place inst outside the southern gate OF
the town, and there the soldiers drew
up i'm two long lines and had a noisy
sham battle, squirting their horses wild
" toward each other, shouting fierce
cries and firing their guns with recle
less waste of powder. Finally tic
whole procession drew up at the door Ct
the school, adjoining n mosque, and
Mustafa was lifted down. from his horse
and taken in.
After that day Mustafa went to schcCi
in very much the same way as other
boys do. but he did not have the sarao
lessons that American boys learn. lie
seems to have spent most of his time
sitting cross-legged fat On the floor and
singing the verses OF the Koran till lac
I had learnt many Of them by heart; but
as no Christian is ever allowed to go
/ into a Mohammedan school, it is not
easy 10 say what else is or is not taught
/ there.