The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-01-17
ARABIAN HOSPITALITY.
It Is Sincere and at Times Carried to RI
diculous Extremes.

It Is Sincere and at Times Carried to RI
diculous Extremes.
The Maltese was talking in terms of
praise of American hospitality and was
not easily diverted from the subject.
AS travelling representative for one Of
the great coal mining companies Of
Pennsylvania he had been all over the
world, stopping for time in Rio de
Janeiro, then for half year in Algiers,
Tangier and Tunis, another in Yoko-
hama and Tokyo-for there was much
to do besides taking contracts for coal
in these antipodal regions. He had been
for the last few months sojourning in
New York.
If any one wondered at first why q
| native of the Mediterranean island
| should hold such a position, they ceased
to wonder after they had known him
| short time. He was master of just the
qualities that are Indispensable to q
commercial courier-personal magnet
ism, energy, suavity and alertness So
all the rest of us were attentive listen
ers, and as such found even his slight
dialect pleasing. But one of the party
wanted to know where in the world
hospitality was most impressively dis
| played
sin north Africa, was the unhesi-
tating response. "among the Arabs.
There, you may say, it takes the place
| of law in some cases, though it is rare
| ly abused. For instance, if you are
travelling and night overtakes you and
you do not know where you are you
have only to fire your rifle, and from
the nearest camp-for they are nomads,
You know, living in tents-the Ara bs
will answer with a shot to let you
know where they are. If you don't
readily catch the direction from which
the sound comes, you fire again. a d
they will build big bonfire, by which
you will be guided to the camp When
you arrive they take charge of you ard
your horse and gun. and the best that
the camp affords is cheerfully placed at
| your service. So long as you remain
within the bounds of the enoamrment,
though you may ride and go about as
you please. you are considered and
treated as one of the family.
eyes, hopsitality is carried to what
/
among the Arabs of Africa. If you have
killed man, for instance, and have in
CURED the death penalty and know the
avenger is on your track, your place of
perfect safety is in the tent Of your
pursuer. You have only to reach his
tent and cast yourself and your rife ON
the ground and your person becomes sa-
cred to your enemy for SO long as You
remain there, but when you have de-
parted and have gone beyond the limits
of the camp then God help you"
"But is their hospitality never
abused? Don't their casual visitors
sometimes overstay their welcome?''
"Oh, sometimes, but then there is
delicate hint. When mealtime comes
around, the otie, which is the goatskin.
filled with buttermilk, is passed to you.
and you drink, oh, SO much, for it is
very refreshing, and then at once they
place all manner of meats and delica-
cies before you, and you can eat moth
ing, for you are full of the buttermilk.
That is the hint to depart.
"But if you don't go2''
"Then they will move the encamp-
ment. But they will suffer the imposi-
tion very long before this, for their hos
pitality is more than superfcial-it is
sincere.
| Suppose the refugee were to commit
an overt act while a member of the
camp, would there be no punishment
for that?''
"Oh, instantly; the 'mueth el kelb'
that is, the death of dog. He is no
more 'ragel b'wueg- haa' or 'pharez
b'wueg- haa, but 'el kelb, dog The
Arab has profound respect for 'ragel
b'wueg-haa, the cavalier, the man who
comes riding CT walking bravely, with
his arms, and seems man of courage,
or his fellow, the 'pharez b'wueg- -haa, ;
the man who comes on foot, as man
of learning. New York Commercial
Advertiser.