The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-01

inches apart. across these pores nrdF
sticks arc laid. The spaces between which
are very small Across these sticks reeds
are laid which are closely tied together;
over the Seeds leaves ard thisues are
spread, and the whole Is covered with
about twelve TO fourteen inches of EARN
This earth Is kept hard by rolling over Il
heavy stone roller. which the man of the
house must do almost every day in winter
in order 10 keep the waller running OF MS
roof and escape the dropping TINS
dropping" is so disagreeable that Solo
mon likened It unto a contentious woman.
on these roofs in summer the provisions
of winter are dried in The warm. bright
sun OF Syria When snow comes, which
usually falls heavy OF the slopes OF o'd
Lebanon, the villagers may be seen with
their roughly made wooden shovels show
ing the snow off their houses 10 prevent II
from weighing heavily on the wooden roofs
and injuring them or causing them 20 fan.
During the winter the villagers have
very little or nothing 10 DO and their time
is spent most unprofitably. The different
sects do not generally intermingle at their
social gatherings, because the women Of
the one sect do not appear before the men
OF another excepting when their faces are
covered. and this, Of course is not very
enjoyable to either sex. For. this reason
Christians spend their happy hours to-
When the company arrives AT a house in
"the first watch of the night the Oldest
man leads by virtue of age, and before en-
tering in the door he calls the host by
name or makes such an uttcrance as
where are you?" or "Oh. good people,
or something like that, as a warning to
the family.
The host has built a fire of wood or char
coal in the house early enough so the
10 trrtA1 IHftrN
from the door Gor he has no chimney be
fore his company has arrived. The door in
Syria is always open. summer and winter,
excepting when people so to bed; then the
door Is closed And because il Is the Gus
tom in Syria 10 leave the door always open
this utterance of warning is given in place
of the rappins at the door which by force
Of circumstances Syrians could never
learn As soon as the hardly mountaineor
hears the call of his visitors he answers
from within:
Welcome, welcome! Honor me by com
ing in"
Then he rushes to the door 20 meet them
with a smile on his rough face They en-
ter, and leaving their shoes at the door,
are seated on the floor. according 10 rauk
and age the chief seat being in the corner,
near which the ditch Of fire is situated.
The tobacco plate Is first passed around
and the visitors make cigarettes; little
later the coffee is passed around in those
famous small Turkish cups. The visitors
unconsclously obeying St. Paufs com
rnand. prefer one another in honor and
when the brass tray on which the small
cups of coffee are carried is passed to the
oldest man present, he as a matter OF po-
likeness refuses to take coffee first, and
turns the carrier TO another dlgnitary
present who not willing TO have anyone
excel him in courtesy, refuses IN strong
and positive terms to take coffee before
the rest especLally before "Uncle Simoan, -
the Oldest man present. In Syria, when
Won call a man uncle you mean that you
resnect him as you do your father. SO
the carrier of the tray" is sent back ana
forth from one guest to the other uhth
at last the patriarch of the company
urged bv the rest "in the name OF God,
and other characteristic utterances, taxes
the cup, saying to the rest pardon me
After this the coffee Is passed around d
little faster until every one OF the company
| has taken cup. AS soon as a visitor haS
| drunk his coffee the tray Is brought back
~ him He puts the empty cup BACK
and turning to the host he places ms
right hand on his breast and lIts II up
again 10 his head with genuine oIlshtnl
how saving: May we always drink cor
fee in this home, and may we drink u
again In wedding festivities and ietes Oh
joy"
After ala the guests have drunk ana con-
nlimented the host, he drinks his cup an"
saws: Eye have honored me ana my iio'i'
| nv YOUR visit" to which they all Do" ui''
! saw. I'VE have been honored.
There are various ways in which the
o,.antng is spent. Card playing is very
| General in winter. but it frequently causes
| cuarrels among the mountaineers. HEROIC
| tales usually occupy the evening, ana eacu
! tale is made a little larger than me one
! nreceding it, ono says: MY grahdlatHer
Win one blow of his vatican (some sort
| of a claymore) cut Off the heau u q =,
! santic highwayman." The other says
~ lsten. may God prolong your days
| tbara is greater than that. My great
| Grandfather once struck great highway
| man with his vatican on the crown OF ms
| bead The weapon fell exactly on the MID
/ ale Of the head and passing through the
! backbone cut the spinal cord eNactly IN
two. and passed between the 1eet Oh tne
doomed man The blow was so swift that
the man, not feeling IL, stepped lot " &, u
! toward my great grandfather and fell IN
two nieces." "Ahm emit the listeners,
"That Is great but know of some great.
| or deeds saws another. Sometimes they
spend the evenings singing their tribal
| chivalrous songs and talking on divers
| domestic subjects. About 10 O'Clock me
! coffee not is put in the ditch of fire, and
the second coffee prepared and passed, af'
ter which the guests take their leave
The gatherings of villagers at funerals
are very large. The entire population OF
| the village above the age of fifteen is eN-
| nected to attend. At such gatherings mer
and women do not mingle together Their
are always two places provided. one tol
each sex The women surround the corpse
ana do most of the mourning and wailing
and the men spend the time discussius
subjects pertaining TO life and death. A.
soon as person dies the news is COM
muuicated to the villagers with all swift
ness Women hurry first to the bereavot
home and men come in large companies
little later When the relatives see
| number of men coming they stand in line
to receive them. IT is not good manners
to say good morning to the bereave,
before expressing ones sympathy 10 them
So when people come they stand in lin,
facing the relatives of the dead, and al
together say: Our mind Is with Vol
in this bereavement; may you be kept safe
a a.