The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-31
MosLrM MISSION TO AMERICA.
Mrs. Keep Seeking Funds to Make Nohan-
m-,inn Converts Here.


m-sinn Converts Here.
LONDON. Dec. 10 in c few months steps vii
be taken in a new attempt TO win the United States
away from Christianity To MohAmmcdGnisr.
4 follower OF the latter creed in America has
offered fifty acres Of land for the purpose Of colo.
n.Zing Moslcms there, and 4 few weeks more will
an American woman. herself convert TO
Islam touring Mohammcdan countries and np
pcaiin.. for funds TO enable her 10 return 10 her
native country and there cxpound the theories
Of her adopted religion. This is simply part of
q Mohammcdan plan 10 convert the English poo-
pic, which has found expression IN popular sub
scEiPuon among the Faithful abroad for the pur-
pose Of establishing u $50. 600 mosque in London.
II is undertaken in precisely the same spirit as
that IN which benevolent persons In the two great
Egglish-spcGking countries send missionaries
u China ead 10 africa.
The American woman referred TO is Mrs. Keep,
who once lived on Fiity-frst street. New York.
and later on found q home in an Egyptian harem,
and who lodges in West Kcns.nston London.
When asked about her plans she said:
Il was widow aad good way pas; the primo
Of life before ! knew anything Of Mohammed.
Gn!sTu. | was attracted 10 II through reading
IN the newspapers about the Congress OF Religions
a. Chicago. ! was interested specially il the
position OF Mohammedan women. !oE IL was easy
Be NIlGb NIsACg aAollt ONNS Sex
know the red! meaning Of wGman's rights; IN
which ] have always believed | found that.
according To the Mohammcdan law. a woman's
possessions a'c absolutely unaffected by marriage,
and that among the lslamirc people such thing
as the moIhI graduation OF women is unknown.
60; the MohammcdGn Hcdaya-prntcd IN four
bulky vo!i.mcs--and read il What found there
determined me 10 60 10 lndia and 10 study, and SO
] came 70 England, Intending later TO continue
eastward. My means failed, however, and
remained here
Mis- Keep told an interesting story Of her strug.
gle against big Gods in London. and said that she
had once been employed by az American agency.
While she was working ihc!c two Egyptians
reached London, both unable To speak English,
but convrssinG hucnly in German. They want.
cd guide ebou, the city. and Mrs Keep volun-
tccrcd ioE the service, and as she expressed ii,
we've btolStsnaw and he'd the c' ranks E Of PasSs
and Boy, She told them Of her inclination toward
H bsT S wNS tbv s GSs1InGe ,b 70
way o! giving hc' opportunities Of studying their
teisiop. Aee2IditnE!y eSttespondenee ensued
taking Up her residence in their homo In the
eourrc o! their correspondence the Pasha's wife.
q great LADY and tie Pasha as tho husband Of
!nlluenua! Moslcm households in Ca!-o, ",hc great
finally decided that Mrs Keep should cntcr the
est4OliehmeEt assisting the Pashas son IN his
study OF English and herself Wrestling with Arabic
and Ge.ying into the ,cnets Of MohsmmGdanism
resided ;or conside;abIy moTc Than a year.
Mrs Keep says q g.cat deal Ct nonsense has
been written about the harcm and The calibrc 81
it, inmates, the very secrecy in which II Is main.
iom OF the uninitiatcd She dlsmsscs as absurd
the many tales OF horrors committed in the harcm,
ana says that me popular impression that The
says, too, that these women Of the Orient feel no
less eommiserauon for the piutul state o! their
occ.dcnia! sisters than Is inspired in the hosoms
al Ango-Sa xon women by descriptions Of harcm
life. The absolute aacTcdncSS OF the harcm. how
cvc!, has not she says, been exaggerated This
SNgluS!Cn does nv i'm NV that
are regarded as noncnutica, for u seems the iniIu.
cncc Of the Gea,!Cr sex among Moslcms is often
way H. iaotGc; Of tho Sultan not Of turkey occurics
much the same post OF authority as Gilbcu's
peas Dowagcr Of China is row rcputcd 10 hold
The khcdlvc's aothc. ard wife also are women
who nigh, rot be inapuy described As raTty lead
c!s. u course. great ceremony is invariably Oh
served in all matters. ard the response 10 an intro
duoton may BE- accounted among The eracos which
inspired the phrase Oriental po!ltcrcss, li"o.
duced woman bows low, so low that her right
hand neatly touches The caIpei then tossing her
and brow with her finger tips. sigmiyinG Il
| bow 10 your dignity, Cherish you in my heart,
! with fidelity" Before situng down TO table each
! Of the women, except the one Of highest rank.
No! abluuons at the table.
Mrs. Keep said she never Joined, any Of the
religious organizations in the rItd States sim
| ply for the reason that she could find nonr that
satisfied her Her parents died when she was
young and she entered the family al her uncle,
| In tn members Of which several crrcdS wcrc rep
| resented, She says that when al last influence
| was brought 10 bear with the idea of inducing
! her - ioin a church In" reasons given her for
taking the stop were worldly ones. .-,cial con
! sidrrauons and the like till sh, would have none
! Of IT, She tried the SwrdcrborgiGn Church In
! her hunt for faith which satisfied but turned
, away from IL, too.
! = Mrs Keen seid that the only reason there is
| tho least difficulty IN raising money among Mo
| hammcdans Tor mission work IN America ana
! ENGLAND was because they have 50 often brcr
! deceived with spacious tales of what soon
~ h, accomplished and gave layishly n the author
| money was used for tn privaw enrichment ~
! their missionaries. Now Sh" is going 10 Paris
- lecture on thr subject n her faith, and from
| Paris she returns 10 Egypt 10 swing around
| the circle soliciting funds for her missionary
! work in the United States,
7HINGS Of HORsEHIDF.