The Republican journal., 1901-07-18

half of an outstretched skin, firmly
glued. The bridge is nothing more
than a bit of bamboo, placed obliquely
under the strings. These are stretched
by means of couple of pegs. The
bow used in playing the urbab is nine
inches long, curved like scimetar, its
handle incrusted with silver and prec-
ious stones.
| Next comes the kouistra, or Moorish
mandoline. 1t resembles the ancient
lutte, but is of smaller size. 1t is form
ed of a convex case, made of spindles
of beech wood, fastened together with
thin strips Of Indian walnut. The
table is of cedar. The eight cat-gut
strings are arranged in pairs, thus
yielding four tones which harmonic
arbitrarily in chords. The handle is of
ebony, inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
Sounds of exceeding softness are OBJ
tanned from the kouistra, by means of
feather held between the thumb and
ndex-fnger of the left hand. ''The
last rose of summer" for instance,
rendered in this manner by'a artist in
music, can be equalled by nothing short
of the heavenly choirs.
The kamendja is simply the European
violin, dating from the days when the
Moors occupied sunny Andalusia. 1t
is related that one day at court
concert in the Alhambra, when the
musician had enchanted all his hearers.
the Sultan exclaimed Gel kanel djahr'
Perfection at lastly And ever since
the eulogy, with slight modification,
has been the name of the wonder-work-
ing fiddle. The Jews do not play it in
the European fashion, but hold the
instrument upright before them.
Then comes the centihr-the only
instrument used in Africa which yields
all the notes of the gamut. 1t is the
ancient psalter, or rather the tym.
panum, and consists of fiat box-shap-
by sixteen long. The cedar table" is
enriched with painted and gilded orna-
mentation, is pierced with numerous
''roses," and bears one hundred and
twenty strings, arranged in tours, each
string stretched by means of an iron
peg Each group of four is raised by
means of a bridge, inclining sometimes
to the right, sometimes to the left, for
a fourth of the whole length of the in
strument. This secures an alienation
of grave and sharp sounds. The per-
former holds in each hand a hammer,
shaped like the blade of a knife, and
with this he strikes the strings.
The derboricha, or tambourine, is
made of glazed earth, not unlike a
bottle in shape. The neck is open and
the lower portion covered with skin,
on which the performer drums with his
fingers.
Through our Jewish friends we were
so fortunate as to be spectators at an
Arab wedding. The festivities began
at six o'clock in the evening Hired
dancers first performed their partfunny
reminders of Little Egypt OF the
Chicago Midway. Then came Arab
vocalists, whose praises of the bride
and groom we're alternately screeched
and monotonously droned in manner
which made it exceedingly difficult to
keep ones face politely 'straight.'
The guests, all women, were magnificent
ly attired and literally blazing with
jewelry. Every arm was loaded with
bracelets and armlets, as high as they
could be fastened: every finger encrust-
ed with rings until the joints refused
to bend; every leg and ankle encased
in circlets of gold, set with precious
stones; every toe of each foot ringed
also with flashing gems. The Moorish
beauties wore strings of lustrous pearls
beginning with necklace of seed-pearls,
the rows increasing in size and length,
until the final row, reaching below the
waist, was composed of pearls an inch
long, the whole forming solid breast
plate of incalculable value. Diamonds,
emeralds, rubies and sapphires sparkled
on the head and all over the dress and
the effect was astonishing for its
brilliancy.
The poor little bride, trembling with
shyness and terror, made her appear.
ance shortly before midnight, having
that evening left her home for the first
time in her brief life of eleven years.
A white bernouse completely covered
her, and her face was yelled with a
closely muftied hood. After being di-
vested of these external wrappings by
her future mother-in-law, who did the
honors, she was laid on a state bed,
erected for the occasion in the middle
of the room, and directly seemed to
fall asleep. A huge tray, brought in
by attendant negresses, was placed on
a large jar, which served for a table.
The forty or fifty guests,-al women,
gathered around, spreading their large
scarves to serve as napkins. The first
dish was handed to the mother-ill-law
who dipped her jewelled fingers in it