The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-08-10

r
scatter at least portion of the Verrllh
with which they are infested, 1t saves
the soil, too from utter exhaustion, the
hocks and herds manuring the grouilo
as they are driven about. Arabs are
not fond Of work, and like our northern
Indians, the men never engage IN IN
dustrial pursuits. They call thein-
selves agriculturists, the women per-
forming the labor after most primitive
method. 1t is part of the ARAB fellsloli
that the profession Of farming must pc
respected. The theft Of ploW is sac
rilege, and the manufacture OF one is
pious work, like the carving of a cru
cifix, or the painting of a sacred PIC
ture. The female Arab in Tunis occu-
pies the same degraded position she
fills in all Mohammedan countries;
among the rich she is the slave OF her
lords pleasure, sharing his caresses
with many other wives, and among the
poor she is the household drudge, the
manufacturer Of everything required IN
daily use, harder worked and more
scantily fed than even the Wretched
donkeys, because the latter cost money
cept a tuft of hair at the back. 1t does
not enhance his beauty, but he expects
to be finally drawn into paradise by
that tuft, and therefore regards 1t as
his choicest possession. He keeps 1t al
ways covered with the haik, bound
round with cords of camels hair fall-
ing down the back and sides of ms
head and under his chin. He wears the
white bernouse and occasionally col
ored one over it. His legs are bare, but
his feet are thrust into heelless slip
pers. or into high boots of red leather.
His food is the cousoous or laam, and
his numerous wives and childrei subslst
upon what he leaves of this national
dish. Perhaps the cousoous Is the bar
barrie ancestor of our oatmeal, cracked
wheat and other popular BREAKFAST
foods, being merely a semoline OF hard
wheat, granulated by peculiar pro-
cess which is one of the special accom-
plishments of the women. 1t Is placed
in perforated dish and cooked by the
steam ascending from another vessel
below it, containing meat, vegetables
and aromatic plants boiled together,
which are subsequently eaten with IT,.
Often there is no meat in the stew, put
an extra allowance of grease, tomatoes
and red pepper: really it is not bad to
take, If you can shut your eyes TO the
dirt that must be in it and liberal
sprinkling Of boiled tleas and other YER
min, which are but trifling incidents IN
Arab family life. Milk is drunk at ev-
cry meal, preferably curdled, though IN
case of necessity they can make out on
fresh milk as other people occasional
ly drink wine that is known to be too
new for perfection. Arab bread, as
made in the cities, in the shape or
round cakes, is excellent! but that
found among the wandering tribes
usually an unleavened mixture OF
hand crushed wheat and corn, vetch
and barley--is simply vile.
Considerably higher up in the social
scale of Tunisia, though not so numer-
Gus, are the Kabyles, or people OF Der
Der origin, now mixed up with Latin
and German races. In almost every
characteristic they are the exact oppo-
sites of the Arabs. So far from being
of nomadic tendencies, they never
mount a horse or mule, and rarely
move from the spot where they were
born. Industrious farmers, mechanics
and artisans, they cultivate the gar
dens that supply the markets of Tunis
and manufacture the finest jeWelry,
pottery, leather goods, cloth and
swords They are all Mohammedans
belonging to the orthodox Muleki rite
that is, they have adopted the doctrine
of the Imam Malek as their interpre-
Ter of religious civil law. Their most
distinguishing trait is intense patrio-
tism, as strong to-day as in the old
times before French occupation, when
a sort of Suicide club arose whenever
| their country was threatened by for
eign foe. The flower of their youth
| handed themselves together In forlorr
| hope. called Imessebelem, who expect
| ed to die for the general good Pray
| ers for the dead were said over them
| before going into battle, from which
| thew must never return Ii not victori-
GUS. If killed their bodies were buried
| in a cemetery apart, which was forev-
err afterwards a place of prayer and pc
culiar veneration. Should one Of them
escape with neother victory nor death
| he and all his kindred were hopeless
outcasts from that disgraceful day
| The Kabyle dress Is nearly white
sometimes striped black and white anc
| consists of the all pervading haik, worr
over a wooden skirt which extends be-
| low the knee; the feet covered with 8
complicated mass of rags tied on WITT
| cords. A skull cap is set rakishly upoT
the head; and over all, when afield, Is
thrown the white or grey bernouse
| Kabyle girls have strong fashion o.
tattooing crosses upon their arms anc
faces which some authorities construt
! into a proof that their remote ancestors
were Christians Whatever may have
been the origin Of Kabylia proper, III
secret will never be known The coun
try preserved its independence for cen
! turtles: and the fair complexion, oluf
ewes and red hair so frequently fount
among it's people. certainly did no
come from African or Asiatic races
Next in numbers come the Moors-f
name used by the French to include al
persons of Arabic origin who live II
| towns and houses, in contradtstinctiol
to the nomads who dwell In tents
| They are a handsome race, with pale
| oval faces. aquiline noses and large
| dark ewes, To strangers they are eX
| tremely courteous, but seldom to be oe
pended upon. Their aversion to worl
is, if possible, more pronounced tha>
that of the Arabs, and If employed