The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-10-17

| imaginable. There are two mosques II
| Tangier; but though their doors stanc
| open all day long, foreigners must CON
| tent themselves with outside views, fol
| no Jew or Christian is ever permitted
| to enter. A Spaniard tried it, not long
ago. In a moment the fierce Moham-
| medans were upon him, with daggers
whipped from beneath their flowing
robes; and a few days thereafter there
was first-class Spanish funeral in the
town. One cannot even enter school
where the little Moorish boys sit rock
ing back and forth for hours, singing
the Koran in chorus; bpt as the whole
performance is visible from the door,
the deprivation is endurable. Religious
enthusiasm among these followers of
the Prophet is something wonderful 1t
is a passion of devotion, a fierce faith,
which Christianity cannot touch nor
atheism affect. Their earthly life Is so
filled with sorrow and oppression that
all their hopes are fixed on Paradise,
the land of peace and gratifled desire,
which, in their view, the faithful Will
surely inherit. Therefore they endure
the ills of to-day with utmost patience
"a submission to whatever Allah may
send for their temporal chastisement
which has left pathetic marks upon
their countenances. Were not their ig-
norance so dense, the government could
not carry things with so high a hand.
Exorbitant taxes eat up the substance
of the laborer and keep the artisan for
ever at his toll. Many wealthy Moor
goes clad in rags to avoid the assessor
with his ruineous lists. From all parts
of Morocco, renegade Moors flock to
the port to escape the Sultan's extrac
tions-for that worthy considers Tan
giers "unclean" because so many Chris
tians are allowed in It and never visits
the place! Most of the runaway Moors
call themselves English, Spanish, Por-
tugese, French, or even American citi-
zens-though how they got their nat
uralization papers is a dim oriental
mystery. They are constantly appeal
ing to their respective ministers to pro-
tect them from his Shereefian majesty,
who has playful habit of throwing
rich men into dungeons and torturing
them until they declare that the wealth
they had previously claimed as their
own, belongs to the Sultan. 1t Is no
wonder the Moors value foreign citi-
zenship papers so highly, for a ruler
with absolute power Of life and death
is no joke, however. you may view him,
except through a telescope. But In this
mattesr, as in every other, the poor
Jews have by far the worst of it. They
are compelled to wear distinctive
garment, a long blue or black caftan,
and to go barefooted the year around.
1t is not strange that, almost to a man,
they claim to be citizens of some other
country, though they have never set
foot outside of Morocco, You may Wis
it the fortress, if your consul can get
the necessary pass from the powers
that be, and see as many as htty
wretched men confined in one noisome
ROOM where daylight never penetrates
their only crime being refusal, or IN
ability. to meet the Sultan's demands
In the line Of taxation.
The Moorish seclusion of women,
though less strict here than at Tetuan
Or fez. makes, Tangier's few places OF
amusement look very queer to Ameri-
IAN eyes A Moorish cafe, for example,
IS frequented only by males and is IS
solemn as a church. The familiar rat
ling of dishes is not heard, nor any
,hattering voice-the only sound to
break the stiffness being the droning of |
, band playing on tombolas, guenberis
md other natives instruments. The |
quests their slippers in great heap |
~ the door, chow each recognizes his !
,wn again Is another Oriental mys
ery), and sit about cross-legged, |
smoking and drinking coffee, |
addressing never word to one anoth-
II. Sometimes a professional story
eler enlivens the occasion with one of
lis interminabe yarns, always listened
o with profound attention; or the band |
ings ever popular song whose burden
> the conquest of Spain past or future,
~ the all powerful Moors
One of our party who had made an
Arab acquaintance on a previous visit
o Tangier, CHANGED to meet his turban-
d friend at the landing, and, wishing
0 see something of native life, secured
n invitation to spend the night at his
ome. The Arab lived at the farther
dye Of the town and darkness came
pom them while yet in the maze of
Experience in these words: Now and
hen a ghostly figure fitted by. Here
nd there was heard the whimpling
ound of water from overflowing foun-
aims. Occasionally a muff1ed form,
sleep beneath an archway was STUN
led over. Not light was seen in the
hole distance but for the stars In the
arrow strip Of sky visible above the
lnnel-lke thoroughfares it was like
roping torchless through the cata-
1mbs. At last the Arab halted and
18th the hilt of his heavy knife beat
udly upon a barred and bolted door.
fter time, a black face peered saw
gely from tiny wicket, A long par
" folowed; the wicket closed, and
resently an old man, clad In flowing
,bes, attended by the African we had
zen at the wicket, appeared at the
DOR. We were ushered into what
lemed the dungeon ante-cha naber to a
rger dungeon; then up some slippery |
one steps. Following long gallery,
e FINELY emerged into the open air.
hence we were conducted along what
)peared to be crumbling parapet |
I'd l was finally led into a room which
as perfectly bare of furniture. The
It upon a housetop, abutting. against
lie walls of still loftier abode. What |
snap for robbery: but I comforted
ysef by rejecting upon the laws of | A.,
rab hospitality He who tastes my |