Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-06-29

cles It was believed TO be capable of
performing so they secretly carried II
OF 10 the Mustafa cemetery leaving the
corps Of an ordinary man In us place.
The discovery, or rather suspicion, OF
the act caused such excitement that
war was averted only by making the
Kabyles believe that the saints body
had been miraculously doubled ana
rested IA both places Every Friday
afternoon, Moorish women troop by
thousands to their cemeteries. Why on
that day, ana never on another | do
not know They go to the marabouts
Of the saints 10 pray for the blessing
Of fertility, but as each drags 1--WE or
six OlIVe-branChes behind her, 1t Is
dliIlcult to understand the eagcrness Of
their VOWS. Seen from a distance, the
long procession Of figures, wrapped In
white from head TO foot, looks like q
train Of sheeted spectres new risen
from the grave But as they come near
er. you hear light laughter and chat
terng that Is decidedly "of the earth,
earthly" and bright eyes. very much
alive with Mother Ewes curiosity peer
from under wooden haiks at the strang-
or.
Speaking Of Arab ceremonials-you
may see some Of them today, UNI
changed since All Baba's time, even In
Algiers, within sight of Protestant and
Catholic churches, The most fanatic
rites are performed by votaries Of the
Sid Mohammedan bin Aissa contrater-
nifty and one OF their fetes Is worth
seeing once.--lf one has strong nerves.
II begins with the Wild beating OF
drums and tambours, until a crowd ls
collected. Then out Of some dark door
way an Assaoui, supposed to be inspired,
PUSHES with a yell into n ring formed
by spectators. where he executes a fran
tic dance, swaying his body backwards
and forwards and comforting himself
with fearful violence. lie Is presently
Joined by others, all yelling, gesticulat-
ing and comforting until they raj eN-
hausted to the ground The modaddam,
(head of the order), collects enough
coin from the crowd to purchase re-
viying beverage, which he ADMINS
tiers to the PROSTATE deyotees; ana soon
they resume their cheerful perform
understanding their bodies with red
hot irons. forcing out their own eyes
with spikes. eating live scorpions ana
serpents chewing broken glass, dolns
any deyilsh deed their fanatlcal mania
may suggest 1t is supposed that tnelr
sO-called religious eXaltation renders
them insensible to pain but what the
after effect of glass and scorpion diet
may be, | cannot say.
Other sacrihcal rites are celebrated on
the sea shore. every Wednesday morn
ing, which anybody may witness VINO
gets up early enough. The PERFORMERS
are not of the ancient and honorable
aIssaoui but low~class natives VINO de"
sire to get rid of their various diseases.
To this end, they slaughter fowl, or
lamb and certain incantationsan
burning of incense, they smear them
selves with its blood If the dying
creature struggles in the water 1t IS
looked upon as good omen and the
faith-cure Is almost complete. THIS mas
nothing to do with true Mohammedan
worship but persons Of different races,
Moors. Arabs and Jews Included share
the superstition, 1t Is very ancient
ceremony, and as early as 1903 1t was
infinitely described In a book, by Pere
Dan the French authorpriest. The
negroes in Alglers have also their pc
cular fetes and sacrifices some of
which are as disgusting as they are
curious Chief among them is the feast
of Mouled en-Nibbl, In honor OF the
prophets birthday. which occurs on the
| 18th day of the month Rabai el-oWel
Bou-zarea is delightfully."- situated on
| a mountain Of the same name, moS
than a thousand feet above the sea.
| There are two villages--the European
| and the Inadvertently a mile apart
| Midway between rises vast building,
| for many years a Turkish lunatio
asylum, but now occupied by the
| French Ecole Normal Nowadays tbs
native village is mostly devoted to
| koubbas, (shrlnes Of the saints, each
set In an enclosure of dwarf palms and
prickly-p pear. From this point, which