The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-16

period the C~anaanites, and, last OF all. the
Assyrians. branched on. Meanwhile an
emigration from Arabia had taken a south
ern direction. Parting from the mein
body in central Arabia, these aforementioned
emlgrants had first settled on or near tie
southern coast Of the peninsula, whence a
band Of them subsequently crossed INTO
Africa and made new homes In Abyssinia'
These mo vements must each be looked upon
as processes going on for a considerable
period. and. In some cases, as In Mesopo-
tamia and Palestine, the lands invaded
were subject TO a considerable mixture,
not only OF foreigners, but OF late corners
from Arabia.
II Is In the authors second chapter that
the results Of his study Of primitive Semitic
social life are presented. These results
may be succinctly outlined. The SemiteH,
perhaps as early as the time OF their separa-
ton from the Hamites. had reached the
animistlc stage Of civilization, and formed
totemistio clans. Their family relations
were exceedingly vague. Marriage wes
for . short term; women resided In the
homes Of their own kindred, and descent
was reckoned through the mother. The
killing Of female infants created a pauc'ty
OF women. which produced a condition OF
polyandry resembling the Nair type, under
which q woman nay have as many as a
dozen husbands, whom she receives In sue
cession or as fancy dictates, but who. in
turn. are free to have as many mlstrcsses
as they can secure. At the same time there
was among the primitive Semites much
exual irregularity which was regarded as
innocent. Out Of this irregularity there
grew, through the formation Of small trad
ing clans. and the influence Of the capture
OF women, a system Of Thibetan polyandry.
the system Ia which a group Of brothers
share one wife. Still later among the
Semites was evolved the system Of male
kinship and Of polygamy.
Perhaps at the time Of their separation
from the Hamites, and certainly at a COM
paratively early date after their settle
ment In Arabia, the Semites entered upon
a pastoral and semi-agricultural state ~
civilization in which the cultivation Of the
date palm played a momentous part. Upon
this point Mr., Barton observes: THE
importance Of the date palm for the sus-
nan and development Of Semitic life
can hardly be overestimated. The palm
leaves are to-day plated into string mats
and baskets, and the bark Is woven into
ropes. The dates themselves form a staple
article OF Arabian diet, some Of the people
having almost no other source Of nourish-
ment; they are exported az far as Damascus
and Bagdsd, and In return for them tho
Arabs are able 70 obtain a few articles from
the outside world. The date stones are
ground and used for the food Of COWS.
sheep and camels; syrup and vinegar are
made from old dates. from which also. by
some who disregard the Koran. a kind
OF brandy is manufactured In fife.
our author considers Palg AYES statement
not too strong: Dates are the bread Of
the land, tho staY OF life and the staple
Of commerce Mr.. Barton adds: They
still serve in some parts OF Arabia as the
standard OF value, as cattle do among
shepherd people. The date palms cast a
dense shade, which, in contrast TO the hot
Arabian atmosphere, must be exceedingly
grateful. Europeans regard dates as n
not altogether pleasing staple OF diet;
but in a land which produces SO s~paringly.
they arc regarded as q divine gift. An
Arabic proverb declares that q good house,
wife knows how to set before her husband
a new preparation Of date food each day
in the month
Our author soee on to show that In manv
places much thought has to be devoted
10 tnt CultuT8 OF tHe gate pains IN OIltT
TO make them grow. In many parts of
the peninsula the soil must be irrigated,
and in some parts water for the purpose
must be conducted considerable distances
The female flowers Of the date palm must
be ariidoialy ~impregnated from the male
flowers, unless a male tree happens to grow
where the winds will naturally carry the
pollen TO the female bowers. This natural
- -
about by planting a male tree in the midst
of the female ones, but il seems that. even
as late as the early Fart Of the nineteenth
century. 'Wellsted observed in the Sinaitic
peninsula an old method, once perhaps
more widely used in Arabia, Of fastening a
bunch Of the male flowers on a branch ex-
posed to the wind, and so placed that il
would disseminate the pollen over the
flowers TO be fortified. In Mesopotamia
the method which the ancient sculptures
attest, and which is still employed, was 70
climb the tree and sprinkle the pollen over
the flowers. This insured the fertilization
Of each Aower- The part played by tie
date palm and It's culture in the develop
ment Of ancient Semitic life il indicated
in a saying which is attributed 70 Moham-
med. and is here reproduced. MohanI-
Intu 10 cdlu W HdNc dOiItestl MS lpl-
lowers thus; Honor your pa,ernal aunt.
tho date palm. II was named our paternal
aunt because il WAS created Of what was
left from the clay Of Adam; and It resem-
bles mankind because il stands upright,
and il distinguishes bet ween its male and
female, and has the peculiarly (omong
plants) Of impregnating the latter To
appreciate the importance which the date
palm possessed in the eyes OF the Semitic
we must learn. our author says, -the divine
significance which he attached 10 IL, the
reflex Of his own social life which he saw
in il, and note how he attributed 10 IL all
his knowledge, especially the knowledge
of sex and procreation.'
In his third chapter the author ESSAYS
10 discern the main features of the religion
Of the primitive Semitic people. He arrives
at the conclusion that the earliest principal
deities which the Semites had were feminine
deities. Accepting the law that rel g'ous
institutions are in some important respects
patterned on the social and political nsti-
tutions which economic environment rem