The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-09-12

elementary populations with whom l was here dealing, to wit, an absence of the imagination which enables an individual to put himself in another's place. Each man looks at the situation merely from his own point of view and never troubles to consider how it may affect others.
 When by chance any such reflection does occur to natives of this semi-bar- barous land, they often display the most unselfsh and even heroic disre- gard of their own interests or personal safety, rushing to the rescue not mere- ly of a neighbor, but even of any to- tai stranger who may be exposed to some sudden peril.
 On one such occasion a workman from a distant province, not even a fellow Arab, but a negro from the far off Sus country, was overwhelmed by the treaeherous sands in a well which he was digging, and of which the sides, not being properly shored up, had given way. Man after man plunged into the yawning pit, each in turn becoming en- tangled beyond eXtrication, and finally buried alive by the apparently light and harmless sand that slipped so soft ly and so noiselessly down upon them, slowly sealing their fate as each was still struggling to rescue the preceding victim.
 The last to attempt the unavaillng off Ar+ t.ybO son had thus been entombed even as the father. who had been hastily called, rushed to the spot only in time to see his sons head disappear beneath the all-invading si- lent sand.
 I tried to prevent the father uom uselessly incurring the sam fate Tnrusting me aside, he leApea ITO tic rapidly filling pit, frand,alH dig ging inc sand away with Ills hands from about his sons hall, until he uncovered for an instant the now dad face of the young man, who only 9 few seconds before had been so frll Of life and vigor.
 N hen the father realize tiat his SOB no longer lived he srasped my extended hand and, struggling from the invading sand, seats himself si lently few yards from the noiseless death trap where six brave fellows had been so quickly engulfed. l en- deavored to express my sympathy, His only answer was "Tsrubbi! It is the will of Godl"
 Again on another occasion, when the Punjaub, a bark flying the Eng llsh flag, was wrecked during heavy gale one Christmas Eve just off the ruins of the old mole of Tangier, and close beneath the main battery the natives of the place risked their lives to rescue the crew, men of another race and creed. all of whom might have perished but for the efforts of these local boatmen acting under the orders of the brave Mohammed Bar gha, the giant captain of the port.
 Thanks to these valiant fellows, 29 men and boys were taken off the wreck while the vessel was being dashed to pieces. The captain of the Punjaub lost his life just as the deck upon which he stood was washed overheard. The vessel struck upon the rocks early in the afternoon, yet it was midnight before the last of the crew, still clinging to the masts, was safely rescued.
 Nor are these the only cases I have witnessed of heroic deeds performed by natives-Arabs, Berbers or ne- groes.
 The distressing feature, however, is that 1t is so impossible to predict whether the mere love of loot and de- struction or noble desire to rescue some victim of distress will ultimate ly prevail. Yet the Arab and the Berber are men like ourselves, not a whit more mysterious or incompre- hensible. But with them the emo- tional element is under less stringent control
 Both these races often display hot merely great power of physical en- durance, but also singular subtlety of intellect, together with the utmost termination--while it lasts. Yet at the best they are strangely subject to sudden alterations of mood and inten- tion.
 It is In this latter respect that they appear to differ most from our race. This impulsiYeness also governs the Arabs qualifications both as friend" and as servant" while, cu- riously enough, a single term in Ara bic is generally employed to desig nate, indifferently, either friend" or servant" Thus the Moslem of h. dia addresses either an English over lord OF his own native attendant as "sahlb."
 The only other distinctive Arabic for domestlcs is the word houdam Cor workers) applied to fe- male slaves, or metzalmin for male omestics-meaning literally appren- tices. Neither term, however, car ries with it any essentially ,humiliat- ing implication of social inferiority, since where the Moslem faith pre- vails even negro slaves may attain to the most important official position.
 I have known Arabs, members of the same family, the one occupying some exalted position and the other, brother or cousin of the former act ing as his personal attendant, fulfill ing what we should consider menial duties, yet both eating together, not at the same table, since the Arabs take their meals seated upon the ground, but from the same dish.
 It is only the females of the family who are debarred this privilege, since it is not considered seemly for a mans wife or daughter to take their food until they have first served the master