The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-11-28

her. and as the doctors may not visit
the women, the task is a very hard
one, though in large towns, where
European medical Departments have
worked, they have at length won some
confidence; but still as a doctor must
feel the pulse or see the the tongue
in many cases this is forbidden by the
husbands of Mohammedans. Contagious
diseases are not more carefully avoid
ed by visitors than others; as every
thing that happens is due to destiny,
and everything was written from tie
beginning, no precautions can help.
Cholera, plague and the like are
treated in the same negligent manner
The government, indeed, does establish
quarantine as soon as an epidemic is
said to be raging in some neighbor-
! ing country or province, but this is
most often only the means of making
money. Ophalmia is perhaps the dis
ease most generally spread and doing
the greatest mischief in Egypt as
well as in Palestine. Certain towns
suffer a great deal more than others
| for various reasons. Jerusalem is
more than 2,400 feet above the level
of the sea, and though periodically
eye diseases prevail and may also
| make many victims, yet this is moth
| irg in comparison with Ramleh,
| I."dda CT Cairo In Egypt. 1t may
be said that i'll neither Of the last
nGmed towns is there to be found a
single family altogether free from eye
diseases of some knid of other This
alarming state has been attributed to
the terrible heat IN summer, as LYDIA
is often termed small hell. Others
abound and are driven into the eyes
by the wind. Yet again many attri-
butte it to the universal filthiness, for
water is not always to be had, espe-
cially when people go out of the town
t. live in the vineyards through the
summer, and they are glad to have
then eccssary water for food and
drink
Another hideous town disease,
though the patients come mostly from
tt e country, is leprosy. Any travel
er in the East remembers to have
seen the rows of lepers sitting by the
r. ads outside the gates of the towns
stretching out their fingerless hands
and with a hoarse voice asking Gods
blessing and long life TO the passers-
hy in return for which wish they al
ways receive coins These people live
i'll separate houses which the NUM-
cipalities put at their disposal, and In
these all lepers are obliged to live.
Jerusalem is the only town with a
hospital for lepers; though they can
not be cured they are better cared for
and are taken away from mendicity.
Beggers of all sorts are met with
III all towns and, to a certain degree,
are even liked, for charity is one of
the Muslin laws. 1t is a good thing
to accomplish this duty by giving to
the mendicants. Some beggars sit
by the road, others go from house to
house knocking at the doors and in
wailing tone say: May God in
crease your wealth, my lady; God pre-
serve to you your children" If the
lady is we'll inclined to give she drops
a coin or a pece of bread or somethin:
else If she can give nothing she
will call back: MAY God give YOU;
whereupon the beggar retires and trie:
the next gate.
Woman in the harem is, relatively
sr eaking, perhaps happier than the
Occidental lady can imagine her to
be, for her manner of living in Sc
clusion strictly separated from men,
gives her another conception of hap
piness and freedom for which in one
sense she does not even care, wholly
ignoring any other condition of life.
But even the Christion woman in
Palestine though the only wife, is
practically secluded from masculine
society except only her husbands.
Continued on page 8