The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-05-07

I4tf nave All SORTS OF Time IN the
Holy Land. They also have nearly
all sorts of religion. The method Of
reckoning time depends upon ones re-
taioH. The Catholics and Protest
. ants follow the Gregorian calendar,
the Greeks and Armenians follow the
Julian, ana the CoDts the Egyptian
The Cppte ave thirteen months in a
year., twelve months of thirty days
each ard one month Of five days
The Moslelns and Jews have q lunar
calendar, but have independent new
years. The AOsiom year tlas twelve
months If t~Wenty-ninc and thirty days
alternately, and the season ia waich a
month fdllS varies every year. be-
ceTnbeg sometimes falls in the anime
and July in the dead Of winter. The
Jewish year has twelve months. but
five times in every seventeen years it
nas thirteen months Every year III
Palestine there are four Christmases
and eight new years. The PFOtes-
tantS and Catholics observe the same
days, thirteen DAYS later the Greeks
nave theirs, while the ArrnenIans have
new year first and then Christmas.
Every week there are three Sab
baths: the MoslcIns/o observing Friday.
the Jews Saturday, and the Chris
tions Sunday. There are many other
1estsl days and something religious
IS going on pretty much all the time
The religious situation in this untr
is unique. No other land on the
globe can furnish Il parallel.
/ haVe often wondered why it was
necessary to send missionaries to the
land which first sent out missionaries
to ChEistianize the world. have
heard others express surprise that the
birthplace Of Christianity. where its
great founder preached and worked
miracles, should itself become q field
for missionary work. The reason may
not be SO obvious TO people in far
away America, but observation and u
little Investigation OF the spot viii
make it ali clear.
Since Christ preached a religion Of
love in the land divinely appointed
for his chosen people, many wonderful
changes have taken place-changes in
the government of the country, in its
conditions, it's population and its re-
liGion. Christianity was supplanted by
MOhammcdanlSm, which was planted
in the Holy Land by force and arms.
Today it is the predominant religion
Of the country. Three-fourthS Of the
population, including the ruling cl1sses
are NOhammedanS.
Obstacles to iiepiaEting christianity
1t is well known that the results of
missionary laborcrS in the Holy Land
particularly in the Old provinces Of Gal
lee, .Salnaria ana Judea, have not
altogether met expectations. There
has been some degree of success. but
nothing like that in other countries.
Put it is no fault Of the laborers. The
explanation Is found III The Dalabic OF
the soWer. The seed have fallen in
soil already grown up III weeds. TO
adopt an expression used in business
Matters, there is not "a good opening
for any more religion. Everybody al
ready has religion. There is more re
ligion to the square inch in this coun-
try than in any other land III the
world. Tn quality is rather inferior
Bllt the ~nll1nfjfN &c ann1T1D;1C in DIr
country g very large per cent of the
people make no pretensions to any re-
ligion whatever, but over here every
BODY is Il professor of some kind. The
first work Of the missionary, therefore,
is to convince the other fellow that
he is wrong and should make q
change. Nine-tenths Of the people are
very ignorant and superstitious and,
consequently, full of prejudice. No
prejudice is half so stubborn as re-
ligious prejudice. Argument only in
tensifies it. Fanaticism and bigotry
knows no bounds. The Moslems be-
lieve that they alone have a cinch
on those mansions in the skies. Their
religion itself was the product OF
httred of Judaism and christianity.
From their infancy they are taught
to deSDise Christians. The Koran in
cuIcates the same thing, and the ko-
ran is text book in the public schools.
When we were in Hebron we passed
1t S&1Ool IooIll oh liS lNi VI NAN -
Some OF our party peeped in at q VIM
dow to see an Arab school IN session.
A small girl ran to the window and
spat in the faces of two of the party.
A smile of satisfaction played over
her face, for such treatment of Chris
tians is considered praiseWorthy.
the teacher did not ever reprlmand
her.
Some time since our consul at Je-
rusalem, in company With an eN-Gov-
ernor of an American State, visited
the same city. Some Moslem boys
began to rock them, and our consul
raised his umbrella for protection.
The little fanatical rascals filed the
umbrella fun of holes. SO deep is
this feeling that if a Moslem cuts
and embraces some other religion, he
is ostraciseG by Mohamnledans and
even his k~inspeople will have no
more to do with aim. This pressure
holds him in line, no matter now
much he might prefer christianity
Al English bishop once undertook