The farmer and mechanic., 1907-09-24

both In public and private. and ult-.
about a generation ago the unmarried
+ women wore white wells
These copts believe in the ancient
form Of Christianity. They are aoou,
/ the same Christians as Egypt. had IN
! Roman times. They claim St Mar
as their first patriarch and say tnat
he preached the Gospel at Alexandr ira
and started the sect there Tney have
patriarch today, and under MIN
twelve bishops and large number OF
priests and deacons. They have their
monks and nuns. all OF whom ieao
hard lives. they fast and pray, wear
shirts OF rough wool and live upon
vegeta bIes.
me copts believe in God the Father.
and in the Lord Jesus Christ. as His
/ son. They believe IN prayer. anu,
like the Mohammedans. pray I'VE or
prayers at day break and are supposed
10 make five separate petitions before
dark and 10 close up with another
prayer at midnight As they pray
they recite a Psalm or chapter from
the Gospel; and some have rosarles
OF beads on which they count forty
one times. saying the words:
"Oh, my Lord have mercy
After this they close up with
short prayer. They wash before pray,
ing, ana pray with their faces turned
toward the east They believe in bap-
tism and think that an unbaptlzed
child Will be blind in the next life.
They have fixed times for baptism;
boy baby being baptised at forty days
and a girl baby al eighty days after
birth.
In the Coptic Churches.
There are Coptfc churches all over
Egypt. and ! find several here in AS
stout The average church usually
surrounds a court. II consists or Tour
or five buildings. comprising a cnapel,
nf a
bishop and other rooms The church
proper contains an altar which is sep
arated from the rest of the room by
a screen. covered by curtain with
cross worked upon il. Before this
curtain stands the priest and the cholr
and the more influential members OF
the congregation. Behind them is a
lattice work, and on the other side or
1t are the less important men or the
church, with the women in the rear
Every one is expected to take off his
shoes when he comes into church. and
in many of the halls Of worship there
are no seats and the people lean upon
sticks while the sermon Is preached.
The service begins at daybreak, and
often lasts four or five hours. 50 that
It is no wonder that some of the
members of the congregation fall 70
chatting during the preaching. aqd
business and social matters are dis
cussed.
DO Not Trust Their wives.
am told that the Copts do not trust
their wives. Each has but one, but he
does not make her his conhdant; he
never tells her any of his business
secrets, and does not pay her as
much respect as the native ProteS-
tant Christians pay their wives. He
seldom sees his wife until he is mar
ried. and he is forbidden by his relig-
ion to marry any one but Copt. As
among the Mohamm edans, marriages
are usually matter of business, with
a dowry bargained upon beforehand.
The favorite wedding time is Satur-
day night, and the marriage feasts last
throughout the following week When
the marriage contract is made all the
parties to it say the Lords prayer
three times and before the cereno-
nies are completed the bride ard
bridegroom go separately to church
and the Eucharist is administered to
them Just before her marIa the
bride is given steam bath, and her
finger nails and toe nails are stained
red with hena- Prior TO the ceremony
the bride sends the bridegroOni suit
Of clothing, and woman from hrr
house goes to him to see that It is
delivered properly and that the bride
groom is taken to the bath. Thus It
is provided that both start the mar
ried life comparatively clean.
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.