Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28

students) who were on their way to a lee
ture in the mosque medresse (colloge).
Religious students busy.
The 10000 or 1900 religious students who
are in the city all the time come from
every part OF the empire TO study at the
medresse. with which each large mosque is
endowed, in the hope of one day becoming
wise men. or at least of learning to repeat
the Koran by heart, which takes eight
hours. They carry out to the letter the
Moslem's five obligatory duties: First, the
recital Of the Kalina ola ilaha illa-llah
wa-Muhammed Rasu-lullah"). Second.
ablution and prayer at dawn, midday, aft
ernoon, sunset and evening each day.
though occasionally. in dererence to per-
sonal convenience. permission may be OBJ
tanned to perform the prayer all at once
with one thorough ablution; but the en-
forcement of this duty is so strict that a
ulema Cpriest), an elected deputy, rose in
the House Of Parliament recently and de-
clared that the great famine now raging In
Asia Minor was solely due to the fact
that Mohammedans In that region had neg
lected to pray the required number of times
praying only three times during the day
instead Of five. Third. the observance of
Ramayanm, a month of fasting, during
which time nothing may pass his lips from
sunrise to sunset, and night in consequence
is turned into day. Fourth, the pilgrimage
to Mecca once during his lifetime. Fifth.
the giving of almslto the poor to the extent
Of one-fourth of his>possessions each year
the law being carefully to mention that
these gifts are to be made only to Moham-
medan poor.
Encourages Begging.
This last obligatory duty encourages the
profession of begging and accounts for the
amazing number OF beggars and gypsies
that waylay one every hour Of the day, for
Moslems give generously, believing that by
so doing their sins are expiated. When it is
too cold for the gypsies to live in the open
country they come into the city and camp
in the mosque cloisters. where they screen
themselves from the eyes of the crowd in
the yard by means of pieces of mating
which appear to nave served a like purpose
for many generations.
Men, women and children in filthy, tat
tered garments exc out an existence here
by begging and by gathering scraps from
the mosque kitchen rather than do any
honest days work. For every large mosque
is endowed with a hospital and a soup
kitchen, in the latter of which-a vault like
| iOOlAA ~ W WV oiAAhAA saws III NhO OihS
roof-soup, pilap (the favorite Turkish dish
of rice) or bread is served two or three
days a week to the poor.
The large mosques occupy prominent po-
sitions on the seven hills, but there are in
the city innumerable small mosques that
raise tiny minarets to heaven. Every fifty
yards or so you find one of these mosques
tucked away in a quaint corner surrounded
on all sides by o~verhanging wooden houses
and shops.
Many of them are so neglected that they
have fallen into decay and others have
sprung up within their shadow. Some are
utilized as shops on the ground floor, and
here the pious shopman sits c~rosslegged
before his Koran, not caring whether Gus
toners come or not. He is confident that
they will GOMEZ it is Allsh's will.
FREDERICK MOORE.