The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1910-09-23

iOI6 Dc a tAiihe VI
the past. After centuries.
even millenniums, of conservatism In
customs and speech, the barrier to en-
Hghtenment has been broken down
by the Young Turks. and men of en-
terprise have been invited to enter
Palestine-so long held in bondage by
the late sultan-and to form it into a
modern and progressive country.
With the entry of civilization and
modern culture the many peculiar
customs which have been observed
since the days of the patriarchs, and
the poetical speech of the natives
which re-echo words of the prophets.
will soon be banished. For even III
the smallest actions of their life the
people rehearse Biblical scenes of the
days OF the patriarchs and speak to
each other in the poetical phraseology
of the Psalmist and the prophets.
quite unconsciously.
Perhaps the most interesting figure
in Oriental life is the tall. dark Be-
douin, whose life resembles in every
detail that of Abraham of old. Even
he. illiterate and ignorant as he is, a
wanderer of the desert, living the
most primitive life. embodies his ideas
in highly metaphorical language. His
black camel's-hair tent is probably. of
the same shape as that of the patri-
archal days, and is made in such a
manner as to facilitate its erection
and it's removal and transportation on
the backs of burden-bearing camels-
The Bedouin is surrounded in his
wanderings by just as many camels.
oxen and other animals as was the
wealthy patriarch of early days.
Biblical Scenes Rehearsed.
In the fields one sees living illus
trations of many of the parallels, and
in the villages are rehearsed many in
cidents mentioned in the Bible. There
is a great variety of homes to be seen
in Palestine representing the various
stages of the evolution of homes
from the abodes in the rocks of the
poor peasant or the leper to the mod
ern stone house of the wealthy Mo
hammedan. There are the more pic
turesque homes made of twigs and
branches. These are literally "A sha-
dow in the day time from the heat
They are also made of cloth from
by long. rude poles. Then there ere
the houses of clay.
The ovens in these mud-hut villages
are also made of clay, one large one
serving for the use of the whole viii
lage. The Israelites of old used just
such ovens. They heated them by
fires of dried twigs and grasses The
loaves were placed inside and around
them.
The houses have fat roofs. These
fiat earthen roofs are not much pro-
lection against transforms. They soon
become soaked and then commences
disagreeable dripping of water
through the roof, which continues day
and night. In summer the people
sleep upon their roofs. and some spend
the day there. taking their cooking
utensils up.
minaret, five times a day, announcing
to the village that There is but one
God. and Mohammed is his prophet"
every man and boy spreads his prayer
rug on his cloak before him and
kneels down upon it. Whether he be
in the field at work or in his home
at rest or in the streets bargaining. at
the sound of that call to prayer he
turns his face eastward to Mecca and
bows down his forehead to the
ground. and rises and makes many
genuf1exions while muttering Arabic
words from the Koran.