El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-16
tx g. CARPENTER S LETTER.
IN India

10 the best estimates,
of the Afohammedaus
la and Egypt cannot
The Bedouins are AZ
tsians are almost as bad,
ia, 96 percent of the Mo-
not read That is. there
persons in every hundred
who can read and write
er the English government
iized country.
nmedans have been discuss
cratlOn since the Japan Rus
hey feel that it is their own
They have not greater share
ernment. The desire for edu-
spreading. Cheap translatiOns
Icred books are being circulated,
bciatoins for the improvement
Eatoin of the Mohanmedans are
brmed. The more progressive are
l. ending their boys to government
r, and many are patrOnizing the
lmnedan college at Aligarh. This
Tuition is situated about 70 miles
N here in one of the old cities of
iia. It was started 35 Years ago as n
mall school, but it IS now an uptodate,
FmOdern college, giving a degree of
bachelor of arts 1t has a staff of Eng
bsh university graduates as teachers. but
its trustees are Mohammedans and MANY
OF the professors are of that religion. In
addition to the ordinary studies, it pays
eesDcial attention to Sanscrit, Arabic
and Persian. and the students are care
fully instructed in the Nlohammedan re-
ligion The Koran is read in the chapel
and prayers are enforced, the boys bow
ing toward MECCA as they go through
The Allgsl tasisnts are devoted to
modern att They have a cricket
team wha one of the best in India;
and they Strain and tug at football and
pendent of the government, and it Is
largely supported by the contributions of
MohammedanS.
In addition to this school there are
minor institutions in some of the Mo
hammedan cities, and the missionaries
are enrolling more and more MOhamme-
dams in their schools from year to year.
This is especially so with the Y. VI. {.
A, which has boarding clubs and hotels
in which MOhammedans and HindOos eat
together. This means much in a caste
country ike India The missionaries tell
me it is more difficult TO convert the
Mohammedans than the HindoOs. The
Mohammedans are the stronger race
They are better fed and better bred.
They do not believe in child marriage,
and they encourage the remarriage OF
widows The most of them live in cities
and eat meat. The majority OF the Hin
docs live in the country. subsiSt upon
vegetables and have barely enough to
keep soul and body together. The Mo
hammedans hate the Hindoos and would
start a religious war against them at
any time if the British sould leave.
midas Biggest Mosque.
/ have often been asked by Christians
at home whether the AIohz1nfmedans were
hvpOcrites or really believed IN their re-
hgion. | can assure You there Is no
doubt OF their belief. They have as
strong faith as we have and are mucn
less backward in showing it. When we
pray we sneak back Of the barn, behind
the wOodpile or at least kneel in our
closets. If there are Others in the same
room we may pray in bed. The AIoham
medan, when the hour of prayer comes,
hobs down upon his knees in the open
and goes through his long devo;iOns
wherever he may be- You may often see
him reading his bible-the Koran-while
in his shop, and YOU will find him pray
ing everywhere If he is at all devout
he goes to the mosque every day and
prays there in public. He always washes
before he prays and he takes off his
shoes before he steps upon the holy
floor of his church. He makes the
stranger do likewise or requires MIN TO
put on slippers over his shoes, that the
sacred pavements may not be defiled.
This is what | had to do when | went
with high priest through the Jamma
MJrsjid today, although his holiness told
me | might keep my hat on.
And this brings me to midas ~reatest
mosque 1t IS called the Jamma Musjid
and it is situated here on the banks OF
the Jumna on plateau of rock between
Delhi fort and the city 1t is something
like 500 years old, having been built
Shah Jehan. the same man who erected
the Tai Mahal at Agra, considered the
most beautiful building of the whole
world The JaInma A1usiid is of red sand
stone inlaid with white marble. 1t has
three great dornes and mighty minarets
from the tops of which the Lmans call
the hours of PRAYER five times dav. 1t
is the biggest mosque in the world. sur
passing anything in Cairo or CONSTANT
nople and larger than the famed Mo-
hammedan churches of Kadrouan. The
Jamma Nusjid has a paved court OF more
than four acres in front Of it, and this
is walled by c1oisters which run around
its three edges.
The floor of the mosque is divided into
kneeling places of white marble bordered
with black. Each is large enough to
one man upon his knees
with sufficient space in front for him 20
bow his head to the stone. All point to-
ward Mecca. and as | walked through
The building | saw many praying. In the
alooves worshippers were readin~ their
Norans, and off at one side crowd of
women shrouded in white wells was sit
ing. As we walked through the high
priest pointed out the beauties of the
MOSQUE, translating the texts of the KO-
an inlaid here and there. He took me
% the pulpit which is cut out of a single
block Of solid marble and as q special
avor showed me the "reatest treasure
possessed by the church. This is kept |
n vault of stone with numerous doors. |
which are guarded by two gray bearded !
ollowers of the prophet. AT the direc- !
ion of the high priest these doors We're !
opened. Ny curiosity rose as key after !
lev was used. and when at last | was |
hown a casllet covered with glass | ex- |
,ected a great diamond or some collec- |
ion of rlIbies and pearls. / looked in |
nd saw nothing until his holiness point |
d to a single rough, red. wiry hair in !
he center The hair was about two inch |