Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-23
Priestly
jealousy.


and Greek churches, never
Priestly live at the mosque and are
seldom seen within their
Jealousy. walls. There is bitter
jealousy between them and the ordinary
priests, who look upon them as
charlatans and mountebanks and do
not approve Of their performances. The
two classes of dervshes. the "howling''
and the "whirling.' have their own quar-
tiers and places Of exhibition and their
| own distinctive dress. They are usually
called "holy men," but the ordinary
priests of the mosques do not regard them
in that light. The theory Of the "howl-
ing dervish' is that he can best worship
| God by shouting until he falls in a fit.
The whirling dervish worships God by re-
volving around on his toes until he
swoOnS from exhaustion. These forms of
| worship. in the large cities, at least, have
degenerated into vulgar exhibitions for
the benefit of strangers and curious peo-
pie. from whom admission fee is col
lected Their performances are seldom
witnessed by members of their own faith,
and some of the dervishes have become so
degenerate that they are willing to exhibit
themselves on the vaudeville stage and in
the rings Of circuses and wild west shows
This fact rather impafrs confidence in
their sanctity we'll as their sincerity.
Inc moving ueTNlSneS utter the nine
ty-nine names Of Allah ninety-nlne times,
first in low mOnotonous tone, which in
creases in power until it becomes shrek
and they keep up the repetition until they
fall in the ring, or relapse into state of
catalepsy There is nothing solemn OF
impressive about the performance. On
the contrary. it is a disgusting spectacle,
which no sensible person would care to
see a second time.
The "whirling dervshes" waltz slowly
n a
can move no longer, and collapse nerve
less upon the floor. There have been fire.
uuent tests Of endurance among them and
a dervish was pointed out to me who has
a reputation of whirling upon his feet
continuously for forty-two minutes, which
seems Incredible.
There are other orders Of dervishes,
self -dedicated to certain purposes for their
lives, and with certain
Begging missions to perform, in
D Guiding itinerant beggars
DeI'IsAeS' who go from town to
town knocking at the doors of houses,
calling at business offices and standing at
street corners soliciting aims They
usually have gourds. which they rattle to
attract attention. and some of them cover
themselves with ashes and filth as form
of penance
But none of these creatures is ever
seen around the mosques. and / am told
that the regular priests will drive them
away if they dare to come. because they
regard them with contempt.
However, the Sultan of Turkey IS al
WAYS indicted into office by the chelebl
effendi, or superior general of the MeV-
mevi dervishes. who comes from Roma.
in Asia Minor, for that purpose and
brings with him the scimiter or Osmah
the Great founder of the Ottoman en-
pire. with which he girds the new SOW
ereign Only two sultans, since the MOS
lem occupation of COnstantinople in 14ol'
have omitted this ceremonial and the
consequences were disastrous to theni.
The ceremony is performed in Deauti-
full little mosque of white marble win
shapely dome several small semi
domes ard two exquisite minarets IN the
village of Eyub. a suburb of Constan-
tinople at the head of the Golden Horn
This mosque was built by the conaueror
of Constantinople shortly after the cap
ture of that city, and dedicated to Eyub
Ansari. the devoted friend and standard