Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-11-17
BY WILLIAM T. sLLIs.

MO6uI, turkey IN A61a.-Amerlcun
reapers running over the ruins OF
Nineveh-that is the striking symp-
tom which I have to report from this
city, itself ancient, across the river
from the capital of world dominion
during the height of Assyria's power.
These paradoxes of progress may be
Found all along the Tigris river, as
prophecy Of the not distant day when
this, now somnolent region, once the
center Of the world, will have been
awakened to the modern civilization
zklich is the most powerful Of all the
I1hquerors that have swept over the
earth.
The very day I arrived here 2b Chi
cago reapers came also, to augment
the pioneer six already here. The
city seems quite aroused over agri-
cultural machinery and was en-
treated to urge American manufao-
turers to send catalogues. If not
statesmen. as we'll as a goodly supply
bf duplicate parts; for your oriental
is rather hard on machinery, and he
has no faculty" in improvising
Anakeshifts or repairs after an acci-
uent. And he is long way from
base. These Chicago reapers came
from New York to Liverpool, trans
shipped to Port Said; thence up the
Persian gulf and the Tigris river to
Bagdad, and then on the backs of
camels for the twelve-day journey to
this place. Soon the hum Of Ameri-
can machinery will be heard over
the palaces and temples and streets
of old Nineveh. which is now all farm
land. Even Jonah could not have
prophesied this.
An Ice Machine and "Aliah."
The morning after my kelek, or
raft. tied up above the bridge Of
boats which links Mosul with the ru-
ins of Nineveh and Nebi Yunis
prophet JONAH" the name of a tomb.
a mosque and a village amid the ru-
ins) 1 was visited By an American
from Providence. r. l.. who saw the
American flag flying above my tent.
Since the new regime he has re-
turned to this. his old home, bringing
various improvements for this un-
touched section Of the Orient
The most marvellous, in the eyes Of
tke natives, is an ice-malSing machine.
mer temperature of 110 degrees is
common in Mosul. The ignorant and
fanatical Moslems look askance at this
Interference with the ways of Allah.
According to their reasoning. If Allah
had wanted 1t to be cool he would
have made 1t so. "In'sh Allah"-'It
is Gods willis the phrase that
paralyzes progress and destroys an
Americans temper, as the natives thus
lay all their laziness. lying and general
cussedness on the Lord.
"In'sh Allah" stood seriously in the
way of this ice machine, but even 1t
had to stand aside when an American
saw clear profits OF 500 ton in plain
sight. Next an American soda water
fountain will follow the ice machine,
for Ottomans are very fond of drinks,
and the Prophet forbids alcohol-al-
though the use of intoxicants is on the
increase among Moslems. In summer
the weather. classes in Mosul pay
three cents a pound for snow. brought
rom the mountains. packed in straw.
Where Muslin" Gets Its Name.
Aside from being generally consid-
cred the most inaccessible OF all the
cities in the Turkish empire, and
apart from Its long and romantic his
tory, Mosul's chief link with popular
interest is the fact that from its name
is derived the word muslin. that ar
ticle having originated here. Like
most Turkish cities. its glory lies
chiefly in the past. 1t has no manu-
Au ures at present, although 1t ex-
TNAs largely of wool, hides and gall
nd for tanning. 1t was interesting
to learn that much of the wool of the
fat-tailed sheep which / have been
watching day after day along the river
is consigned to a Philadelphia firm.
The hides, also. find their way in large
quantities to America.
The fanaticism of the city is IA
nous, although 1t was pleasant sur
prise to find natives speaking CRATE
fully of the memory of DIR. Williams,
father of DR.. Talcott Williams of Phil
adelphia, who lived here many years
ago, before this mission station of
the American board was abandoned.
AS rule, Moslems hereabouts have
scant courtesy for Christians. They
say, "Allah made both heaven and
hell, SO both must be filled; and that
is the reason for Christians" An
other local proverb has it, Fire must
have sticks, and hell must have Chris
tians''
Despite this prevailing sentiment,
the more intelligent citizens confess
that regardless of the theological prob
lens which the admission involves,
the Christian nations have been great
ly blessed by Allah, and 1t behooves
Turkey to learn modern ways from
them. There are only from six to
dozen Europeans or Americans pass
this way in whole year. SO 1t seems