The Washington times., 1912-06-29
SHEPHERDS OF THE
HOLY LAND STILL
. LIVE WITH SHEEP
Customs of 1000 Years Ago
Followed BY Flock
! Tenders.

There are few more picturesque sights
In the Holy Land than the shepherd
and his flock of sheep. You can never
see one without the other, says a writer
in Country Life in America. They live
entirely with their fiocks.
Their business is not only an honor
able calling, but It is one of perpetual
difficulty and eanger. Shepherds in the
East are men of war; also they are
men Of some initiative and practical
intelligence.
They, of course, belong to the native
population, which may be divided into
three groups, the townspeople, or me-
danijeh; the peasants, or dwellers In
villages, called the fellaheen, and the
nomads, who live in tents and spend
their lives roaming, called the Bedouins.
The shepherds, therefore, come under
the head of peasants. or fellaheen, but
nevertheless they are virtually a race
apart. Unlike the other native tribes,
they have maintained their ancient
charter intact. They attended to tho
wants of their sheep and led them from
pasture to pasture among the hills and
valleys long before the coming of the
children of Israel.
Rough Dress.
Their shoes are Of the toughest de-
scription, almost circular in circumfer-
ence. They wear an outer garment OF
bright colors. 1t is woven from camers
hair, as was that of John the Baptist
The coats are without seam, as was the
one worn by our Saviour and Of which
1t was said at his crucifixion that It was
without seam, woven from the top
throughout"
ant women of Galilee, They are square
and sleeveless and At any man. They
hang in picturesque folds from the
shoulder. A kerchief for the head, tied
completes the shepherds outfit In the
winter, however. shepherds take an un-
dressed fleece. which they girdle about
their loins, when they more than ever
appear like members Of their own flock
The fiocks vary considerably in size.
some numbering only a score or even
less, while others run into several
hundred. Speaking generally a shep;
thirty or forty sheep while his brethren
in northern Palestine will possess flocks
double this size In the Lebanons there
are some very large herds.
Lyrian Sheep.
The sheep themselves are distinctly
Of the Syrian breed and famed for their
fat tails. Much has been made of the
fact that the shepherds of Palestine
lead their sheep. This custom has
arisen, of course. through the absence
Of roads and the scanty nature Of the
pasture found on the mountain sides.
It would be impossible to drive the
were employed. and there are no sheep
dogs In Eastern countries.
Hence the shepherd goes on in front.
the sheep following behind. shepherd
This is the shepherds principal duty.
TO guide his sheep and find pasturage
for them.
Then, another remarkable trait about
these men Is that they know their
sheep, and can instantly pick them out
from strangers. At Bethlehem once 1
wkitnessed a yer ystrtking demonstra-
ton Of this. Three shepherds met, and
were soon hopelessly mixed up together.
Distinguish Own Sheep.
When an American farmer. touring in
Palestine, was told that the men could
easily distinguish their respective
charges he laughed. SO it was put to the
test. 1t required but a few minutes to
drive the sheep into a fold, and in a
remarkably short space of time the
shepherds pointed out correctly the
members of their respective flocks
In the same way, too. the sheep know
their master. or rather his voice. Over
and over again I have seen two or more
shepherds meet with their flocks at a
we'll and sit and chat for hours to-
gether. When they get up to move
away the fiocks have become one large
herd. There is no attempt. however.
to separate them. Each man moves in
the direction he wishes to take and
shouts to his sheep: "Tabbo! Tabbo"
short and sharp, never thinking of look
ing round until he is some distance
away. One by one the sheep hear the
voice and follow slowly after their
master. There Is never a mistake,
though all use the same word; the voice
own, and 1t has distinct individuality
about It. caused by the constant use of
the same tone.