The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-11-23

hSi Va nAiiSo WhSiS sho SeA
beats down. hot and fierce, lies
~ the little country Of Morocco.
blinking insolently across the
! Straits of Gibraltar at Spain and re-
garding with equal contempt the rest OF
the civilized world. For civilization
has touched Morocco but lightly and
at heart its white-robed inhabitants
are as savage as were their ancestors
who, fighting beneath the Crescent.
tried to conquer Europe for Moham-
med twelve hundred years ago.
Those warriors of the prophet failed,
same savage spirit now and then, and
when they do 1t is good time for
those of other faiths to barricade the
doors and windows of their houses II
they cannot fee. Only few weeks ago
there was a bloody massacre, In Fee,
the capital of Morocco. In which hun
dreds of Jews, their wives and their
daughters, were slain.
But the power of Morocco is gone,
and Spain today is In no danger from
the fierce little country that clings
to the northern edge of the Sahara.
| The Moors may look across to Gibral-
tar and reflect that it and all the coun-
try to the north of it once was theirs.
but there is little danger that the flag
Of the prophet ever will be unfurled
again on Spanish soil.
Counted II a Privilege to DIE.
1t was early in the eighth century
that the Moors streamed across the
straits and into Spain. All Northern
Africa was afiame with the new re-
llgion Of the prophet From Arabia
with fire and sword, converting by
force of arms and counting 1t priv
lege to die fighting for the advance Of
Islamism. Northern Africa, whose
only religion was decadent Chris
tianity, had not been long in taking tn,
new faith up, though there was some
stubborn fighting against the Aral
invaders. The Berbers who were tn,
principal inhabitants of Morocco, ha,
at first resisted. then taken vi
Mohammedanism with a rush, An,
then, led by the Arab priests and gen
erals and aided by two or thre
treacherous grandees of Spain, the,
had sailed across the narrow strip o
water which separated them from
Europe and started out conQuerin
Spain. The Gothic kingdom whicl
, had flourished there was destroyed
Many of the sturdiest Of the Christian
inhabitants Of the land fled to tn
, mountains and upland country rathe
than submit to Moor Jurisdiction
Many who remained professed thei
conversion to Mohammedanism, Will
others we're allowed to renal
Christians, although under man
hampering restrictions. Gradual
little Christian kingdoms were bull
, up in the north OF Spain, and thes
made war against the Moors, VIII
we're regarded as the incarnation {
; all that was evil. AS matter OF fac
they seem to have been industrious
, skillful and capable of achievement
in architecture and general cultur
which we're considerably in advanc
Of anything the Spaniards themselve
had accomplished
Left Some Wonderful Buildings.
The relics of their civilization whic
e exist today, principally in the forl
Of old buildings palaces and archway
are among the most beautiful thins
In Spain The Alhambra, where ii
. Moorish kings Of Granada lived, is
wonderful labyrinth Of walls and bs
y comics and terraced gardens.
3 Perhaps time has cast something
o glamour over those ancient Moor
but certainly they seem to have bee
/ foemen Of finer sort than the swartt
g cut.throats who make up the popul
u ton OF present day Morocco. A
though their skins were dark fro
long residence In tropical climat
d the Moors we're not negroes The
!. features were fine and regular, the
intelligence above the ordinary. a,
II we even read of Moorish knights fist
d Ing tournaments against fair.hair,
+, warriors and being treated as hone
able enemies, Othello was a Moo
al and in The Merchant OF Venic
d Shakespeare has the prince OF Moroc
q coming as a sutton for the hand
= Portia, and losing very gamely.
But for all that, Moors were
garded as natural enemies in Spa
and. although they hung on for almo