El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-13

pyright, 1913, by Frank G. Carpenter).
average price for a gOOd-looking CIR
was $40 in silver, a water buffalo
worth about SD, and 500 pieces of rice
cake, worth 1cent each. OF the money
paid 81 went to the girl and the rest
TO her parents.
The AIohammedans of the Philippines
number about 250,0O0 and they are just
about one hOusandth part Of the Mo-
hammedan population of the world.
Few people have any idea of the extent
of this religion. There are abut ESQ.,
600 600 followers of the prophet. Mo-
hammedanism is the principal faith
IN great part OF Asia and OF AFRICA
and it has millions of adherents in Eu-
rope There are 100000 Mohamme-
cans in Austria-Hungary and almost
100000 in Russia. Roumania has 50,-
600 and the Balkan states, which have
been creating so much trouble lately,
have almost three-quareterS OF a mil
lion There are 100000 followers OF
the prophet in European Turkey, and
in all Europe there are about as many
Mohammedans as Jews, or between g.
100000 and 100000.
China is generally looked upon as q
COnfucian and Buddhistic country New
ertheless there are something like TO-
100000 Mohammedans in the republic
and its dependencies, and there are TO-
600, 900 Mohammedans who live north
Of the Yangtse river. Many of the
people in Mongolia are Mohamm edans,
Pekin.
MaIays Are MObammedans.
The most OF the Malays are Moham-
medans, and there are millions who
follow the prophet IN Java and in the
other islands of the Dutch East Indies.
As TO India, IL has more MOhammedanS
than there are people in the whole
German empire. 1t has far more than
inees in which the Mohammedans are
the controlling class.
The largest and most beautiful
mosques in the world are at Delhi and
Agra, in northern India The big
mosque is at Delhi, not far from the
place where the new government build
ings Of the British capital are to be
erected. This mosque covers acres It
took 5000 men, working six years, to
build it. and it has as many steps as
the capitol at Washington.
I shall never forget my visit to it
and how I was there shown a relic
precious object in all Hindustan. I was
made to take off my shoes before L
could see the relic. and in my stock
ing feet 1 was led through corridor af-
chest which contained a nest of locked
boxes. These were opened one after
another, and at the last, in a little
glass caSkeT, on q green velvet cush-
ion, was displayed a hair which l
was assured came from Mohammed's
mustache- The hair was as red as
that or my own head and the priest
told me that Mohammed had red hair
and a red beard. It is for this reason
that many MOhammedans dye their
hair and whiskers a bright red. They
want TO pass their way into heaven by
having boards Of the same color as
AIOhammed. Indeed. it seemed to me
that I was treated with respect in
the mosque on account of the red
color OF my own mustaehe.
Most Beautiful Mosque on Earth.
The most beautiful mosque in the
world is the Tai Mahal, at Agra. 1t
was built by the same man who erected
the Jamma Musjid, the mosque I have
just described. The Tai Mahai is not
so large, but IL was far more costly
and its wonderful workmanship is still
the admiration Of the world.
The building stands upon q mosaic
platform of black and white marble
covering about two acres, at the cor
ners Of which are high marble towers
in which the MOhammed priests
stand morning and evening and shout
put the calls 70 prayer.
The mosque itself, which is also a
tomb, is of the purest white marble,
ending in a bubble like dome that /
seems to float in the air over it. Its
doors are of laceWork of the purest
white marble, and the interior con-
-ains enough Of this marble lacewOrk