The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23

he deems himself superior ta mortafs.
which superiority he expresses In his
sneering lips.
One gains as much satisfaction and
knowledge in regarding and remembering
the folklore which he encounters in travel
ing as he does from the history and
visual contact with the foreign places
that he visits. This Is especially true in
the east for this reason-all folklore is
divided into sagas and marchens, the last
being mostly pure fiction designed for
the amusement of the nursery A major
ity of the legends SAVIOR of the puerility
of the marchen but investigation invari-
ably proves that their foundation rests
upon the text of the writings of learned
authors and ancient savants. They may
not be true, just as many Biblical stories
challenge our credulity. but they are not
the creation of the irresponsible fancy of
the rabble
For instance; 1t is probably admitted
that there is nowhere to be found a
more filthy oderous and reeking locality
than the Jewish quarters of Jerusalem.
In passing them one has to close his nos
trels with his kerchief or fingers Gar
bage and offal are left decaying in front
of the doors, upon the streets and even
upon lic IOOl lOpS 4 llGS ana DDdSBOJS
are at work and the environment is as
repulsive and impossible as it is extern
sive.
All this l duly noted during my visit
10 the Holy City and while the odors
were universally bad enough I could not
fail to detect In passing certain houses
that the effluvia were of an exceptionally
disgusting character. They suggested the
presence of a cadaver in semi-putrid
state. When I spoke of it to my drago-
man he elevated his eyebrows and said
'Kazquils." Upon being pressed for an
explanation he told me that the occupants
Of the houses from which the horrid odor
emenated were descendants of ancestors
who after lying for some time as corpses
were resuscitated and moved among men
as was their wont before they died. This
happened in the time of Ezekiel the
prophet who vain1y exhorted the men of
Jerusalem to go forth to battle. As they
would not obey the prophetic injunction,
God visited a pestilenee upon the city
of which many died daily. Then fearing
death at the hands of the plague a mill
lion people are said to have fled from
Jerusalem, but the wrath of the Almighty
overlook them and they all fell dead.
Hearing of this great calamity those who
remained in the city went out to bury
the dead, but the latter were too numer-
Gus for interment so the people built a
wall around the corpses to protect them
from the beasts of the field.
Thus they lay for many years exposed
to the heat and cold until the flesh had
rotted off of the bones. Finally the
prophet Ezekiel came that way and be-
holding the great multitude of dead and
dry bones he prayed God to again re-
answered so that the dead stood upon
their feet as a great army and, entering
into the city, lived out the rest of their
days. The descendants of the resuscitated
corpses are known as "Kazquils," which
is the Arabic name for Ezekiel, and they
may today be recognized by the corpse
like odor which they exhale. Tt was the
homes of the Kazquils from which came
the horrible exhalation which l had noted.
I at first was inclined to assign the
explanation to the field of
purely popular fancy, but later learned
that the story and the unenviable pre-
dicament of the Kazquils are from the
chronicle of Aboudajfar Mohammedl
Tabari, French translation of which
may be found in the great library of
Paris.
The theme of humans being resuscitated
Is a decidedly faVorite one among the
Orientals and a most weird story that l
once heard in the far east will not be out
of place here. 1t relates to a corpse
demon, that is, wizard spirit, which
gazed with the eyes and spake with the
tongue of a corpse which hung suspended
by its feet from tree. king bearing
the long name. Vikramanditya, cut the
corpse down to take it to his city The
demon promised to accompany the king If
ne would not speak a word en- route home
and began to relate some most maFvelous
ales to the monarch, at the end % which
he would ask his majesty difficult ques-
ion, which was unwittingly answered
hus by having spoken, enabling the
corpse to return to the tree. The tale
was this: A pilgrim, who was an ordinary
once entered the shrine of
Oevi to do homage The shrine contained
1 statute in marble of the goddess with
four hands, who, seated upon a lotus,
folded two of her hands in prayer and
with the other two supported basins in
which stood an elephant spouting per-
TUNED spray.
But though making the pilgrimage to do
the washerman had his
thoughts diverted by seeing as he mount
I'd the steps of the temple most ravish-
ng woman unrobed from the hips upl
after the fashion of her people.
In true oriental SymboliSmS she was
as having face as sweet as
the moon with hair as a beautiful dark
loud. Her large eyes We're as liquid as
hose of the wild deer, her brows arched
Us the hunters bow, her delicate nose
curved as falcons beak. her neck come
y as a doves, her teeth like pomegranate |
seed, her lips ruddy as the crimson gourd. |
ler hands and feet soft as lotus leaves. |
Though her skin was golden-yellow like |
he petals of the champa- flowers and gold
'ings tinkled about her ankles, she was
he daughter of a washerman and there
Tor of the same caste and calling as the
pilgrim. 1t was a case of love at first
sight on the part of the newcomer and
he made a VOW to the Devi that if she
would enable him to marry the vision
which he had just beheld he would sacr-
ice his head to the goddess.
Devi was propitious; the pilgrim found
the father of the girl, asked for her hand
and was assured by the parent that he
would rub his daughters palms with tur-
meric, sign of engagement in those days
IN the orient
After the young people had been mar
ried some time they were invited to feast
n the city which contained the shrine of
he Devi, and no sooner had the husband
caught a glimpse of the gilded dome of
The goddess temple than he remembered
mis- neglected VOW and denounced himself
as a perjurer. He entered the temple,
1athed in the sacred pool and bowling be-
fore the image of the Devi struck off
his head with the blow of mighty
sword