Evening star., 1925-12-27
WHAT THE DRUSES HAVE DONE
BY FREDERIC J. H4SkIN.

the wrath Of the populace. who could
not swallow such A joker, and he es-
capped to the Lebanon. where he was
received by the mountaineers and
taught his religion. From him the
name Druses is believed to have been
derived but il was from Persian
disciple Of Hakem that the belief in
the divinity of the Caliph reached
the trihesnlen in permanent form. As
Druses they have maintained their
religious and political independence
for nine centuries.
The seven cardinal principles of
their religion are vera city in dealing
with each other, mutual protection
and resistance. remuneration Of other
religions. belief in the divine incarna-
ton of Haliem. contentment with the
works of God. submission TO His VIII,
and separation from those in error
and from demons.
Believe in Transmigration.
They believe in one God, who has
revealed Himself Ia times, the last
being in the form Of Hakem, whose
mysterious disappearance leads them
TO believe that he will return gain.
They also believe in tho transmigra-
tion of the soul. and when visitor
visits DruSe home his host places
before him two Jars. one filed with
water. the other empty. If the visitor
is a Druse he will pour the water of
one into the other To signify the trans
migration of the spirit
Their singular recognition Of the
tralltles OF humanity, particularly
those of the human mind. demands at
tention. In this they preclude the
participation Of the unprepared in
their rites and excuse the lower men
talitieS from many Of their require
ments. They divide their adherents
into the intelligent" and the "ig-
norant.' and the former are the only
ones who may attend the Friday
morning services. The ''intellicents'
must undergo a novitiate, after which
they return To their accustomed tasks.
fully equipped. in the Druse mind. to
meet the problems of life
The Home of the Drusps.
South of ancient Damascus. called
by Mark Twain the Eternal City. and
east of the Sea Of Galilee. lies the
home of the Druses 1t is the wind
swept plain of Hauren. a prairie land.
II is covered with rock built cities and
villages. spectral relics of the civiliza-
ton of Rome. and the DruseS wander
! among them as if contemptuous of
such things. Damascus nearby has
seen Rome come and go along with
many other empires and civilizations.
The DruseS seem to sense it.
At the eastern edge Of this plain is
q plateau of lava, with its Jagged rim
rising some % feet around its $50
square miles. And here the Druses
fee when hard pressed by such a foe
as the French, and it is the biggest
reason for their independence
Fled to the Desert.
1t has served them more than once
! The Maronite Christians, who have in.
terested theological students because
they follow the practices of the early
church. are neighhorS of the DrrIses,
| The trihesmen. in 1860 attacked the
Maronites with such vigor that
France sent an army to stop il and a
European commission set about inyes-
. tlgatins matters. At the approach of
the army the DruSes ran off to the
desert and remained until il left. and
the commission found that the Maron.
| ties had acted with vindictiveness
| equal to that of the Druses, and that
| the Turks and the Damascen fanatics
| had started the trouble
The modern incident involving the
DruSeS has quieted down, at least in
| newspaper headlines, and everything
expressed in the vernacular. is lovely.
But the Druses are still in their
desert, and will probably be there
when the French mandate is lifted
They are but one of the subject peo.
| pies that are asserting themselves.