The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-07-03

10 keep lnem SO long SUBJECT race.
The origin of the race is matter
of conjecture, but the Arabs were
unified political body with king OF
their own long, long before the Chris
tan era. Just now there are perhaps
100000 Arabs, and for convenience
of classification they are usually sep
arated into two divisions-"Al Bedoo,"
or 1.-The Dwellers in the Open Land"
Commonly called Bedouins), and "Al
Hadr," or jewellers in Fixed LOCAL..
ties"
The Bedouins, roaming with their
herds all over Arabia and even up
into Mesopotamia and Syria, are bet
ter known TO American missionaries,
officials and travellers than the Hadr
class. They are nomads from neces-
sity and not from choice, and, as the
country comes under better rule, roads,
trade and irrigation will undoubtedly
reduce the number Of Arabs forced TO
lead this wandering life
Most Of present-day Arabia Chat
part which is not wholly a desert) is
so dry as to be unsuited for any
thing except grazing; and moisture is
so scant that even many of the graz
ing areas fail from time to time and
the Arabs have to move their herds
from place to place, or all would per-
ish. 1t is this constant quest for grass
and water which so often causes fric-
ton and fighting among the rowing
tribes.
Then, too, living this free, open life,
so remote from law courts and police.
through so many generations. has
made the Arabs a bold, defiant, head
strong people, not easily ruled and i'm
patient Of restraint. They are familiar
with only one quick way to settle a
dispute-to fight.
Although Bedouin and bandit are
almost synonymous terms in some
parts of Arabia. this is hardly fair TO
the Bedouins when we consider the
way they have TO live. When they
hold up Mecca caravan. for example,
and exact a sum in cash for ''protec-
ton" they look on this merely as their
rightful share of taxes, habitually COZ
lected and kept by border officials.
Primitive Religion in the Desert
Though nominally a Mohammedan,
the average Bedouin is said to worry
but little about the Koran's rules or
whether his mode of living would
please the Prophet. The wilder tribes
even worship the sun, trees. rocks,
ETC., or else have no religion at all. il
is said Marriage is early and easy and
divorce simple and frequent.
About so per cent of all Arabs live
In towns, villages. or other fixed places
class. In this group is found the arts
tocracy of Arabia. Here are old. repu-
table families, with records OF births,
deaths and marriages. deeds and hon.
ors, running back through genera
lions.
Perhaps the most noted family in
modern Arabia is the house of Kor-
eysh, tracing it's connections back TO
the Prophet The men Of this family
bear the title Of shereef or seyd; and
it was the Shereef Of Mecca who led
Arabia's break for statehood.
Education, however, as we regard II
in America, is almost unknown among
Arabians. The few with culture are a
class to themselves. Most learning IS
confined to the classics of religious
and secular literature; the Koran IS
learned by rote. In the smaller towns
there are no schools at all.
Yet 1t was Arab learning and skill,
civilized world on the way TO its pres
in the long ago, which started the
ent high efficiency. Under the caliphs.
schools Of therapeutics were set IN
at Baghdad. and botany was studis,d
as a branch Of medicine. As one
writer says, THE principal mercurial
and arsenical preparations Of the ma
terra medica, the sulphates Of several
metals, the properties Of acids and a..
kalis, and the distillation Of alcohol
were, with their practical application.
known to Er-Razi and Geber, profess
sors Of Baghdad. In fact the numer-
Gus terms borrowed from the Arabic
language-alcohol, alkali, alembic. and
others-with the signs Of drugs and
the like still in use among modern
apothecaries. show how deeply science
is indebted to Arab research"
All OF which leads the Christian
world to believe that the Arab peo-
pie, as a nation, can -come back"