Year: 1867

A correspondent of the State Gazette
thus describes a funeral near Jericho:
Our tents are pitched near the village
burial place, and just as we arrive natives
are engaged in committing one of their
number to his mother dust We dismount
and draw near to witness the ceremonies
of an Arab funeral. Two men are dig
ing the grave, and probably twenty others
standing round giving directions, sometimes
in loud and almost querulous voice: a
little way off the corpse lies wrapped up
in white muslin shroud, tied at the head
and feet, and not far from this sit proba-
bly, fifty women on the ground, some be-
moaning in a loud voice, while others seem
to be comforting them. Occasionally ten
or dozen of the younger women form a
ring and dance around anohcr--probably
sister of the deceased-u uttering mean
while dolorous song.


In the digging of the grave we notice
no less than six luman skulls, with cor
responding number of other bones of the
body, thrown out among the dirt at the
side of the grave.


When all is ready, several men pick up
the body and carry it to the grave, in
which they lay it upon its side, with the
face turned toward Mecca. Stones are
then fitted in and around and above the
body, some mortar and dirt thrown in
among the stones, then the bones which
had been taken out, and finally every man
present, with his hand or foot, scrapes in
some dirt until the hole is filed up. Stones
are set at the head and foot, upon which
one of the men pours a little powder, and
rubs it with spittle and his finger until
black mark is left upon each. The signif-
canoe of this we do not understand, though
it doubtless means something. The men
keep up a sort Of chant while all this is
being done, and, in conclusion, all the men
approach and salute two of the men pres
ent, probably brothers of the deceased,
by pressing their own foreheads against
those of the brothers, twice in succession.
The women, during the burial, continue
seated on the ground, some distance off,
and at no time approach the grave. One
old woman, Loweyer, the mother of the
deceased, when the men are gone away,
crawled upon her hands and knees to the
foot of the grave, and with upliftcd hands
and streaming eyes, bemoaned the loss of
her darling boy. This is the saddest sight
Of the whole proceeding, and could not
but bring tears to our eyes. Miserably
poor and degraded as she is, she still loved
her boy, and bemoaned his loss with a
mothers love.


While standing near the grave as the
grave diggers are doing their work, some
ask US for bucksheesh and others for to-
bacco. We give Of both-of the latter
all we have in our pouch, and think notl-
ing more of it; but when we get back to
our tents and feel in our side coat pocket
for our rubber tobacco-pouch and handker-
chief, find them both missing. Not con-
tent with what we had given them, these
rascals had stolen both our tobacco-pouch
and handkerchief while we were standing
among them at the grave side-thus illus
trating in our own case what Christ had
said of the man who went down to Jeri-
cho and fell among thieves. Our conclu-
sions are that the Jerichoians of to day
are no better than they were in the days
of our Saviour and perhaps they are
even worse, since it was not reported of
that man that he was attending funeral
a. the time he was robbed.