The story of the middle ages; an elementary history for sixth and seventh grades . on trade between India and the West, by means ofcaravans across the dtserts. The people themselveswere like grown-up children in many ways. They hadpoetic minds, and impulsive and generous hearts; butthey were ignorant and superstitious, and often verycruel. Up to tiiis time they had never been unitedunder one government, nor had they all believed inthe same religion. Some tribes worshiped the stars ofheaven, others worshiped feticlies of sticks andstones, and others believed in gods or demons called 77 78 THE S
The story of the middle ages; an elementary history for sixth and seventh grades . on trade between India and the West, by means ofcaravans across the dtserts. The people themselveswere like grown-up children in many ways. They hadpoetic minds, and impulsive and generous hearts; butthey were ignorant and superstitious, and often verycruel. Up to tiiis time they had never been unitedunder one government, nor had they all believed inthe same religion. Some tribes worshiped the stars ofheaven, others worshiped feticlies of sticks andstones, and others believed in gods or demons called 77 78 THE STOSY OF THE MIDDLE AGES genii. If youhave read tlie story of Aladdin andhis wonderful lamp, in the Arabian Nights, you willknow what the genii were like. Arabia is so nearto Palestine that it will not surprise you to hear thatthe Arabs had also learned something from the religionof the Jews, and from the Christians. But until theseventh century after Christ, the Arabs remained, inspite of this, a rude and idolatrous people, without anyfaith or government which all THE CITY OF MECCA Tn the seventh century came a change. The Arabsthen became a united people, under one government,and with one religion. And under the influence ofthis religion they came out from their deserts, andconquered vast empires to the east and to the west,until it seemed as though the whole of the knownworld was to pass into their hands. The man who brought about this change was named MOHAMMED AND THE MOHAMMEDANS 79 Mohainmed. He belonged to a powerful tribe amongthe Arabs. But his father and mother had died be-fore he was six years of age. He w^as thentaken care of by his uncle, who was so poor iiie of Mohammed. that Mohammed was obliged to hire out asa shepherd boy, and do work that was usually done byslaves. When he was thirteen years old his uncle tookh^m with a caravan to Damascus and other towms ofSyria; and there the boy caught his first glimpses ofthe outside world. When he grew up he
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1, booksubjectmiddleages, bookyear1912
