Our journey around the world; an illustrated record of a year's travel of forty thousand . terprising inhabitants had not even carried out ofthe roadway, but had left to rot and pollute the air, andbreed pestilence and disease in their very streets. Could anything be more depressing than life in thesewretched villages? Here are no books, no newspapers, nomeetings, no intellectual life of any kind. Few of thehouses show any light through their paper windows afterdarkness sets in. The inhabitants have nothing to do butto herd their goats all day and go to bed when darknesscomes. No wonde
Our journey around the world; an illustrated record of a year's travel of forty thousand . terprising inhabitants had not even carried out ofthe roadway, but had left to rot and pollute the air, andbreed pestilence and disease in their very streets. Could anything be more depressing than life in thesewretched villages? Here are no books, no newspapers, nomeetings, no intellectual life of any kind. Few of thehouses show any light through their paper windows afterdarkness sets in. The inhabitants have nothing to do butto herd their goats all day and go to bed when darknesscomes. No wonder that the people grow up ignorant anddebased and absolutely devoid of ambition. The onlywonder is that thev are not more vicious than they are, and AN IGNORANT AND DEBASED PEOPLE. 543 that after these centuries of intellectual torpidity and gov-ernmental oppression there is anything of manliness toappeal to in their natures. And yet, that there is a natural substratum of generosityand nobility in the Turkish character cannot be denied. Itcan be accounted for very largely, I think, by the good. MUSSULMAN AT PRAYER. features of their religion, for, mixed with superstition andimposture as the faith of Mohammed is, there is somethingin it of strength and virility. It demands unquestioningobedience and outspoken allegiance from all who profess tobe governed by it. ]STo Mohammedan is ashamed of hisfaith. Our soldier guard, Avho ahvaj^s accompanies us, whenthe hour of prayer comes will dismount from his horse andprostrate himself towards Mecca, by the roadside, or will 544 DEVOUT MOHAMMEDANS. even go to the top of the house to pray when we are restingat noon, no matter how many pairs of curious eyes are uponhim. Many and many a time have I seen a camel driver,poor, untutored man that he is, but confident of his faith inGod and in the great prophet, kneeling in the grass by thewayside, while his tethered camels browse near by, offering his prayer to the great God,with no fear of ridic
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade189, booksubjectvoyagesaroundtheworld
