Topsy-Turvy Land | Page 5

Moslem pilgrim
showed me a piece of the cloth of last year's overcoat and he was very
proud of it. It was indeed a fine piece of heavy silk and the names of
God and Mohammed were prettily woven into the cloth. This man had
just come from visiting the square-house and I will tell you what he
saw.

The place he visited with hundreds and thousands of other pilgrims is
called Mecca and the square-house is the Beit Allah or house of God to
all Mohammedans. It is also called the Kaaba, which is the Arabic
word for a cube.
The Moslems believe all sorts of foolish things about the Kaaba. They
say Adam built it as soon as he fell down on the earth out of Paradise,
and that Abraham repaired it after it had been ruined by the flood in the
days of Noah. They even show a large white stone on which Abraham
and Ishmael stood when they plastered the walls; the stone still bears
the impress of Abraham's feet, they say. Did you ever hear such a
topsy-turvy story?
The building is about twenty-four cubits long and wide and nearly
twenty cubits high. It has no ornaments or beauty except one rain-spout
to carry the water off the flat roof; you can see it on the right side of the
Kaaba on the picture. This spout is said to be of pure gold. In one
corner of the building is a large black stone which is also an object of
worship. The Mohammedans say it came down from heaven with
Adam and was once pure white. By the many kisses of sinful
worshippers it has turned black. Not only is it black but broken. For
about three hundred years after Mohammed's death the stone remained
imbedded in the walls of the Kaaba, but then some wild Arabs from the
Persian Gulf came, sacked Mecca and stole the black stone. It was
carried to Katif, a place near Bahrein, right across Arabia, and they kept
it a long time until the people of Mecca paid a large sum of money and
carried it back. On the long journey it must have fallen from the camel
because, at present, it is cracked and the broken pieces are held together
by a silver band. There once were a great many of these stone idols in
the Kaaba, but Mohammed destroyed them all except this one when he
became master of Mecca.
[Illustration: THE SQUARE HOUSE WITH THE BLACK
OVERCOAT.]
At present the stone house is empty of idols and yet all the Moslems
turn in the direction of this old heathen temple to pray. The cloth that
covers it comes every year as a present from the Khedive of Egypt,

who is a Mohammedan. It is very costly and is sent on a special camel,
beautifully decked with trappings of gilt, and a large throng of pilgrims
go along to escort the overcoat.
When the wind stirs the heavy folds of cloth, the pious boys and girls
of Mecca say it is the angels that watch around the Kaaba, whose wings
lift the covering. It must be a wonderful sight to see thousands of
Moslem pilgrims stand around this place and kneel and pray.
Besides running around the Kaaba, kissing the black stone and drinking
water from a holy well called zemzem, they have one day on which they
sacrifice sheep or other animals. One curious custom on this day of
sacrifice I must tell you of. It is called "stoning the great devil." Early
in the morning thousands of pilgrims go to a place in the valley of Mina
where there are three white pillars made of masonry; the first and
largest is called the Great Devil. The pilgrims cast stones at this pillar.
Each one must stand at the distance of not less than fifteen feet and say,
as he throws seven pebbles: "In the name of God the Almighty I do this,
and in hatred of the devil and his shame." The Moslems fail to realise
that Satan is in the hearts of men and not behind a pillar, nor that he can
be driven away with prayer better than by pebbles.
For thirteen hundred years Moslems have come every year to Mecca,
and gone away, with no one ever to tell them of the Son of God, the
Saviour of the World. Thirteen hundred years! Don't you think it is
time to go and tell them? And will you not pray that even this place
may open its doors to Jesus Christ, and crown Him Lord of all?

IV
SABBACH-KUM BIL KHEIR!
That is to say, "Good-morning!" And the Arabs in the picture do not
add, "have you used Pears' Soap?" but, "have you had