1888. ] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 183 
tact with large Christian communities, as in Beirft, they are 
becoming more and more liberalized, and adopting a system of 
popular education, which is even extending to girls and women. 
A large part of the religion of the Mohammedans is simply a 
matter of custom. Women are practically excluded. Very 
much of the faith of the present population is a mere fetichism. 
They have great confidence in charms und incantations. Nearly 
every one wears numbers of tin cases, with incantations in them, 
bits of alum, teeth of animals, etc., strung on a wire which is 
worn around the neck to keep off the evil eye. They are all 
devout believers in genii, and in the power of the great name of 
God to ward off their malign influences: most of them still 
believe in astrology and fortune-telling. Of the legalized im- 
morality encouraged by their system, it would be indiscreet to 
speak here. The total number of the half-civilized Moslem 
population of Syria and Palestine is about 750,000. 
2. The Bedawin. The Bedawin are divided into two sorts, 
those who live in the regions nominally under the Turkish 
rule, or migrate into them during part of the year and pay 
tribute, and those who are outside the tributary boundaries. 
The former range over the whole country, usually after the har- 
vests, or in the regions lying fallow, and pasture their flocks, 
and sell their produce. These pay a fixed tax in kind to the 
government, and, in case of pasturing in private lands, to the 
proprietors. ‘They are not subject to the conscription. The 
true desert Bedawin, who never encamp within the taxable limits, 
are free from taxation, even when they bring their products to 
these districts for sale, except so far as they pay octroi taxes. 
The Bedawin invariably answer when asked as to their religion, 
‘¢ Praise be to God, we are Moslems.” But they have little more 
than the name to justify this statement. Few of them can read. 
With no fixed abode, they have no places of religious worship, 
except the tombs of their sheikhs and prophets, and the mosques 
of the cities which they rarely if ever enter. Mohammedanism 
with them is a thin varnish over the ancient heathen supersti- 
tions and fetichism of the Arabian peninsula. The Towarah of 
Mt. Sinai believe that the monks have the power of bringing 
rain or withholding it by their religious exercises. 
The tents of the Bedawin are of goats’ hair, and are impervi- 
ous to rain. They are simple sheets of this strong cloth, 
stretched over poles, and pinned to the earth on one side by day 
and on both sides by night. There is little furniture in the 
tents. The beds are rolled up in the day, and at night spread 
out on mats or sacking. There are a few rude chests in a tribe, 
in which the more valuable of their chattels are packed. Their 
wealth is accumulated only in the shape of flocks and herds. 
