254 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



wedding in England. The bride- 

 groom takes his place under the 

 canopy beside a table, on which 

 stands a flagon of wine and some 

 glasses. The rabbi takes his place 

 on the opposite side. Over his head 

 is thrown a scarf of white silk, called 

 a talith. The bride rises from her 

 seat, and is led three times round 

 the bridegroom. This illustrates the 

 saying of Jeremiah, " The woman 

 shall compass a man." The pair then 

 stand facing each other opposite the 

 rabbi. He fills one of the glasses 

 with wine, and, holding it in his 

 hand, repeats a prayer. He then 

 hands the cup to the bride and 

 bridegroom in turn. When each 

 has sipped it, the man places on the 

 woman's finger a ring, saying, "Be- 

 hold, thou art sanctified to me by 

 this ring, according to the Law of 

 Moses and of Israel." Then follows 

 the reading of the marriage contract, 

 which the bridegroom and witnesses 

 sign. The rabbi takes another glass 

 of wine. Holding it in his hand, 

 he pronounces over the wedded pair 

 the " Seven Blessings." The married 

 couple also taste of this glass. An 

 empty glass is then put on the floor, 

 and the bridegroom stamps on it 

 with his boot till it is crushed to 

 atoms. In some parts of the East, and notably in Jerusalem, the bride steps three times over 

 a dish containing two live fishes, the emblems of fruitfnlness. As she does so the witnesses 

 of the marriage repeat the command, "Be fruitful and multiply." 



By permission of Messrs. Newton & Co., 3, fleet Street, E.G. 



NESTORIAN TEACHERS AND SCHOLARS, ARMENIA. 



ASIA MINOR AND THE VALLEY OF THE EUPHRATES AND TIGRIS. 



THE inhabitants of Asia Minor at the present day can hardly be said to possess strongly 

 marked characteristics of the several races from which they have sprung. Turks, Greeks, and 

 Armenians are the three chief ingredients of the mixed population of this country, and they 

 must be described in turn. 



Though divided from Europe by two narrow straits, this westerly projection of Asia was 

 for many centuries the arena on which the most powerful peoples of the two continents did 

 battle to decide which was the master power that should rule the world. It now forms part 

 of the Asiatic empire of the Turks. It is a little larger than France, but has less than one- 

 fourth of the population of that country. At the same time it is the main source of the 

 sinew, the revenue, and the military strength of the Ottoman Empire. 



If we go back to the primary sources of race derivation, the Turk must be said to belong 

 to the Mongolo-Tartar branch. The original type has been considerably modified by large 

 admixture with Aryan races. The Turkish families who settled in Asia Minor under Ertogrul 



