2 24 Bedouin Tribes of the Eitphrates. [en. xxvr. 



In morality tlie Bedouins differ from ourselves as 

 widely as in religion. With us morality is deduced 

 from certain divinely instituted laws, but with them 

 it is accepted as a natural order of things. They 

 make no appeal to conscience or the will of God 

 in their distinctions between right and wrong, but 

 appeal only to custom. This is right, l^ecause it 

 has always been accounted right, that wrong for a 

 similar reason. "We keep our oaths,'' they say, 

 " because we are Bedouins. It would be a shame 

 to us if we did otherwise. The Turks break their 

 oaths, because they are Turks. To them it is no 

 shame." The Bedouin rules, with respect to wine 

 and forbidden meats, are accounted for in the same 

 way. " The Sleb," they say, " eat the hedgehog ; 

 we do not." It is hardly more than a matter of 

 statistics. 



That they have, however, very strong principles 

 of right and wrong is evident on the face of it, as 

 is the support given to morality by public opinion. 

 No man in the desert admires or approves the evil- 

 doer, even if he be successful. The shame clings to 

 him still in spite of his power or of his wealth. 

 Courage, hospitality, generosity, justice, — these are 

 virtues which always command respect in the desert ; 

 and although lying and thieving, under certain re- 

 strictions, carry with them no penalty in public 

 reprobation, other crimes which we in our laxity 

 tolerate are not forgiven so easily. Breach of trust 

 and dishonesty, so universal in modern Europe, and 



