ITS ORIGIN, ITS STRENGTH, AND ITS WEAKNESS. 179 
Muhanimad, and a not inconsiderable insight into their social and 
family life which a judicial position gave, enables me to speak 
with some confidence on the moral effects of the two systems, 
Christianity and Islam. Deplorable as we must all feel to be the 
decadence from the moral standard of their creed of but too 
numerous a multitude of the disciples of Christ, whether regarded 
from the standpoint of the individual or from their corporate 
existence as constituting a Christian Church, it yet remains true 
that the normal practice of the Christian is on a much higher moral 
level than the normal practice of the Muhammadan ; and even in 
particular cases where a more favourable judgment would be given, 
the standard and practice of the “good Muhammadan”’ falls 
greatly short of one who comes within a measurable distance of 
living up to the moral teachings of Christ. This truth runs through 
the family as the individual life. These are, at least, the opinions 
which some little experimental acquaintance with the question 
has led me to form, and as such are offered by way of a con- 
firmative contribution to the views expressed by Mr. Tisdall on 
pages 170 and 174 of his paper. 
From the Very Rev. E. M. Govtsurn, D.D., late Dean of 
Norwich :— 
I have looked through Mr. Tisdall’s paper, and it seems to be a 
most learned, exhaustive, and valuable treatise on a subject on 
which many well-meant but shallow views have been entertained. 
I have not observed in the notes (although it may be there) any 
reference to Forster’s “‘Mahometanism Unveiled,” a book which had 
a deserved popularity in its day, but which is now forgotten, 
though doubtless obtainable at bookstalls. As far as I remember 
it exhibited very powerfully the truth set forth in the sentence 
opening up the second section of the paper, as to the secret of the 
success of Mahometanism (for 1 cannot accommodate myself to the 
modern method of spelling), and drew out in a masterly way how 
Ishmael was a sort of debased copy of Isaac. The author, Bishop 
Jebb’s Chaplain, was a man of mark in his day. 
From Mr. Hormuzp Rassam :— 
I need not say that the author has handled the subject most 
admirably, and exposed the so-called revelations of the Koran in a 
plain and tangible manner. 
The Cuarrman.—There are many here who are well qualified to 
speak on the paper, and I will now ask them to give us the benefit 
of their views. 
Rev. Henry Lanspetr, D.D., M.R.A.S.—I feel very strongly the 
force of what our Chairman has said as to the exceeding value of 
this paper, because it has so truly worked out and given us 
