THE INTELLECTUAL OBSERVER. 



MAY, 1865. 



DERVISHES AND HADJIS. 



BY ARMmnJS VAMBERT. 



The Dervish is the veritable personification of Eastern life. 

 Idleness, fanaticism, and slovenliness are the features which in 

 him are regarded as virtues, and which everywhere are repre- 

 sented by him as such. Idleness is excused by allusion to 

 human impotence, fanaticism explained as enthusiasm in reli- 

 gion, and slovenliness justified by the uselessness of poor 

 mortals to struggle against fate. If the superiority of European 

 civilization over that of the East was not so clearly established, 

 I should almost be tempted to envy a dervish, who, clad in 

 tatters and cowering in a corner of some ruined building, shows 

 by the twinkle in his eye the happiness he enjoys. What a 

 serenity is depicted in that face ; what a placidity in all his 

 actions ; what a complete contrast there is between this pic- 

 ture and that presented by our European civilization ! In my 

 disguise as a dervish, it was chiefly this unnatural composure 

 which made me nervous, and in the imitation of which I made 

 of course the greatest mistakes. I shall never forget one day 

 at Herat, when, after reflecting on the happiness of the early 

 termination of the painful mask I had been wearing for so 

 many months, I suddenly jumped up from my seat, and in a 

 somewhat excited state began to pace up and down the old ruin 

 which gave me shelter. A few minutes afterwards I perceived 

 that a crowd of passers-by had collected at the door, and that 

 I was the object of general astonishment. Seeing my mistake, 

 I blushingly resumed my seat. Soon afterwards, several people 

 came up to ask me what was the matter with me, whether I 

 was well, etc. The good people' thought I was deranged, for 

 to oriental notions a man must be out of his senses if, without 

 necessity or a special object in view, he suddenly leaves his seat 

 to pace up and down a room. 



As the dervish represents the general character, so he does 

 VOL. VII. — NO. IV. k 



