er translated, and to servants who go to the
Mosque it is all dumb show. Some servants imbibe Mohamadan bigotry
about eating, but they offer no prayers. Circumcision, to make
_halel_, or fit to slaughter the animals for their master, is the
utmost advance any have made. As the Arabs in East Africa never feel
themselves called on to propagate the doctrines of Islam, among the
heathen Africans, the statement of Captain Burton that they would make
better missionaries to the Africans than Christians, because they
would not insist on the abandonment of polygamy, possesses the same
force as if he had said Mohamadans would catch more birds than
Christians, because they would put salt on their tails. The
indispensable requisite or qualification for any kind of missionary is
that he have some wish to proselytize: this the Arabs do not possess
in the slightest degree.

As they never translate the Koran, they neglect the best means of
influencing the Africans, who invariably wish to understand what they
are about. When we were teaching adults the alphabet, they felt it a
hard task. "Give me medicine, I shall drink it to make me understand
it," was their earnest entreaty. When they have advanced so far as to
form clear conceptions of Old Testament and Gospel histories, they
tell them to their neighbours; and, on visiting distant tribes, feel
proud to show how much they know: in this way the knowledge of
Christianity becomes widely diffused. Those whose hatred to its
self-denying doctrines has become developed by knowledge, propagate
slanders; but still they speak of Christianity, and awaken attention.
The plan, therefore, of the Christian missionary in imparting
knowledge is immeasurably superior to that of the Moslem in dealing
with dumb show. I have, however, been astonished to see that none of
the Africans imitate the Arab prayers: considering their great
reverence of the Deity, it is a wonder that they do not learn to
address prayers to Him except on very extraordinary occasions.

My remarks referring to the education by Mohamadans do not refer to
the Suahelis, for they teach their children to read, and even send
them to school. They are the descendants of Arab and African women and
inhabit the coast line. Although they read, they understand very
little Arabic beyond the few words which have been incorporated into
Suaheli. The establishment of Moslem missions among the heathen is
utterly unknown, and this is remarkable, becau