stered
forty converts, slaves and men of the lowest social rank. Then he spoke
more publicly, in response to new revelations commanding him to do so,
denouncing boldly the superstitions of his people, exhorting them to
lead pious and moral lives, and to believe in the one all-wise,
almighty, and all-merciful God, who had chosen him as his Prophet. He
held out the reward of paradise to those who accepted his religion, and
the penalty of hell to those who rejected it.

"Two of the most sacred objects of the Arabians were the fetich of a
black stone and the spring of Zemzem, both of which were believed to be
endowed with miraculous powers for the healing of the body and the soul.
These imparted a sanctity above any other charms to the Kaaba in which
the stone and the fountain were to be visited. In the valley by the city
stands the great mosque, in which there is an immense square holding
35,000 people. In the centre of it is the Kaaba, which is not a
Mohammedan invention, for it existed ages before the Prophet was born.
Pilgrimages had been made to it from Medina for many generations. The
stone is perhaps a meteorite, set in a corner at a proper height for
kissing.

"The Kaaba was one of the superstitions with which the Prophet had to
contend; and he was too politic, as well as too deeply rooted in his own
belief, to think of abolishing it. He therefore converted the heathen
shrine into an altar of his own faith, inventing the legend that it had
been constructed by Abraham when he sent away his son Ishmael to found a
nation. Though Mohammed was prudent in many things, he offended the
people, particularly by prohibiting certain kinds of food. He condemned
the Bedouin for killing their newly born daughters, and for other
barbarous practices.

"Though the number of proselytes increased more rapidly, he had raised a
fierce opposition against him. About this time his faithful wife Khadija
died, and then his devoted uncle. His misery over these events was
increased by the fact that his business failed him, and he was reduced
to poverty. He tried to improve his fortunes by emigration; but the
scheme was a failure. He was so persecuted by the Meccans that he had on
occasions narrowly escaped with his life. After his return he married
again; and afterwards he had as many as nine wives at one time, though
he never took a second while Khadija was living.

"Now, good friends, I think we all need a rest, which the commander
instr