But even now there is no one preaching the gospel in Hassa nor in all the
interior of Arabia. Why?




XIII

ARAB BABIES AND THEIR MOTHERS


An Arab baby is such a funny little creature! In Christian lands babies,
as soon as possible, are given a warm bath and dressed with comfortable
clothing. But in Arabia the babies are not washed for many days, only
rubbed over with a brown powder and their tiny eyelids painted round with
collyrium. They are wound up in a piece of calico and tied up with a
string, just like a package of sugar. Their arms are fastened by the
bandage so that they cannot possibly move them. The Arab mothers say that
if the arms and legs of babies were left hanging loose the poor things
would never sleep. A small, tight bonnet for the head completes the baby's
wardrobe. A few blue beads or buttons are sewn on the front of this cap to
keep off the evil-eye, for Moslem women all believe that if a stranger
looks at a baby it may turn sick and die.

On the day when the baby is named a sacrifice is slain and eaten and
silver offerings are given to the poor, equal to the weight of hair on the
infant's head. The poor baby's hair is all shaved off to be weighed in the
balance. Poor people who cannot afford this offering omit the custom.
Charms are placed on the arms or around the neck of the child. A few
verses from the Koran are written out and put in a leather or silver case