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Topsy-Turvy Land - Arabia Pictured for Children by Samuel M. Zwemer;Amy E. Zwemer
page 68 of 87 (78%)

Would you like to hear how a day was spent in this Muscat school when the
boys were beginning to learn? Now the boys are all big and have scattered;
they are working as servants in different places and some are learning a
trade. But here is a description of the early days of their training: "We
are up before dawn almost, and yet the boys are up before us, and have
taken in their mats (beds), and are splashing about in the big cement bath
in the yard. They do not use towels; the sun soon dries the skin, and then
they dress with one article only, a _wazeera,_ a piece of cloth. After the
bath they clean up the schoolroom, sweep the yard; then they eat bread and
dates and drink water. When the meal is finished all the boys wash their
hands and put on their coats to come up-stairs. See how nicely they march
forward, two and two, just like the animals going into Noah's Ark. They
_halt_ in front of the harmonium 'single file'--'face about'--'toes to
line!' Now we are ready for prayers. Look, boys and girls, how quietly
these black boys stand; now we are going to sing:' 'Jesus loves me, this I
know.' They love the singing, and all make as much noise as possible.
Singing finished, we read a short passage of Scripture, and tell very
simply how Jesus loved them and died for them. They are beginning to learn
about God and who the Lord Jesus is. One morning I held up the Bible and
asked them, 'What is this?'

"They answered, 'God's Book.'

"'And what do we read about in God's Book?'

"They all answered, 'The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.' I had been
teaching them this Psalm, but I did not know how well they knew it; it was
a nice answer, do not you think so? After the scripture lesson we kneel
and pray, all the boys repeating, 'O God, wash me from all my sins in the
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