The New York herald. [volume], April 13, 1875, Page 3, Image 3

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MOJIAMM EDANISM.
It. Bosworth Smith's Book
Upon Islam.
A SKETCH OF T1IE PROPHET.
How His Religion Arose and Spread
in the Orient.
AN ACTIVE PROPAGANDA TO-DAY.
The Moslem Faith Reclaiming
the Negro.
CHRISTIANITY'S KIYATj IN AFRICA.
The ITarpers have Just published a remarkable
and very interesting volume entitled "Mooauiuied
aud Mohammeduuism," wbicn, both irom a ro
llglouB and a literary point ol view, cannot (all to
attraot gonorul attention. It consists of thiee
jeoturop, delivered at the Royal Institution of
Great Britain by It. Bosworth Siulth, Asslataut
Master in Harrow School and late Fellow of
Trinity College, Oxford, with an appendix con
taining Bnanuel Doutscli's artlclo on "Islam."
Although Mohammedanism, or lBiam, numbers at
ilna day probably 150,000.000 of slncero and devout
believers, and has its arlp on threo continents?
extcuding Irom Morocco to the Malay peninsula,
irom Zanzibar to the Klrgtus horde?there is
amoug Ctiriatlau nations an aalonislilng amount
of ignorance respecting lis founder. Its doctrines,
anu the character of Its lnflncnci upon
the peoples who have been brouirht
under its sway. A distinguished German
writer declares that although Islam lias
beeu described in many books, yet educated peo
ple have not got much lurther In the knowledge
ol it than that the Turks are Mohammedans aud
allow polygamy. Ia & jroueral uoi't of way -lo
hammed is classed as au impostor, w;!0 taught a
fiilse religion, a spurious kiud of CftriatUulty, no
worse, purhaps, but ccrtainly no better, than any
of the heathen systems wnich Christianity 1b
uestmea to root out and destroy.
It la the purpose ol thin work to enlighten popu
lar oplulon In regard to iHlatn and Its greaj
Xouuiier, and to show what cialmi It has npon the
attention of the Christian world. Unltko the
beatheu systems of India and other Eastern lamia,
jt possesses a progressive vitality, and pushes for
ward its peaceiul conquests, no longer sword in
band, with a zeal and success rivalled ouly by the
missionary enterprises of the Church 01 Rome.
What It grasps it hold* last. It still holds
iho cradles of tho JewiBh and of the
Christian faith, and the spots most
dear to both?Mount Sinai and the Cave of Mac
peiah. the Church of tho Nativity and tho Church
ol the Holv Sepulchre. Africa, which bad yielded
ao early to Christianity, yielded still more readily
to Monammed; and from the strait of Gibraltar to
the Isthmus of Suez may still be heard the cry,
??God la great; there Is no god out God, and Mo
bammed Is Ills prophet." Nor is the frequent as
a< rilon true that ls!am has gained nothing slnco
the dying out ol the early flame c* religious entbu
feiaam, lauued as it often was by the lust ol con
quest. In the extreme East Islam has smoe then
wen and maintained for ceuturies a moral supre
macy In the important Chinese province of l'un
Nuu, and has thus actually succeeded in thrusting
a wedge between the two great Buddhist empires
of Barmah and of China. Withia our own mem
ory, alter a fifteen years' war, under the leader,
?hip of Ta-Wfeu-Sin?oue of those half military,
bulf religious geniuses whieh Islam seems always
capable of producing?It wrested from the Ceies
Ual Empire a territorial snpremacy in the
western hair or this province. About three
years ago an embassy of intelligent, tolerant,
and progressive Mussulmana from Yun-Nan ap
peared in England, and endeavored to interest
the people of thatc^uutry in the weliare of the
province. Unfortunately, the interesta of Euulian
trade were not eufflcleutly bound up with tlie ex
istence or the ?Panuays," as they aro called ; and
ilnee trade, aa Proiessor Sinitn remarks, is -the
only gospel which most Englishman oaro now to
pleach." the embassy waa obliged to retrace lta
steps without any prospect of moral or other sup*
port. A.eanwiiiio the Mutsuimau had been over
powered by learinlodds, tnelr capital had fallen,
and uien, women and children, to the number o r
(Mime thirty tbouauml, had beeu massacred by the
^ictora. But though tNc Mohammedan temporal
sovereignty in the provinoo of Yon-Nan was thus
destroyed, Mohammedanism Itseir naa eot been
extinguished in the Celestial Empire. Within the
lust eight years, fays Proiessor Smith, "that vaat
tract or coontrv called Western Chinese lartarr,
or K as-torn Turkestan, has thrown off the yoke or
China, and has auded another to the
list of llu.-sulman kingdoms. Rnotan and Yarkand
and Kaangar arc anlted nuder the vigorous rule or
the Atallk Gnazee, YaUoob Beg. Whatever may
be nla private character, the abolition oi the aiave
trade throughout nts dominion*, his rtiia adminiN
tiatlon ol Justice, his readiness to establish com
mercuti relations with Inula, aud the respect
s own ror Christianity even by the Moccan pil
f Inis among his subjects, are some indication of
what Monammedaulsin may yet bave in store lor
it in Central Asia under the influence of a master
mod, and with the modlfl at ions that are possible
or necessary to It. Tnroughout the Chinese Em
pire, at Karacbar. for luaancc, there are scat
tored Mussu'man coroniuiili|t*s who have htgher
bop a than Buddnlsmorconiuctflnism, and a purer
mor.llty than Taoism can aupply. The Panthaja
themselves, it la believed, attil number a million
and a half: and the m ity ol God and the mlsalon of
Cuo'i prophet are attested day by day by a con
tin none line of worshippers from the Atlantic to
the Pacific Ocean."
From the time It waa expelled from Western
Inrope, Islam began extending lta conuuesta to
the caat of Asia. It eatabliahed Itself In the Malay
renlnsnla and Sumatra in the tourfeentb and in
Java and Celebes in the fifteenth century. The
Arab missionaries were only Just In time, for they
anticipated by only a few years the advent of
grasping Portuguese and ambitious Spaniards,
/mong ra<-es so low in the scale of humanity as
are most or tbe Indian Islander*, Islam was not
able to do what It did originally tor the Arabs or
lor the lurkish hordes; but even for them it has
doue sonic thing. ? expelled Bindoolsm from
some lalawis and a very corrupt Buddhism Irom
?tuers. It was propagated by missionaries who
eired very moch ror the souls they coold win and
n thing ror tbe plunder they could carry off. They
eon mated tht natives, learned tnelr languages
and intermarried with them; and in tne
Krger lalands tbolr success was rapid and
almost complete. The Philippines and tbe
Moluccas did not become Mohammedan,
tor they bad to aurrender at once their liberties
and their religion when conquered by Spain and
Portugal. But here tne progress made by Chris
tianity has been slo'v and insignificant by compar
ison wittt that 01 Islam. The religion known to
tbe natives chiefly through the unb ushlng ra
pacity of the Portuguese and the lerrlbie cruelties
o. the Dutch lias not extended Itseir beyond the
roach oi their swords. Here, as eiaewhere in tn*
f ast, the most latal hindrance to tbe apread of
Christianity ha* t een the lives or Christians.
Id Airica, the scene of sonic or Its earliest con
quest* le:am .a spreading lise'f year by year witti
giant strides. In the vast tracts where s brutisu
fceatnemsm still reigns, the Monammedan mls
alonsrles meet with a marked success which is
denied alike to catholic and rrotestant. We
Rain of whole tribes laying aside tbolr devil
worship, or liumomoilil letieh, and spring
ing at a bound irom the very low
pit to one or the highest forms of
religions beliei. "Christian travellers,'' says
our author, "w.th every wiub to toink otherwise,
have remarked that the negro wu? accents M?
rDammedaniatn acquires tt once a sense of the
dignitj ol ni]man nature not commonly lound even
among those who have been brought to accept
Christianity." The general moral elevation of a
ne?ro tribo that accepts islam in a* marked aa it 1
is rapnl. The natives begin for tne first time In j
their hiat?ry to dress, and toat neatly, Squal d J
hi111 iti replaced by ascrupulous cleanliness; hos- i
pliality becomes a religious duty; drunkenness, i
Instead of the rule, becomes a comparatively ra"*o !
exception. Thongn polygamy is allowed by the
Koran. It is not common lu practice, and, bevoud
the limits laid down by the Prophet, mcontinenco I
la rare; chastity is looKed upon ?s one of tne ;
highest, and becomes, lu fact, one of the coin- i
monor virtues, it Is idleness henceforward that
dcgranes, and Induatrv that elevates, lustead ol
the reverse. A religious system which carries
such honeflciai influences Into lands cursed with
brutish superstitions has undoubte lly special 1
Claims upon the attention of the christian world. !
111 toward the middle ol the eightceth century
Mohammed was universally regarded by Chris- 1
tlans as a rank impostor and a false prophet. In
the view or many Protestant Biblical comments- I
tors he still divide!} with the pope the credit of
being tne subject of special prophecy in the books
oi Danlai and the Revelation. He I* Antichrist,
the Man of Sin, tne Little Horn, Ac. Dante placed
him In his ninth circle, In the "Inlorno," among i
tne sowers of religious discord ; Lutlier doubted
whether he was not worse thau the Pope; !
MelancUion believed him to be either (Jog or
Magog, an.l probably both. France and Eugland |
may divide tUe credit of having been tfte flr?t to
take a different view or tne character or trie great
Arabian. Gibbon, who was not an Arabic acholir 1
himself, drew from Sale's translation of the Koran,
j and irom the introductory discourse of that tram
lator the materials tor Ills splendid BKetoh of Mo
hammed,.that masterpiece of philosophic blogra- !
phy. Hut most of ttte English-speaking
public, who do not condemn the Arabian nrophot
unheard, have hitherto derived what favorable
notions they may have of him from CarMe's
magnificent essay on "Ttie Hero as Propnet" and !
from Washington Irvng's "Lire of Mahomet."
The lectures of Mr. Boswortli Smith render, from !
a comprehensive and independent point of view,
full justice to what was great la the prophet's
character and to what has been good in his influ
ence on the world. The author has made a calm
and philosophical study of the history, the work
and the character of .Mohammed and of the religion |
which ne founded. Many of the author's conclu
sions will be seriously questioned, especially where
he expresses the belief that Islam will never
give way to OhrlsManlty in the East, and th it the
i faith promnlgatod by Monammed, If it can never be
oome actually one with Christianity, may yet, by a
processor mutual approximation and mutual un
derstanding. prove its best ally. Wo may surely
recognize the beneficial Influences or Islam, and ?
what was good and great in the character of Its
founder, without going so far as this. On tho
other hand, nothing could bo more absurd than
Sir William Muir's theory of the "Satanic" Inspi
ration of tho Koran In contract with the Divine
inspiration or the Mble.
The religion taught by Mohammed was, in its
esscnce, not original. The prophet blmseli' called
It a revival of the old one, a retnrn to the prlml.
tlve creed of Abraham; nud there Is reason to
believe that both tho great religions of the East
em world existing In his time?Saba'anism and
Magianlsm?had been, in their origin at least,
vaguely monotheistic. They had passed through
the stages of spirituality, misunderstana
lng, decline, end, lastly, Intentional cor
ruption, till the God whom Abraham,
according to the well known Mussulman legend,
had been tho first to worship, because, while ho
had made the start and sun to rise and set, ho
never rose or set himself?had withdrawn behind
them altogether; the heavenly bodies, irom being
symbols, bad become the thing symbolized; tem- '
pies were erected in their honor and Idols Oiled
the temples. As with Sabtranism, so with Magian
lsm. Ormtizd and Atiriman were no longer tlu
principles brought into existence, or existing, by
the permission of the ono true God, who, as
Zoroaster had Uagbt, would tolerate neithor tem
ples nor altars nor stmbgla, aud would be wor- ,
shli ped only on the hill tope with the eye of lalth,
quickened though It might bo by the glory of the
rising or setting sun presented to the bodily eye.
Fire had Itself become ihe divinity, and wb*t offer
ing could oe more acceptable to such a god than
the human vlctm, overwhelmed by the mysterious
flame, whose divine power he dented.
Combinod with these two religions was the
gro?sest Fctichism, the worahip of actual stocks
and atones, or of the grim array of 8eo idols In toe
Kaaba, among which the aerolite?once believed
to have been of dazzling whiteness, but long !
since blackened by tho kisses of sinful men? was
the most ancient and tho most sacred. Judaism
snd Christianity were also known In Araila,
though neither of these religions ever at rock deep
root in the Arabian eon. Klther they were not '
stilted to the people or the people were not i
suited to them. "They lived on," says Sir. .Hmitn,
"in ?iufferance only, tin a faith which to the Arab?
a-iould be the more Imng one should sweep theni
The aoclal conditions nnder which Mohammed
had to work were not less peculiar tnan the re
ligions'. Fiom time Immemorial "Arabia had been
?put op into a rant number of ludependeni tribe",
always at war with one another. The scanty sus
tenance which an arid aoil yielded they wcro
fain to eke out by trading themselves, or
by p'nndf?rio?r o-hcra who conducted caravana
along the sea coast or the Iledjaz to exchange ?
the spicca and precious atones of India or or
Hadramant or or Yemen with the manufactures of
Bozra and Damascua. Their hand was against
every man and every man's hand was against
t hem; and a prophecy la hnrdly needed to ex
plain the fact ttat an Impenetrable coontry was
never penetrated by foreign conquerors. Nor were
they as uncivilized aa has often been mpposcd.
They were aa passionately rond of poetry aa they
were of war and pinnder. What the Olympic I
Gamea did for Qreece in keeping up the national
leeling. aa distinct from trioai independence. In
giving a brier cessation irom hostilities and acting
as a literary centre, ihe annual fairs at Okatz and
Mnjanna were to Arabia. Here tribes made up
their dissensions, exchanged prisoners of war, I
and, most important or all, competed with one
another m extempore poetic contests. Even in
the ?times or ignorance,' each tribe produced Its
i own poet-laoreate, and the most ready and the
beat saw his poem transcribed in letter* of (old
oranspended on the wall or the entrance or the
Kaaba, where It would be seen by every pilgrim
who might visit the moat suaed puce in the gan
try."
There was a wild chirulry In the people, a con
tempt ur danger and a sensibility of honor, which
lend a charm to all we bear of their lovea ana
their wars, their greed and th?lr hospitality, tneir
rapid- and their revenge. The Bedouin has been
; the same in these respect! in a;i ages. "Re good
enough to take off that garment or yours,''saya
tne Bedonin roboer politely to bis victim; "It is
wanted by my wife." El Mutanabl, a poet, prophet
and warrior, three hundred year- a ter the negira,
was journeying with bis son through a conntry
infested by robbers, and proposed to aeek a place
or refuge tor the night. "Art thon theo that
Mutanabl," exclaimed his slave, '?who wrote these
lines
I am known to th? nigh' and the wild and the steed,
i To tne gu<Mt. and the sword, io the paper and Ui? rsed.
Tne poet warrior felt the -tain like a wound, 1
and throwing himself down to sleep whore be then
was mot his deal h at the hands of the robbors. The
passion for indiscriminate piunier had, it la troe,
before the time or Mcnammed aa far given way to
the growing love of commerce that a kind of
"Trace of God" was tacitly observed during flonr
montna of the year; tint it Is not unlikely that the
forced abstention from pinnder gave the zest of
novelty and a clear conscience to the disciples of
freeboo ery ween tne lour months were over.
itnch was the condition of Arabia when Mohsfm
med appeared upon the acene. Ills youth gave
' few signs that he was to be tne regenerator of nis
people. He was a man or lew worda and he had
few mends. Notable chiefly for his truthfulness
and good fsltli, they called him "A! Amvu," the
1 Truaty. nis lending his en ployer'a flicks; bis
journeys to Syria; possibly his short-lived rrlend
1 snip there with Sergius or Raitira, a Nestorian
i luoulti bis faiaoua vow to succor the ooDiea*edi
bis employment by Kadijah In a trade venture and
His subsequent happy marriage wltn Her areabeiit
tii* only noiewortay external incideuw in h.s
"There*# nothing to ehow that up to the rrj oj
lorty he fell any serious e^ruple M to the worship
of idols. The snored nioutli o( Ramad-nan ie <? ?
served with punctilious devotion, and he wmi
oiteu retire to the caverns ol Mount llira (or ?J
tarv meditation and prayer. He was .neiancno c
in temperament and was also subject to eptlept
fits, upon which Hpreu?rer has laid
and described moat minutely, and
under the name of the "*a-red dlseaie among
the Greeks, or "possession by the devil ?'
the Jews. has In most aires and countries been
looked upon as soiuethlug specially mysteriojs
or supernatural. In one of mesa fits or tranosB
lie saw an angel in humau torui, but. flooded wl Ih
celestial light, displaying a silver roll. 'Ku*i'
said the angel. "I cannot read," said Mohammed.
The lnjuuctlon and the answer were twice
repeated. "Read." at last said the angel, "in the
name or the Lord; who created man out of a clot
of blood; read, In the name of the Most Illeh. wb
taught man the use ol the pen, who sheds ou his
soul the ray ol knowledge and teaches him what
be ore he knew not." Upon this Mohamme 1 felt
the lieavenlv inspiration and read tne decrees of
Cod, which he a terward promulgated m the
Koran. Then cmie tue announcement, -o Mo
hammed, o. a trutu tnou art the Trophet of God
and 1 am his augel Gabriel."
This was the crlBis ol Moiiummed's H't. It was
bin call to renounce Idolatry and to take the office
of Prophet. Overwhelmed by a sense of the great
ness of the mls-don he sought counsel of his gou
wife Kadijah, who cheered and encouraged him.
A long period of Hesitation, doubt and prepara
tion followed. llis teachings made Blow pro
gress. Three years saw only fourteen
proselytes attach themselves to him. During
the next ten years his doctrino gained
followers, but most of them had been
obliged to take reiuge in Abyssinia; Kadljali am
Abu Taleb, his uncle aud protector, died, and at
laBt. Mohammed hiraHOif was compelled to fly or
Ills life With one companion, his early convert aju
Uakr. For three days ho lay concealed In a cavern
a league rrom Mecca. The Korelsrdte pursuers
scoured the country thirsting for his blood, llicy
approached tne cavcrn. "We are only two, sal
his trembling companion. ??There is a
third," said Monannued; "it Is God h.m
Bfir," The Korelshltes reached the cave; a
snider, we are told, had woven Its web across
the mouth, and a pigeon was sitting on Its nest In
seemingly undisturbed repoie. Tuc KorelshiteB
retreated, for It was evident the solitude ol the
place was unvlolated, and, by a sound tustmct one
of the subliinest stor.es In all blstory baa been
made the era of Mohammedan chronology.
It is unnecessary to follow the well kn^wn
story of the rropuet's subsequent career; but our
readers will be interested in Mr. Smith's strlkintr
portrait of the man who nas stamped his impress
so deeply on the Orienial world, aud iu a lew
extracts which set forth tho character ol tue
Koran. chafuttekigtlc<* of mohamskd.
Mohammed was of middle heurut and of a
urunir built irame; bis head was urge, and across
his am^le loreticad and above finely arching eve
brows ran a s'rongiy marked vein, which, wueu
be was angry, would turn black and throb visibly.
His eyes were coal black and piercing In their
brightness; his hair curled slightly; and a long
beard, which, like other Orientals, he would strokn
when in deep thought, added to tne general nn
pressivenes of his appearance. His step was
quick and Arm, "Uko that of one descending a
Mil." Between his shoulders was the famous
mark. iho sizo of a pigeon's etfg, which his disci
ples persisted in believing to be the sign of his
pioplietlc office; while the lliiht which kindled in
his eve, like that which flashed from the precious
stones in the breastplate of the High most, they
called the light ol prophocy.
In his Intercourse with others he would sit client
among ills companions for a long time together,
bnt truly his silencc was more eloquent than other
men's speech, for the moment specch was called
for it was forthcoming in the shape of some
weighty apothegm or proverb such as the Arabs
love to h*ar. When he laughed he langhcd heart
ily. shaking his sides and showing Ms teeth,
which "looked as if they were hailstones." He
w is easy of approach to all who wished to see
him even as "the river bank to him that draweth
wa-er tnereirom." He was fond of animals, and
they as is oiten the case, were fond of li ra, lie
sedom passed a group or children playing
together without a few kind words to them;
and ne was never the flrst to withdraw his
hand from the grasp of one who offered mm his.
If th? warmth of his attachment may he measured,
as in fact It may. by the depth of his irieuds' de
votion to him, no truer friend than Mouamme l
ev. r lived. Around him, in quito early days,
gathered what was best and nob est m Mecca;
and in no single Instance, through all the vicis
sltudes of his checkered iPe, was the ftiendsnlp
men lormcd ever broken. He wept like a child
over the death of his faithful servant Zeid.
He visited his mother's tomb some fifty
years ait*r her death, and h? wept there be
cause he believed that God had forbidden
him to pray for her. He was naturally shy and
retiring?"as b ishiUl" said Aye?ha (his ravorite
wlf"), "as a veiled virgin." He was kin 1 and lor- \
giving to all. "1 served him from the time I was
eight years old," said his servant Anas, "and he
never scoldeu me for anything though 1 spoiled
much" The mrst noteworthy of his external
characteristics was a sweet gravity and a qoiei
diirniir which drew Involuntary respect, and
which wai tne boat and often the only protection
tie enjoyed Mora insult.
His ordinary dress was plain, even to coarse
ness; yet he was fastidious in arranvinx It to tne
best advantage. He was ron<' of ablations ami
fonder still of perfumes; and be prided himself
on the neatness of his hair and the pearly wnito
ness of bis tectb. Ills life was simple in all us
details. He lived with AH wives in a row of hum
ble cottages, separated from one another by palm
branches, cemented together with mod. He wonid
kindle the Ore, sweep the floor and milk the
goats himself. Ajesha tells us tnat he slept upon a
leathern mat, and that he mended Ins clothes and
ewn clouted his shoes with his own band. For
months together ayesba 1s also our authority
for saying that be did not get a sufficient 1
meal. The little food tbat he had was always
shared with those who dropped in to partake of
it. Indeed, outside the Prophet's bonne was a
bench or gallery, on which were always to be
lound a number of the poor woo lived entirely on
the Prophet's generosity, and were hence called
tne "pcop.o of the bench." His ord.nury lood
was dates and water, or hurley bread; milk aod
honey were luxuries of which ha was i< n 1 Vic
whloti he rarely allowed himself. The lure o. <u?;
?Sescrt seemed most congenial to h'm. even wnen
be was sovereign of Arabia. One day some peopio ,
passed by him with a basket of berries from one
of the desert shrubs. "Pick me on'," he said to
his companion. ?' the blackest of those berms, for
they are sweet?even such as 1 was wont to
gather when I led the flocks or M^cca at Adgad."
THE KOTUM.
Endless assertion* as to what the Koran Is and
what it is not, warnings drawn rrom previous
Araoian history, especially tne lost tribes of Ad I
and Thamud; Jewish or Aran legends ot the
neroes of the Old Testament?stories told, and, it
must be added, oiten spoiled In the reidng or
them; laws, ceremonial and mora), civil and
sumptuary; personal apologies; curies snowered
upon Aba Lanab or the wnote community or tno
Jews; ail this alternates with subt, ne revelations
of the attribute.* or t e liodbead, bursts of ad
miration for Christ Himseir, though not for tne
views held of Him by His so-called followers;
flights oi poe:ry, scathing rebukes or the hyp
ocrite. the ungrateful, the unmeroifiL
That the book as a whole is a medley, however
It may be arranged, will seem only natural when
we remernuer the way in which it was oomioeed,
preserved, edited and steieotjped. Dictated iroin
time to time by Mohnuiined to his disclplcs, it was
by them partly treasured in tbetr memories,
p?rtiy written down on snonider bones ef mutton
or on oyster elicits, on bits of wood or tablets of
si one, which, being thrown pell-mell into
boxes and JuniWed up together, like the
leaves of tfte cuoaicau Sibyl alter a tun
of wtn4. were not put Into any ar?
at ail fill after the Prophet'a death, by order
of Abu Hakr. TUu work or the editor consisted
simply in arranTing the minis tn the order of their
respective leifgtbs?the oujest first, the nortest
las'; and. though the book once afterward pas*ed
tnrougn Hie editor's hands, this is substautially
the shape in wiucu the tvoran has coino down to
us. Various readings, which would seem, how
ever, to hare been ol very slight imporiance, hav
ing crept Into the different copies, a revi la .? com
mittee was appointed uy oraer ol the tullph Otn
man, unJ an authorized edition harm: been thus
prepared "to prevent the text* during, like
those of the Je *s and Christian^" ail previous
copies were collected and burned. * ? *
The very title* 01 the earlier Burks, the Impre
cations with which they abound, the imagery they
employ, surest the shepherd or the oesert, the
despised vwloaary, the poet and the prophet.
?'The Foidmer Up," "Tne Cleaving in Sunder,"
"Tile Celestial Signs," "The Unity," "The Over
whelming," "The striking," "The Inevitable,"
??The Eai thquako," "Too War Horses," tell i heir
own story. There are pa-sages in these, though
it must be sdmiited they are van?, which may be
compared tn xraudour even with some of the aut?
liniest passages or Job, ol David or or Isaiah.
Take, for instance, the vision or the last dav
wan witio*i the eiguiy-tlist sura, "Ike Fuldiug
Up," begins:?
Whan 'In1 sun shall be folded up,
And wbon ti e man slmll tail.
And wiieti the mount un< all wl be ?et in ,.o ion.
Ami wheu the ?'io*caiBelii with youutr *ii;ill . o nevlectsd.
And wheu the Wilu neasl? nlmll be huddled together,
And wheu I lie *u is ?iiaii boil.
Aud wnen souls -Uah oe joined ayain to their hodie*.
And when iho f. mule ctillj Wat nud been buried alire
?ii:til a-k lor what crime -lie wss out to death.
And v* hen th? leaves ol ttie Book shall be unrolled,
Aud wheu the Huaveaa ?haU be stripped away like a
skin,
And when Ilell -hall be m?'*e to l/la/.e,
And wnen ParaUist suit:i be brought iu:ar?
fcvory SOiH cdiall know wliat it lias done.
Allusions to the monotony oi the desert; the
sun in Its rising brightness; the moon in its splen
dor; are varied in tne Koran by much more vivid
mental visions ol the Great Day wnen men shall
be like moths scattered abroad, and the moun
tains shall become like carded wool of various
colors, driven by the wind.
THE rnOPUET'd TBANCES.
Strange and graphic accounts h.-.ve been pre
served lo us by Ayeslia of the physical phenomena
attending the Prophet's tits of inspiration. He
heard as it were the-muring or a bell; he tell down
as one dead; he sobbed like a camel: ho felt as
thougn he were oelug rent in pieces, and
when he came to himself he felt as though
words had been written on his heart. And when
Abu Hakr, "he who would have sacrificed lather
aud uintaer lor Mohammed," burst into tears at
the sight of the Prophet's whitenlDg hair, "Yes,"
said Mohammed, "Hud and its sisters, the terrific
suras, nave turned it while before its time."
As we have said, this is in many respects a re
markable book. Whatever objections may be
made to certain of the author's views respecting
the relations of lsiatu to Christianity, all who de
sire to know the differences between the former
as it is commonly painted and as it is will find
them set lorth in these pages with admirable
clearness and impartiality.
RACING PROSPECTS.
XIIK COMING SPK1NG KKKTINQ AT XEBOMS PA UK? \
A GLANi E AT TUB WITHEE3 AND E1.LMONT
STAKES, THE WKSTCHESTEll C'CP AND JUVENILE \
STAKES.
The turf In the United States has b?en so rapidly
advancing In popularity for tne past ten years
that it has now reached an Importance far greater
than at any former period of oar history, and en
tirely beyond ail tho anticipations of its most sun
gmne patrons. The year 1875 win eclipse ail its
predecessors in the number and Importance o(
races as well as in ouMlc favor. The whole coun
try, Irom Louisiana to New Tore, is rail of nlgli
bred racers in training, probably numbering moro
than twenty times us many as were trained ten
years ago. It has become lastuonable, all over
the country, lor gentlemen of means to maintain
racing establishment*, thus imltatlnir, as In many
other respects, our transatlantic cousins. The
meeting at New Orleans, which has just com
menced, may be considered the first Important
one of the year. Nasuville, Louisville, Lex
lngtou, Baltimore and others, will follow la
the movement lor the grand concentration of
all the flyers at tne Jerome Park Spring meeting,
to commcnce June 6, ami to continue on alternate
days (or two weeks?seven days of running?for
a larger amount ol money than ever before given
by any racing ciub in this country. It should bo
remembered, too, to the credit ol tuoae in power,
that at Jerome Park and other important courses
none ol tne entrance mono; is retained by tho i
club, all being distributed as per programmes, to
first, second and third horses.
The busy book-makers are profiling by the in
creased interest manifested by the multitude who
habitually attend and speculate upon raving, and
numerous investments havo already been mado
uj.ou prominent comiug events.
TUB WITIIKIU SfAKBS
ol $1^) each, half lorfoit, witu $l,ooo added, for
three-year-ol'ta, one mile, Is first in order upon
the bettiug books for the spring meeting; and or
the fifty-eight entries tome twenty odd nave al
ready been backed for various sums. Aristides, at
4 to 1; Cheaislde, atS;Kiug Bolt, at 0; the He- 1
lentless colt, at 0; Ascot, at 8; Uhadamanthu*. at
8; Angara, at 9, and D'Artagnan, at 10 to I seem
to be held in tne highest estimation; the odds
against others rauging from 12 to 36 to l. The
raco Is an exceedingly dMiotlnl one, however, as
the number of starters will certainly bo very
large, and many of them are yet untried. .-ome
of the finest colts la the country received ?oli
gemic preparation and schooling In their two
year-old lorm, and have been teserved lor the
great stakes for three-rear old*. It must not be
supposed, theretore, that the cbanccs ot success are
confined to the colts wbtcn distinguished tuem- i
selves last year, and upon which the ou:si<ie pub
lic will invest most freely. Judicious tnrimen
frequently reserve ttieir best colts ior comparative
maturity, ratner than risx iajwrj to tnem by
severe preparation and racing when on.y two
years old. an<i wira ihe veiy larue aumi er of colte
now iu training. tHo ra^e lor ttic Viltliers sukw, I
which is oni? one mile, may be regar ica as yet
almost a lottery.
Tllf BELMONT 5-TAKFS,
which Is the great eveuc ol tne spring meeting?a
sweepst ikea of fluoeacn, liali lorleit, with $1,M<J
?ddetf, the dis'anco being a mile and a uaii, .? ml
lor w;,icii tuere nr.- tttty*two nominations will no >
a ir. ir.' severe tesi ol the merits oi i'ie thiec
jrcar-o'da, the beillng books inhering thi!
tavorttes as Hyuer An, ft to i; Chesapeake, i>
t.? it Arietides, 0 to l;. Hayainster, wmia
lluike, King lloii, St Martm ami sangara,
each * to l; HhulaaMntfcus and Jo Cerns each
10 to 1. Ac.. HiOer All Html lavorito until
a lew day^ since, took ins tiigt) position by trio
handsome maimer in winch ne won uie unam
l?..une Makes at Jerome Par? last. iaII, ben injf
Janie* A, Fine Work ami six others three-quarters
ui h mile, with apparently a a cod d sal in ban I, tlu
ume ueiug l:.u ihoiighnai tur.men cannot
see !u this, nowever, any evtdeiice oi superiority
to Chesapeake, winner ot tne Annusi nta-ve ?t
lama Hrauoii, one mile, bealmg Li/z.o R., Sweet
Lips, Amelia and turee oilier in i :4iami wso
the winner oi the Kentucky >:ake<, one mile, it
Saratoga, on a heavv track, beating a splendid
lot?James a., Willie Uurae, Rhadaaattttue, king
Bolt ami three otnere?iu 1:4s ,s. la mis ra-a
Chesapeake *as <itlveu irom tne start to mo flu
l>n. .?ii<l showed bimsen to t>e a very game coit.
We look upon nu record, tlieretore, as superior to
that oi llyUer All. Arislides, Ms stao.o co u
pamou, has ai-o an exce.out record, and |
many believe mm the nest of the two.
lie won a handicap for two-je ir-oi J", oue mile. ,
at Saratoga, carrying tna top weight (M lbs.), and
deieaiing Aniena, Hf<ii>rook, Joe cerns, victorious
ami Uuiisier, in 1:44*4. Fur a purse ol fyoo, lor
two year Old*, aiJet<>me i'ark, live luiiou.ta, ho
deieated Fine Work, itaovlon and five otners, la
i :u4 'j ; and at Baltimore, ho won tho Central !
Slakes, oue mile, beatiug Joo ceins, Anie.ia and
llolbrook, iu iue eztraurataary tune oi 1:44^. In
these two, Mr. McUr.ith certain.y naa a veiy good
cuanre to win the Belmont, vviiiio Burke, King
IJo t ami others, were aiso success:ul last year to
tnmc extent, and must not oe counted out; wmio
anions iheoth'T uomiuatlons mere are quite a !
number oi niagmfloent cons, amried, but oi sutii
c.ont pr> mise to liniuce liicir admirers to put
mon y up .n them, mere will he a large rieiii of
bisn.ers, and Uie contest for tuo Beiurant mast
prove ui'iiiiant.
TilK irr.STi HK'TKIt CTP,
from Its nnmeritiis onirics aud tne ^qaall^lng
penalties imposed upon winners, presents a bi oa 1
tieid .or -p?'cui iiloti. and so ?iou?trui dues tne
result now seem thai there is at>nmiaut rea-on to
anticipate a large number ol starters and a greater
contest tlis n lor iuy Nirmer cap. It seldom nap
pens that so many subscribera to snch an event
have reason to ttiink their ohancee ot succe-s good.
Tne lmok makers have assigned u> nallsnkeei tne
vest oi uouor. laving otUv 6 to 1 against mui. whua
againit Hhytoek. winner of t?e c?p met 'e5r,.J*Y
Siva <i in i: Wax u, (t to l; \audaate, ? io i.
Madge aifl?tl0toliH>w8loI; J^iorm. at Hr.f.10
to X uow 7 to l: Culpepper *?<* hrlustf-aa,
obcu 10 io l. ihe odds agum?t the temaiuder
wwng from 26 to 1. Ha'laakeel (now
4 veara old) atarted BUttii um?* laat year,
and scored live Victoria. H? won tne ^cluaw
H'Akert lort nrce? ear-olds, Memu&w, two
?ie?unir Kinif P.nne i?>r ^ustrAiiao) m 3.47. At
Baltimore (Oct. ill, carrymir wi His., he wo? ?i
Handicap stakes lor all ages. two anil hall inj>ea m
4 ? *ii ? hp itniu bttyiock>* 5> years, wltu ill lbs. ,
HuamM #>e?& w ">*: Barrr Bis.ert, ?
?e'ir* 114 Hw,; Kuaoittie, 4 years, 100 )os.; Kadi, 5
YM?i' 105 loa. ana Madge, a years. M iim. mou-h
Baiiankuel ?a* lav urea iu the weight?.
was still a good one, tne unie frclug t?e be^t at
thatdtitance. excepting Ksti? reise's time at
Buffalo lu September last. Ac Now Orleans, lu
December, lie 'ton a race of mile heats,
inr a nurse heating Booaventure una ttireo
Jm.fv 1:44 1:45 Aim. the Orleans
Sratea lor tbree-year-olua, two nnles beat
in* Colonel NciUtf tO *Q 3.4^ AUo a i*to
01 a mile aua three-quarters, lor a
Carrie P. Falmouth andtwo ?tnerB-tim? ?.io.
This is a very fair tecord. and Halla.ik' el c'irrie^
no penalties. But it must be obaei v?d that Bal
lanxeei a.d not meet4.lie heat_colt?ol hlj J^j ?ni'
that his best race/wers made wltn light wel,f
up. lu the handicap al>ove referred to tat Bam
morei shy lock gave turn a lna.. ^"?J?tte |a*?
him a l >s. ;tnd Mioire aave huu 7 lbs. SnjlocK, to
carr. a penalty ol :i lbs., ranks second in t'.o oet
tinvr. and many think lie will anam win me cup,
out It IB difficult io arrive at, that conclusion. ir
he could not last year boat Ball an* eel two miles
anil a half, me latter glvimr him 1 lbs . we canuoi
aee how lie can wtn tne cup, two and a nuarter
mi cs, giving IbB. Heiorm is rising in
: trio bettmit, the odUlw a?A?i?st. tolm having been cut
dowu iroul 10 to 7. io U He was a vorr goo.
thfep-year-o.fi uutil no was overmanned ana
thrown out of famine under grave aasptomn t-iat
his tinn ers wen' shivered. He stood .a great
| amount oi narl service, however, !iiaving"'?'ta^
nine times, 11 itn1 writer mistakes, not. wiunini,
but two racss. He won an excellent race in July
1 lor the MoumouiU boquM .it.ikes lor mree-yeai
olda. two naies, carrvini.; 110 los.. aua rt^ica.in<ou
even teima Uuolin, \ andalite and four others lu
the iant time ol 3:il>S. At yaratoft*. iu AiigUHt,
he won a purso lor all ages, a mile and three
onarters, heating UtiMin. Loudon tin t tlw Red
Uiok-Bita .Ship, en flllr in the best tiine on
lor thai Ulatttuoe?3:0ft1,; hut no canlcd ouly
lbs., wnile Uubliu. the same a^e, caiiteu w ijh.
Coining out oi this race ajiparentiy oamased ho
retired lor the seaaon. ho is tyw look i_ w^l
and is believed to he souud. .snoul'l he
stand the grand preparation ant}0,,m?,?
po.it all right, ho will he close to tne
winner. Madge, a slashing four-yc-ar-oul
daughter of Australian, is ai^o ^rlously thought .
oi. Froiu 10 to l the odds against her naye been
cut down to 8 to 1, aud she auould bo ^Lked on
those terms. She w s very useiul to colonel
McDaniet last year, liaviug for 'ou?o?n
races, ol wtiich she won six. At tfaiAtoga, Annual
?, she won a free haiidtcap. ono ?''?
87 lbs., and beating the tauious l-adladeeu, axed,
with only 10? los. up: Botany Bay, :i y
g.i ibs., being third, anil .seven others uot placed.
Time Same place. August 13, tarrying
95 lbs'., she woo a purse ior iliroo-vear-oi"e^
lng countess, oa lbs.; tiriujteaa, loo IM., and six
others, one mile aud an ciielitli. I -a'-??
iii'tcc Au,rus- 21, sho won a putsc dll 3iires?
i three-quarters of a mile, beating
Mac aud lour others, in the best time on
? i Tne followinff ^;iy M'lt5 won a purse, one
i mile and au eighth, oca-in.- '-'arver nQ" <-?l!iLll.g2'
lu i;57 '4. At Buffalo she won a sw tp
siites ior threc-vear-olils, carrjina 107 lbs.,
atfd beating cuipepper and Vortex. L?o
miles in 3:38'i. Her last success was
ior cue Hauler stakes, lor Ullle.s, at Jerome i aik,
lu October, beatini? Bouaventure, \ undallLe and
; Lava on ever, ter,^ each carrying 1? lo . one
mile aud three-quarters, In J.io. Mr winniug
iiis race she cai nci taree pounds penalt ? In tn
t ut, She has pienty of speed, as her record above
? ?.terns: and n. as a three.year-old. ln ^(^ corn
pany, she could wiu races of a i lie ,ind three
on Art era and two miles, wlta Hi id*, up, sno
otiiiht as a lour-jear-old to go two and a quarter
niiu?s witu only au additional pouutl.
dele tied several times at two miles, * InuU g but
ouce, as above, at that oistance; but at Bito.
currviDir Ho sJ|e run second t?> Liz/, t lu> .w,
two mMi to aSiw or 3:33.',, as differently s atoJ,
I either being good enough. Again, lor the Jeronio
Stakes, Jerome 1'ark, sue rati a good secoud to
....at boatiuu Canneiettu. Aaron leuniugtuu,
{;i"i ""o'uoV".??j <?sa";.5!r
tun u!ve stakes at Baltim. re, weighW up, two
miles, iu 3:&i'? ueatiug tnlrteou otuerB, inclauing
Baliaukeel, HilgaUd aud oilier gool ones, tier
i i'*t riue w s 'he one above referred to, of i<vo
aud a bali miles, at Baltimore, won by Bananiee ,
m wbi ?I *ho ir ive him 7 lbs., but w is not p.accd.
1 nose' who believe sue can sUy tfie distacce o
two and a iiuarler miles ought not. to hesiwto ?o
bac<c tier saxon. winner oi tne Belmont btakes
hist Vear eairviug lio lbs., a milo and a hall, in
? 'j1, and beating a sp'.eudid field, proved n',a
self a superior colt, tne tleet IUngHUian. with J lbs.
lei. t"n his weight lor age, on the eanio day
luakinii the same dwtauce a second slower. But
I wiuuiug t ie Beim -ut imposes upou -saxon a i. n
Stilt? tne wmner u^eioVeu^'r^ces^fast year ifle
ki SlrnI"s,Tivrni\r?rr^r:Pe^
unflinchingly garno ?"?;? ?b!? 11? " o^-ii
UeavVtuad'or her. e'veu should sue be uninjured
sf?^pSr.
saunas
' will prove hlmseli nrst class.
for two-yttr^lSSIfor wMchNnero are thirty odd
^SCftl.lo.irwr?t?m?l \o'name tlfe" w?inuer!
To ^it ."men who wi^to "peculate on the event
tne pool av "tern is recon.mendeJ-put up your
money, place the Bumoera iu a Hat, draw, aua
trust 10 l"C?(lB Jf.nol|E r4RK JIEF.TINa ?
aannnf f?*l IO bC UBUSUftilT IjCllltUllf, l!l^ fTOHl tllC
" u.<?w?.?* ?'?? s".1;?
w'tnelIntime"porrl"ne"great popularuj ol the
frytCpareseuun' ^
ati racuonn on * act? g ..c.asion.sbutanaffreeaMe
pr?per.
the national game.
A NUB FIOHT AMONO Tlifc rROFKSSIAN\t-S-A
COMBINATION FORMING AOAXM81 THE AT il LET
ICS OF rHn.ADEI.PHIA NAMES OF TUU PBO
FKhKIONAL I'LAYERS.
The rroicsslonal Association of Base Ball Platers
Is la a bad way. Never since its organization iian
to?re been such dissension in it* rank*. At tbc
annual meeting he.d in Philadelphia, March 1, tbe
case of David Force came op uclore tbe Judiciary
Committee lor settlement. on the 2d of No
vember last th;s player signed a contract binding
i.tniaclf 10 play with the Chlcaito c<nb fo>* tbe sea
son ol 18TA. on tbe 6th dav or December be signed
? contract with tbe Athletic Club, agreeing to play
wllii them during the same *eai>on (1875). lu view
or the?e facta the committee decided tn^t be
should
FEAT WITH THE CHICAGO CI.CB
and that the contract with the Athletic CInb was
111*-gal and therefore In no way binding.
Alter tbc election of a new set of officers by the
Convention, the President, upon tailing bis seat,
at, once appointed a new Judiciary Committee,
designating three Philadelphia men as mcmocrs.
As tae committee Is composed ol but five tbls
action gave the Athletic Cluo a clear majority.
Without any unnecessary delay tbe committee
convened and reopened the Force case, just de
CKK-d by tneir predecessors, and alter a brier
h< a ring declared that force shou d play lu the
Athletio Cmb and nowhere eiae.
Tata action has occasioned nil the trontdc.
Clu'is, other than those In 1'hil.idclpbla, very nat
urally look with no inconsiderable degree of
apprehension upon tneir chances of obtaining jus
tice at tbe bands ol a Judiciary Committee tbat
could be capable or doing what the present one
has aiready done. The President, Mr. Charles
Bps ring, is a member ol the Athletic C.ub, also
A SRI V-rON?T|TLTII> MKMBBH
of the Judiciary Committee.
Home ten da> a ago the following car I was sent
by tae Moston Ciub to the other proiessijnai cluoe
with a request that it be signed
Mr. t'nASLKs t-rsstso, President National Association
rroless.oiisl Uase Ball Flayer*:?
M*-ihe un IcrMgnnl Daw hall clubs all of whim are
member* ot ? he MaHi nal Assoc.ail on ot Prefesrtonul
Baas hull Flayers, address to y?u in vour oftt.'ial <??
rMetO hii I through i on to the prclea-inu ?n<l (he pub
ic? the loilow nig declaration, winch we consider p?r
tineni and necessary iii view of ceriain incidents wn oh
have transpired since the *o|our innetu of our tail C'on
vrution in 1'lill.nlciphla, March I, 1851:?
I'irrt?heilevlng it to be an nbsoiu e neeessltv to th?
progress and Interest of onr national fame ?n i' to our
individual succeaasBfl prosnerhv aa separab- orfiinisa
tunii that them a.iounl lie a national rod* tor our gov
ernment- a eoda u> he stnetlv observed aud respected?
we di Clare it to tie onr Uxed purpose to su-tain and up
hold the conatltuuon anil bylaw* of the National asso
ciation adopted March 3. 1*7.4, to recognize no oiner or
higher law and to discountenance and rebuke anv and
everv attain pi upon tho part ot any o un or clique ? t
club* to violate, disregard or dely any on'1 of its smelts
or sectional to this wo medxo ourselves by this instru
ment.
sr wut?We consider It an absolute neeewsty that there
I should exist a tribunal to try ami deer mine those rils
1 pules and differences which un void iblv row between
clubs and between clubs and nicir players; that tin*
: tribunal should consist ot intelligent and lair men. ?e
lected from different pirts nt the country, so tba* they
i sb.,! not oe tabled to lectiouai. .uuai or partisan in
Urn itr* 'nut III* r ileilrttiiis shoald be final us.l sebtnfft
ii i? t? and ri'sntfirl bv ail the elubs.
*e believe tit in t>> nave neen the object of the Assooia
fion In creaiiiis Ui? Judiciary Coininntei. and *? are
del r mined io sustain that committee, to aeoeot an r.nsl
Its deriiiotw u,mil ?ij rave which hare anil tnsy nere
aiterroine ueloir it, au.t to rofard any attempt to ovado
or il iltor i) as faettoos and revolutionary.
lioldui/ to the position set forth ill the above declara
tio'i. we \uw trult surprise ragret and apprehension
the recent action ?l ttie Athletic Club ol Philadelphia,
one of the oldest m gmi!/.alioin In the country, and
wlio-e chief ofllcer wan. at our last Conveution. chosen
President by a\ery complimentary?lor it was unani
mous?vote.
on tho ilav following the adtonrnraont nf the Conven
tfoti, the Athletic dub inn le an extraordinary attempt
to arolu and reverse a decision oi the Ju^.-.iary Com-,
m.ttee of 1874?which had been adverse to them?by
In Iiik'HU UP 'ho decide I mailer belore the new com
mit ee?a committee nele-'Uui and appointed by their
Crini l.tif las the A nictation Preildeuti. of vvliioh torn
mittee lie wan hiinaelf a msmber, by bin own appoint
ment, and mi which I wo other member* wore delegates
from Philadelphia club-. I Kollowintr upou this tbi
Athletic I'iuh adopted resolution* whoso uncon.'caioit
purpose win (ii le.'i aJc and ridicule the committee of
1*71 end which thev ha t the bad taste tto call it by no
none name) to transmit to the representatives of all the
other club*. Coorowu all, the President of the Natioual
Association?who should have been, above all inen, tlm
very last to asaunie a partisan or sectional attitude In
any di-puie betweun association ciubs ?has altacuid
the c >i iin i t.'c ii 1874, thr ntk Mm mUubm <?' the .\>vr
\ ork i 'Hi /H-r, over his own slf nature as President ol tho
Allil'-tiu I lull!
Wo caim.it but regard this conduct as Improper, a
serious blow to the interest* of the association and ai> ?*
laid tuug a vory dangerous precedent; and we. there
lore. express ov this paper our unqualified di?approval
oi the eiuire proceeiiinn.
In order that the danger may spread no further, and
that oitr Interest* and rlfhts as members of the annota
tion mav be resoectud auii uroici vol. we unite iu Hie
following demand an i insist tliat it be com died with: ?
We itemaiid that tho Jiiiiiel try Committee <?!' 1S7S be
reui jauined, and Hut this lie done upou tnc following
had*, vi/.
rhe tour Western dubs to be represented by Mr. C. O.
Bishop. <>t m. Louis as chairman of' ilia committee.
(A delesate iroiu one of the Western cluhs has already
been a member oi the committee and resigned troiu it.)
The three .\*? .v i'.iulauJ clubs bi iwo delegate'.
Th- two New York eluhs by Mr. Van Delft, of tho
Atlantics.
ilie three Philadelphia Clubs by Mr Concannon, of
th-- Phil utclph as.
I his ?m neessitale th- withJrawl of Mr. Sperlnc and
Mr. i ayhurst. It Is manifestly unjust that three I'hlln
del|iiua men should be upou the committer, and wo will
not toler.no it
Wo de naiul that the At'iletio Clob shall retire from
tileir defiant posluoa. an I siunitv their wllliiuuei*. u>
respect the itectnioos <>t the Ju.lioiary l uminal e, and
to unite with us in sustaining our constitution and ><*
la?s, protiiisuii; them in that event our li.'artiu?t friend
si1 ip u'll our tuost earnest eo-operation lor tiieir success
and (irostierllv.
otherwise wo eousllcr it to be our duty aud our rUflkt
to rexard tlmm as malcontents, who are determined to
respect no Un ?. wn?u it suali appear to be fur their
private lut resi to disobey them aud wo shall accord
in lv reiuce to arrange games with them lor the teuton,
oi IS71.
WHAT WILL BE DOSE.
It Is not jet known what effect this car>l win
have upon Mr. sperlntf, nor Is It Known as jet Uow
m.iny clubs will siKii t lie document. The Mutual
and Atlantic clubs havo ulready refug'id to Bav?
aiiTthinii ro do with ttie matter; hut In all proba
bility a majority of the clubs in the association.
will Join tnc Uofttontnns. There can be no ques
tion in reward to ttie impropriety of Mr. Sperlng'*
action; but It is very dotiutlul if lie can be forced
to rcccdc Horn the position no hits taWon. If ttto
Boston c lub, for inminco, relus hs they threaten,
t? siraugi} any earner with toe Athletics, the
Aiuletics will uudouotcdly wlu the onauipionsliip.
as the Buiitoiilans will be compelled, urnler the
rules, to fovieit io the Phiiadelphlans the ten
guruns of their series, in lact, any oiub re.iusmt;
to play the Athlitica will forfeit taeir series. As
It st ttids it's a pretty fi^lit, and the Atule.ics are
eviutstiily on top, aiuiou^n by no menus in. tfie
ri/nt. lnev luve more nmaey tlntn any other
I' uhln I BO country, and ilierefore can prolonir the
flj?Ut witu 1o.'-b iuconvculoauc tUau'cau thoir oppo
. nents.
I^CAL MATTERS.
Tlie Mutnal and Atlantic clniii are ;?ra jtfainc
every day Uie weather permits, ami j'toposj to be
in tip-top trim t?y Hie time the regular aeasou's
play opens. Nearly all tno members or tno foi mer
nine nave been praetislniar at hand n.iii duruitt tne
last two wt'eKs. tlatHeia wtii not play bill rezn
1 larly tnis seaeon, Ins place having been tilled by
UcMiiardr, lute of the Baltimore Club. 1 nis man
will flay third base, a position n which lie :s con
sidered very proilclcm, aud Holds .voi tu will airaln
ai>pjarlu the Mutu<l tauK.s, plawnjf In the po-?i
t on or short stop. I'nder this arrangement there
is no reaaoa why
TUB NEW YORK CLfB
should not make ipiue as tfood, if, indeed, not a
better record tnaa last ye tr. Mf in nil o.xce:
lent batters and their Qeklin# quaiute*. are too
well known to require any commeut. il?e> navo
at List deiernilued to discard the green stoMtMMML
and iu future will appear iu cno. ola e colored
liose. Yesterday they went ovor to the Cupitoiino
l.i uu ls and had a practice name with tt?o Cliel
?eas, t>( William-burs. I'lie I'niou Grounds, ai
thoush looKinsr mucu better than oould be ex
pected. coiisiuerinit the prolonged incitment
we.ither, will not be in condition lor pi.iy belo;e
| the flrst oi May. Mr. Catmnevcr Is hard at worn
llxini: up his seats aud lenevs aua digging out hit
\ drums.
May 4 the drst pame of the season will be plated
on these grounds, the contestants belug 'lie Mu
j tuals aud Bostons. I'lie Bostons go to \N asliiug
ton about tne til of tue preseut uiontb an<l
take a week's practice wall the Wa?li:nKiuu Cluo,
and oa their way homo will stop and play the Mu
tual as above stared, on tne sin oi day the
Muttials and rtuladelphius will have a trial oi skill
| ou the Coion Held, aud the next uay me Atlantlce
i will tuake their debut in a game wiili die Phila
delphia* on the same grounds. May T tne Mucualn
1 go to Hartford and play the local club, an I then
proceed to Boston, wnejre ih?y are oooked to plaj
the ? lleis" on tne 8th and lo.n. .May 11 thw
Aiuletics will endeavor to demolish tne Atlantic*
on the Union Urouuds, an i the billowing day will
have a bout with the Mutual*, (in the I4tn the
A'.iaatics and Philadelphia-: play another game,
and ibe next day the Mutuals and rmia teiphias
will ed.fy tue public. Butn these gam 's are to oe
i contested ou the Union Grounds.
TUB PRilKKSHIONAL NISKJ.
Below will be fouud a net of the pi tyera tn each
oi tne thirteen professional clubs, so ur as an
nounced:?
1TBUI1C. silastic. , ao?t<?*.
i I'lnpp c. Kesslcr, c. White e.
1 McHriiie, p. Kwman, p. Spaliln?, p
Aiisoii. 1st b. Crane, l?tb. o itoorkc, 1st b.
fi-ler. 2>l b. Patterson, 8d b. K.irue* 3d b.
MI'toil 'Id b. Nichols, 'd b. Hcli.ilfer, .M b.
Force. ?. ?. Barlow, s. a. O. Wrlgiit, ?. a
llall, L f. Palior. I. f. la-nurird. L I.
Kasb-r. o. f. I'hek, c t 11. u right, c. f.
Richmond, r. t. Boyd, r. I. MeVe?, r. f.
Oilroy, tab. Beaia. )
Manning, [ silba
1 atliant. ?
rmrAeo. insifssis .. .i*str.> :o.
It.isuius. c. Craver, e. Allison, c.
1 i&eitli tn, p. ?? elite! p. Bond. p.
1 Ulerin. I*t lv Aba III. 1st Ii. Mi.ls. 1st h.
! Peters, ii t>. a?easv. Sd b. Burdock,I b.
Warren,Mb. M :itniey. Sib. Kernus .n. 2d b.
i K ert s s MnnimervSie I f. Care>, s. ?.
Iitnes, |. f. T'wnrast. e. L Tocke, i. X.
i liighaia C. f. Ma-oik, r. t. Bom-en, f.
1 lievun, (? t. Ciiiiiinings. r. f.
Ilarhri lv ? -ub.
sCTCAt. r*ri..s, riin.Am.uaia.
, ITIcks, e. R uli lltle, c. Snvder. e.
I Mutthews. p. Mciioi*, p fisher, p.
' Start, lit b. ?i'mlj, 1st b. Maiouo. 1st b.
| Nels?u. 2d Ik "Jeer. Jd b. Mcileary, *1 t>.
Il il.UworUi. s. a Jackson, s. a M\erle, idb.
i Uerhar.it. M t>. Ryan, L f. Fulmer, a s.
IJi-dney, 1.1 Tipper, c. 1. Mcviullln. L f.
! Mciioe, c. t. I.un. r. f. R. hseffcr. e. f.
Booth r. f. Artiir. r. I.
1 RKD STOCai*->. ST. t.Ot'fS. BKOKCS.
; Be ward, e. Mllisr, e. Barnie. e.
I McCall. p. Brailioy, p. UoMen. p.
. Hilioo, 1st b. Ueiilntan. lit b. Winmons. 1st b.
Mulball, id h. Halttn. il b. J. Miller, td b.
.VcSorley. M b. llanit. Sd b. ? ila-ra th. -db.
1 Ketinoiid. ?. s. Pearee.s s. V'lnn, a *.
' a. Kione, 1.1. rnihberi, I. ?. Baker, 1.1.
T. II on* e. f. Pike, e f. Alien, e I.
I Korean, r. f. ('hapinnn, r. f. Prau, r. I.
Fleet sab.
WASUl.*' tos.
1 BsncJisr. e. R?s?ler. id b. A. *ltl?on, 11.
Mesrns, p. l>aiy, 3d b. I'artts, e. t
Terry, 1st b. *ar,s.* Holly, r. u
THE AMATHCIta.
The amatenrs are coming out ftroni and nnmef
ons this scnaou, peiiiaos more so tiiau at atiT
previous t me in ihe history or the national gam*.
I They have had tnelr rows published in bo >* term,
?o tnai in intnre the* wulliavosomething to guido
tnera, both in their pur am in their dealings wit#
cacli othor. Tueir code of rnloa Is, in many re
speets, never tnsn that adopted by the proiee
slona^ and in bringing itam out M-asra. I'eoa
A -ioydcr?the puiiiishors?have rxliinue i great
taste and skill, vvith rew exceptions me cinns tn
I this vicinity will niar their games at Prospect
J*arr. Toe Arlinatous, however, are ondeuvoriug
i to otitaln pennlHsion irom Mr. Cammeyr t?? p:mr
1 on 'he Onion Uronods, as they are ao much easier
I oi access than Is 1'rospec. rare. T ic clnh win
, pre?ent a strong playlog team, and, no do a at, will
cios.; tUe voaaon witu a brilliant ana wcU-earnod
i record.
me Flyaways will be even stronger than here
tofore, having strengthened tneir mne at m?uj
points. .
Tne >taten Island Clnb will n >t. It Isnn lerstood.
make any special effort to trei u:> a big nine, imt
1 will, nevertheless, oe formidable enough to hold
j their own against most of th ilr local rivals.
In Brookhn tas Nameleas, the Conctuds, the
Msasans, me U fee. at as and the Reliance will oe in
the Held as usual. 1 ne Drst two oi these will )og
along in the even tenor of their way, confuting
themselves with doing the uest tucj can iu a q.aei
manner.
FORMOSA.
A CHINKS* MANDARIN AND SXTKRAt, ItTNEALO
BOLDIZWB KILLED BT TUB MATIVKA.
6H1NOBAI, Feb. 20, 18TJ.
A presa correspondent in Formosa, on tht
authenticity ol whose information I ran implicitly
rely, sends word of the occurrence of a disastrous
affray MtwMO natives of that imand sod Chla*t??
, soldiers, in wtich th9 hitter snstained a v<ry
' serious loss. It ssetai mat a body or Chinese troops
was attacked by a lar/e forea of theae savajra^ in
in* iielxiunnrhoo 101 Hong Koiiy, a ?m?ll n'mwon
the (MM, a snort distance u> me nortu o. Laag
kuou.
A n.an tarin and upward of two bnndred Chines*
soldiers w?rt> miic.i and a larire number wounded.
Tne exact clrcum*mire* tinder wnicii tne attack
! was mail* and the motive for it are riot known,
i Doubt iosk itieisurcs will speedily be taken uy tne
I cnmo.v: to aveaffo ti.a lose ?na retrieve me
I aster*