a10 THE MOSLEM WORLD

Court, and whose advice must be asked and acted upon in all ques- tions ofher fhan those touching Malay religion and customs.” One is surprised to learn that presentday officials sometimes appeal to it as sufficient ground for discouraging missionary effort! The far- reaching benefit of British rule and occupation is evident everywhere in a marvellous commercial prosperity, loyalty to the government, the great development of new industries and a network of railways and highways in what was once a pathless jungle. Instead of inter- necine conflict and piracy the land now enjoys peace and opulent prosperity. Will the apostles of tin and rubber displace Allah and his Prophet? Or is there a future here also for the King of Kings and the message of His Gospel?

The book tells the story of how the government monopoly in opium arose and justifies this suicidal policy. In 1906 over 53 per cent of the total revenue came from opium. “Strong as were the influences, philanthropic and political, running at the time in favour of prohi- bition, the authorities, in the face of a report of this character, could not take an extreme line. The proposals of the Commissioq, com- mended as they were alike by common sense and expediency, were adopted in toto. Without loss of time, the new Department has brought into existence with Mr. F. M. Baddeley as its head, and on January 1, 1910, the direct sale of the drug by Government com- meneed. . . . The growing scarcity of opium shipped at Cal- cutta led the department to look to Persia for supplies. The results of experiments with opium from this qilarter were so successful that in future a considerable importation will be made from the Gulf. Thus it appears highly probable that the suppression of opium culti- vation in India will not mean the disuse of the drug but merely a change of venue in the cultivation.

The department having gone into the opium business does the thing thoroughly. The drug is put up into neat packages or pots bearing the Government stamp. In Singapore alone during 1910 packages totalling 48,030,958 and pots numbering 433,990 were sent out. It should be stated, however, that Singapore is a great enfrepbt for the opium trade, and that by no means all this quantity was intended for consumption in the Colony.”

The Women of Egypt. By Elizabeth Cooper. Hurst and Blackett,

Mrs. Cooper presents a very interesting study of her subject, show- ing that slowly but surely the lot of Egyptian women is improving. The prejudice against feminine education is passing away, promising a certain amount of freedom from the bondage of life in the Harem.

The writer has gathered her information through her friendship with Egyptian women of various classes, including the Bedouin. She has visited girls’ schools, missions, and hospitals and has learned much from those who have looked upon the women of Egypt from the point of view of her moral and religious development.

In a chapter on “Religion” we are told that the reason the women do not attend prayers in the mosques was because the prophet had said that prayers from women were better said in private than in a public place. The Egyptian woman therefore performs her devo- tional exercises in the Harem. The pasitions required in prayer are very difficult for women and the religion of Mohammed seems to be a man’5 religion.

S. M. 2.

Ltd. London. 1914. Pp. 376.

BOOK REVIEWS all

A Sheikh, in answer to persistent inquiries as to the view of Islam regarding the reward of women in paradise, at last replied vaguely, “Oh, they have a place to themselves,” and upon further request for a more definite statement replied, “Why, they have a comfortable place where they may sit around and talk, and talk, and talk!”

In one chapter Mrs. Cooper considers the work of Christian mis- sions in Egypt paying a tribute to the part missionaries are playing in the general uplift of the people. Comment is made on the attitude of the government of the country which tends to favor Islam at the expense of the Christians. Her appreciation of the work of the missionary is expressed as follows:-

“One is convlnced that the Christian missionary has been the pioneer who has opened new pathways in the field of education, and caused the youth of Egypt to demand a higher learning throughout the land.”

H. E. E. HAYES.

“The Foundation of Modem Religion.” A study in the Task and Contribution of the Medieval Church. By Herbert B. Work- man, D.D., LL.D. Published by Fleming H. Revel1 Co. Price $1.25.

This volume, which comprises the Cole Lectures for 1916 at Van- derbilt University, would be of greater value for scholars if an index had been provided. To the students of Islam the chapter “The Dawning of the Missionary Consciousness” is useful, especially pages 9% to 99. No mention is made of Raymund Lull, though Lull’s period is covered in the paragraphs on the Conversion of Central Europe and Russia to the Christian faith. This section is summed up in these words:-

“In Western Europe the victory of the Cross over the heathen was complete. But in the East the future of the Muslim, and the recovery by the Church of the conquests of the Crescent is still a problem of the future.” This chapter closes with a striking allusion to the ancient inscription carved on the bronze gates of St. Sophia in Constantinople, declaring that “Jesus Christ Conquers.” These words of faith and valour which might well serve as the watchword for a Student Volunteer Convention of today have been left un- touched through all these centuries, while from the Turkish minarets the declaration has resounded that Mohammed is the Prophet of God.

Let us pray with renewed fervour that that majestic church may be restored to its rightful Lord.

STEPHEN TROWBRIDGE.

The Geography and Geology of West-Central Sinai. By John Ball, Ph.D., D.Sc. Cairo: Government Press. P. 1219. Price: P. T. 50 ($1.50). 1916.

This monograph by the Survey Department of Egypt is of interest to our readers only because of a description given of the Bedouin tribes which are Moslem and whose condition of extreme poverty and ignorance is full of pathos. They seem to have many noble qualities. “Notwithstanding their frequent disputes among them- selves” says Mr. Ball, “the people appear to be tolerably honest and fair to each other in their final decisions. No case of theft in either tribe came under my notice.” The maps and illustrations are ex- cellent.