is thrown into water, to be drunk as soon as the writing is
dissolved, or it is burnt and they breathe the smoke.

Talismans and amulets are said to protect men and animals from the evil
eye, from the bite of wild beasts, and from wounds in war; they cause
love or hatred, they produce or prevent sleep and madness. Their
preparation is considered a special science, which demands special study
and is practised by so-called magicians or fortune-tellers, but also by
dervishes, and even by priests. The latter generally only write verses
from the Koran, which women wear around their neck as amulets.

Perhaps all this superstition is harmless in itself or does a direct
harm only to their purses. Indirectly, however, it has a demoralizing
influence upon all classes of people, especially upon women, who, as
guardians of customs, are most attached to these fables. Only true
civilization and Christianity will redeem and deliver.

In order to deepen the impression of what has been said and to add
something from real life, I will tell the story of a Moslem woman, just
as I heard it in Kashgar, where I have been working for five years for
the spreading of the Gospel.

Some fifty years ago there lived in Kashgar a man called Chodsha
Burhaneddin. He was descended from a family which since the middle of
the seventeenth century has given Kashgar its kings. His fellow citizens
esteemed him very much on account of his strict observance of the
religious prescriptions of Islam. He married a woman of noble descent,
and for some time contented himself with his one wife. But according to
Islam it is a merit to take if possible four wives, in order to increase
the number of the adherents of Islam. For this reason Chodsha brought
home another wife whenever he travelled on business to the Russian town
of Andishan on that side of the Tienshan, until the number of four was
full. The consequence was that he not only neglected his first wife, but
even had her do all the housework alone, thus making her the servant of
his three other wives. She had to serve them from early morning till
late at night. Without grumbling and with great diligence the poor woman
took all the work upon herself; secretly, however, she bewailed her hard
lot and employed her few free hours for the education of her little
daughter. However, she did not succeed in satisfying her husband. He
always found fault, beat her, and bade her not show her face before him.
His wife subm