ums to
practice his diabolical trade. A poor woman had lost her reason through
excessive grief at the death of her son. The husband and others of her
relatives went to consult the new prophet. He refused to go and see her,
stating that he would not condescend to go to the devils, but the
devils must come to him. The poor woman was accordingly brought to him,
and left to await the opportune moment, when he could cast out the
devils, which he declared to be raving within her. After a few days, her
father called to inquire about her, and found her growing constantly
worse. The Hamathite told him that he must bring a gallon of liquid
pitch, to be used as a medicine, and the next day the devils would leave
her. The pitch was brought, and after the father had gone, the lying
prophet tied a cord around her feet, and drew her up to the ceiling, and
while she was thus suspended, thrust a red hot iron rod into one of her
eyes, and cauterized her body almost from head to foot! He then placed
the pitch on the floor under her head, and set it on fire until the body
was "burned to charcoal!" The next day the friends called, expecting to
find her restored to her right mind, when the wretch pointed them to the
blackened cinder. They exclaimed with horror and asked him the reason of
this bloody crime? He replied that on applying the test of burning
pitch, one of the devils had gone out of her, tearing out her right eye,
and when he forbade the rest from destroying the other eye, they fell
upon her and killed her! The body was buried, but the government took
not the slightest notice of the fact. The official journal in Beirut
simply warned the public against patronizing such a bloody impostor!

CHAPTER XVI.

OPINIONS OF PROTESTANT SYRIANS WITH REGARD TO THE WORK OF AMERICAN WOMEN
IN SYRIA.

The following letters have been addressed to me by prominent native
Syrian gentlemen, whose wives have been trained in the American Mission
Seminaries and families. They all write in English, and I give their own
language.

Mr. Butrus el Bistany, the husband of Raheel, writes me as follows:--

Beirut, Oct. 23, 1872.

"It would be superfluous to speak of the efforts of American
Missionary ladies in training the females of Syria, and the good
done by them.

"The sainted Sarah L. Smith, who was one of the first among them,
established the first Female School in Beirut.

"Mrs. Whiting, also, who had n