Page 43 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

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; NEGLECTED ARABIA 5
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MUSCAT HARBOR. CALM
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ii not religious. The Hindu temple in their city causes them no concern. : »
They live for one object, keeping the hated alien ruler away from their ;1
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beloved city. They would be glad to die for the same cause. # Two I
Bombers of that cabinet have been surgical patients, grizzled veterans of
the sea, both of them. We became warm friends and through their eyes !
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Hooked out on a new world and learned a new thing. The one thing that
obsionaries in this field must avoid is identifying themselves in any way
rith the never resting advance of western imperialism. That group of
ait iron patriots in Debai have withstood the pressure of steamship com­
plies and of quarantine regulations. They have kept out political agents
pd even Ford motor cars. The missionary’s heart and soul must be with
ibem in their lone and almost hopeless struggle. The Gospel may then : I
ijve its way almost unobstructed. Did not the Jerusalem Conference,
edeed, send us the same message? !
And finally this is a country of terrible poverty. The date palm is the
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* foundation of existence, and through the past eight years drought has
ton no severe that many wells arc dry and it is estimated that a third of
|ic date gardens have dried up and been abandoned. People thus dis~
I jessed have scattered, some to the coast and some to Zanzibar, and
! tusc who are able to remain are in greatly reduced circumstances. The
cip of date gardens along the coast is a mile to two miles deep, and
-sough this district the water has not failed, hut a day’s wage even here • i
.only six cents.
Tradesmen and artisans are a little better off. There are coffee pots
»make and cloaks to weave and other things to do to meet the needs of
ir agricultural community. Hut the artisans are poor, too. The trades-
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rtn are thc community’s capitalists, hut their hank accounts are not im- ,i «