Thinking black; 22 years without a break in the long grass of Central ...

VICE VERSA 201
the two adverse races beginning to write at the opposite
sides of a sheet of paper, and certain it is, that the gulf
cutting off the Arab from the European is "as far as the
East is from the West."
Take the Gospel. " Believe or die," says he— " Believe
and live," say we. Take polygamy. We proclaim Christ
born of a woman, and the dignity of her sex : last at the
cross, first at the tomb—they glory in polygamy as the
only true code of marital morals. We crusade against
the bondage of the slave—they are the notorious slavers
of Central Africa. We quote the Golden Eule, " Do unto
others," etc., as the Christ's incipient abolition of slavery
—they retort with the Devil's golden rule of £ s. d.
We prove that to barter human beings is to deny that
man was made in the image of God — they quote
Mohammed who enjoins the selling of a slave. Now
precisely as with this sharp cleavage of slavery, so too
with much more. Take the Arab doctrine of force, as
against the Christian doctrine of persuasion : here you
have the most thrilling contrast of all. We point to
Christ inculcating a crusade of love and peace in His
very last commandment : " Go ye into all the world."
They point to Mohammed among his last acts planning
a bloody war of extermination.
(Later.)
One incident I recall, a tragedy that burnt on my
mind indelibly this Arab versus Englishman contrast.
It was after the smash-up. A great Arab, Kasokota his
nom de guerre^ is condemned to death by court martial