Lengthy address written and delivered by John A. Steinbeck with respect to Palestine, handwritten, [197 A]

Ladies & Gentleman, When I first thought of giving betimes on Palestine, I intended to speak of the country, cities & the different localities which are genearlly visited by travellers. But afterwards it occured to me, that so many discribtions of that country have been given & are almost yearly given by men of better ability & higher powers of discribtion than myself — but that comparitive few write about the inhabitants of that very interesting country & what occurs among them in every day life of what transient travellers have not much oppertunity of seeing knowing, as I thought that it would probable be more intereresting to the comunity to hear something of this kind. Accordingly I intend to give a course of three lectures on the inhabitants of Palestine, the first, this evening, on the farmers, the second, next week on the citizens or higher class of Mohamedans, the opression of that class & the Government upon the former, the native Christians, & the pilgrims which

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of the chief is heard: Lah il lah, ill Allah. (God is god above the Gods) & ere many seconds afterwards, all are busely engaged. Acording to Turkish reckoning they loose every year twelve days & so neccessarely this fast varies to all seasons of the year coming around every thirty years. Through the night they are allowed to eat & smoke just as much as they please until the time mentioned before. Females are not exempt from this fast but only children under twelve years of age. The most tedious time for them is when it comes in the harvest, but when possible this is suspended till after the fast, which however cannot be done always. Friday is theire day of rest. Its obser-

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vence mostly consists in going to the mosqe for prayers where they all pray together & in cities listen to a adress by the Mufty or priest who also occasionaly reads from the Coran. The whole services last about half an hour, when each returns home & followes his usual employment. But this is only done by the more pious. The poorer class pay no attention to it whatever, & their excuse is & which is also a doctrine of the Coran: It is better to work than to steal. This however thy very seldom omit, when an oppertunity offers. All these observances strictly adhered to, ensures the true Mohameden an entrance into Paradise.

Theire general habits & Costums are probably very

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very ancient as is also their dress. Fashion never changes it is one & the same from one year to the other & it is not all improbable that Abraham was dressed in the same fashion as what they are at present.

Hospitalety or the entertainment of strangers is very strictly enjoined upon them in the Coran, but in these degenerating times it is often disregarded, particularly if the one to be entertained is of Christian or Jewish origin. Very willingly you are supplied with whatever their have, but if now bargained for beforehand, you are expected to pay at least five times as much as it is worth. With their own countryman it is different. In each village there is a

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man apointed, whose duty it is, to see, when neighbours or strangers come into the village to conduct them to the chiefs house or to the mosque, where, when at home, & not to busy, the principle men are sosially together. He than notifies the family, whose turn it is for that day that strangers have come, & that as soon as food is prepared it must be brought to the place where they are. This consists in fresh baked bread, fried eggs in olive oil, or oil alone, which makes a sop for the bread. In the providing of these things each family takes their turn & if they have not wheat enough for themselves they are obliged to buy it & provide Of course the village must not loose its chara-