Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian RebelsArbuthnot, George
History
Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian Rebels
Arbuthnot, George
Hercegovina (Bosnia and Hercegovina) -- History; Serbia
The shops are small and ill-supplied, and the streets narrow and
tortuous, except the two main ones, which are tolerably broad, and run
parallel to each other in a nearly straight course N. and S. They have
raised footpaths, roughly constructed, and swarming with animal life, as
is to be expected in the luxurious East. There are no fewer than thirty
mosques in the town, whose minarets give it a beautiful and picturesque
appearance, albeit that the buildings themselves are imperfect, and
ungainly in architectural detail. The Mussulmans have a school in the
town, where Turkish and Slavish are taught. Girls are, however, debarred
this advantage, and indeed no institution of any kind exists throughout
the province for their training or instruction. The result is that the
female population is, if possible, in a lower state of degradation than
the male. The religious and secular education of the Christians is as
little considered as that of the Mussulmans. Thus the only place of
worship which the Greeks possess is a small chapel on the outskirts, to
which is attached a school for boys, which is attended by about two
hundred children. Since Omer Pacha's arrival during the past year, a
peal of bells has been placed in this chapel. The superstition which
prevails amongst Turks, 'that bells drive away good spirits from the
abodes of men,' renders this concession the more grateful, and it is
only another proof that the Mussulmans of the present day are not so
intolerant as they are represented. No restrictions, indeed, are placed
upon religious ceremonies or public processions of any kind. With
regard to church bells, I may add that their use has always been
considered tantamount to a recognition of Christianity as the
established religion of the place. In some towns, where Christians
predominated, the concession had been made long before their
introduction at Mostar.
The Roman Catholics have no church in Mostar. Service is performed at
the Austrian Consulate, and also at a convent, about two miles distant,
where the Bishop of Mostar resides. This circumstance has led to the
concentration of the Catholic community in that neighbourhood. The
Catholic school for boys adjoins the convent; it is, however, thinly
attended, and but indifferently conducted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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