Damascus is a Mohammedan city. It has about three hundred thousand people, four fifths of whom follow the Prophet. It has also about thirty thousand Greeks, eight thousand Jews, and lesser numbers of Syrians, Armenians, Persians, and Druses. These people are very devout. One sees them reading their Korans in their shops, and at the mosques I have observed a score or more of the Faithful washing themselves before they go into their prayers. The mosques are full of turbaned men, old and young, who pray singly and in groups, and in many one finds companies of worshippers under a leader. There are also many classes listening to the explanations of the Koran by the priests, and there are men reading by themselves. But come down with me from the hill and take a stroll through the city. This is Sunday, and we shall first visit the mosques. There are seventy large ones, where sermons are preached every Friday, and one hundred and seventy-seven which might be called chapels, connected with which are Mohammedan schools. Many of these mosques have libraries, and in all of them the chief study is theology, including the Koran and the traditions of the prophets. After that comes law, then philosophy, logic, and grammar. Modern sciences are unknown, and all other branches of learning are entirely neglected. One of the chief centres of Moslem religious life is the Great Mosque. This is one of the finest of Mohammedan churches. It stands in the centre of the city and covers about seven acres, or almost twice as much space as the Capitol at Washington. In the great court paved with marble is a fountain, said to mark the half-way station on the route from Constantinople to Mecca. It is there that the worshippers bathe parts of their bodies before going to their prayers. On the other side of this enormous court is the mosque proper, the oblong floor of which covers an acre. Many great columns uphold its roof, and other columns stand between it and the court. Entering this room, we find two thousand men and perhaps a hundred women at worship. Nevertheless, the building seems empty. The worshippers are scattered over the floor. The women are alone, and the men dare not look at them. They are closely veiled and do not notice us as we go by. Most of the men are on their knees or sitting upon the floor. Before coming into the church all have removed their shoes, which now lie beside or in front of them. The floor is covered with costly rugs, presents from devout Mohammedans. Think of roofing a large field, upholding the roof by mighty columns, and then carpeting that field with oriental rugs any one of which would be fit to hang upon your walls as a treasure, and you have a suggestion of the picture now before us.