mouth. After the ceremony the old rupee is worn as a charm by the child." Another practice is called Namak Chassi. "After five months and two days the child gets a little solid food called Palao (rice, flesh of fowl, and clarified butter called ghee cooked together). The sisters or cousins of the child put a grain or two in its mouth, and a drop or two of water; after this the child gets solid food every day." For the cruel customs observed among Moslem women in Madagascar, the reader is referred to Gabriel Farrand's book on the subject, "Musulmans à Madagascar," Vol. II, pp. 20-22 (Paris, 1891).

The religious ceremony which follows that of Aqiqah in the life of a Moslem child is circumcision. Although this practice is nowhere referred to in the Koran, it is universal among all Moslems, and is based upon the teaching and practice of the Prophet. It is recommended to be performed upon a boy between the ages of seven and twelve, but it is lawful to circumcise a child seven days after his birth. The process is not always antiseptic, by any means, and evil results are frequently in evidence, not to speak of the suffering caused to the child. It is, however, the grand event of a boy's childhood, and is his feast day, in every part of the Moslem world. The description of the rite as performed in

Morocco corresponds closely to the practice in Egypt and other Moslem lands.

"Previous to the performance of the rite, the parents of the lad, if not in indigent circumstances, generally cause him to be paraded through several streets of the town, dressed in the richest and most gaudy articles of clothing obtainable, with a stiff handkerchief bound like a hat round his head; mounted on a handsomely caparisoned horse, often borrowed for the occasion.

"The horse is led, and on each side of it walk men bearing silk handkerchiefs, with which they continually flap away the flies from the child's face. The procession is headed by native musicians keeping up an incessant din of earsplitting music. Behind walk the family and friends of the boy. Two boys are sometimes paraded together, and sometimes two are placed on one horse. The procession is frequently accompanied by flags, the object of this display being to attract the eye and divert it from the child, so great is the fear of the 'evil eye.' The operation is performed with scissors, either at home or at some shrine of repute." ("The Moors," p. 243.)

In Cairo the family send out gilt-edged printed invitation cards to the ceremony. I have two in my possession, and curiously both of them give

the Christian date as well as the Moslem date for the feast, and certain verses of poetry expressing their wishes for this auspicious occasion. In the cities of the Moslem world the rite is performed in accordance with the religious law, at a tender age, but in the country and among the Bedouin tribes it is often postponed until the twelfth or thirteenth year. In India this ceremony is performed at the age of seven or nine, an odd number of years generally being chosen. The boy is dressed as a bridegroom and there is great rejoicing. A similar feast is given to girls at that age: The girl is dressed as a bride, friends are invited, and the ears and nose of the child are bored. The higher the rank, the fewer the holes in the ears. Doubtless this ceremony in India is connected with a practice which prevails in many parts of the Moslem world, especially Egypt, Abyssinia, and Arabia. We refer to the abominable custom of female circumcision or mutilation. It is inevitably a moral shock and crisis brought prematurely into the innocence of girlhood. Grave results have been observed in school children, both mentally and morally. Mohammed the prophet is reported to have said: "Circumcision is compulsory for males and an honourable act for females." For the origin and character of this practice see Moslem tradition, or Niebuhr's "Travels in Arabia" (Vol. II, pp. 250