I have been something of a student of Muḥammadanism for many years, and, through contact with people reared in the Muḥammadan faith, I have gained a new angle or point of view. In the first place, as we would not wish Muslims to judge of Christianity by the late spectacle of the Christian nations slaughtering each other, so we should not judge Muslims by the acts of some of their leaders.

To go back to the time of Muḥammad: I think history will bear me out in the statement that Muḥammad did not take up the sword to defend Himself and His followers until it was plain that His enemies meant to exterminate His religion. If their plan had been to kill Him alone, He would doubtless have given up His life joyfully, as Jesus did. But He was dealing with a different class of people, the lawless, bloodthirsty Arab tribes, who made war upon each other and stole their women and children. And, by the way, the custom of veiling the women antedated the time of Muḥammad, when the Arabs veiled their wives and daughters as a protection against their enemies. These people to whom Muḥammad was sent were so vicious that it has been said our American Indians were civilized compared with them. They buried their infant daughters alive, considering the birth of one a disgrace; a man could have a woman by throwing his cloak over her; he could throw her aside on any provocation, and he could have a thousand women if he wished.

Muḥammad finally organized these people into families, limiting them to four wives, and only this number if they were able to support them. It would have been impossible at that time to have made monogamists of these people, and thus the divine wisdom was manifested in leading them gradually into a better life. Today, through the example of a Great Soul in the Orient, who was a monogamist and set the example of a beautiful home life, many thousands of Muḥammadans are becoming monogamists.