THE CLASH OF EAST AND WEST
The Fire of Desert Folk. By F. Ossendowski. (Allen and Unwin. 16a.) THERE is perhaps a sense of diminuendo about Mr. Ossen- dowski's books of travel. Ile began with the ultra-sensational Beasts, Men and Cods ; scarcely less startling was Man and Mystery in Asia. These were books which dealt with the post-War chaos and disintegration in central Siberia. Legen- dary monsters, robber bands, lost tribes, hag-ridden exiles, bloodthirsty Bolshevik Commissars thronged his pages.
After this, a quiet journey across Northern Africa from Oran to Casablanca comes almost as an anti-climax. But, as a matter of fact, the present volume is a more than usually interesting book of travel. Mr. Ossendowski, at any rate, has definite views and opinions about the places he visits, and even though one is not convinced that those views are necessarily sound, they are always interesting. Above all he is aware that both the Asian and the African is stirring. He does realize that East is not East, nor West West, and that the twain are meeting with alarming rapidity. Indeed, for him that meeting and clash are the chief and central phenomenon of to-day.
Mr. Ossendowski sees the Bolshevik Revolution as a mere incident in this great drama. He sees it as the betrayal of the West by the Russian nation, its definite going over to the Side of Asia and Africa against the Whites in a world conflict. Behind every native movement, pan-Islam, Chinese national- ism, Negro race-consciousness, &c., &c., he sees the sinister hand of Moscow. However this may be, he does at any rate record and chronicle the sort of ideas which he finds current amongst the Moors of to-day. At the time he wrote this book bd-el Krim was still unconquered. We do not know.whether ;nee that event the Islamic movement .in Morocco has died own. We have no space to follow Mr. Ossendowski in. this ebatable region of high politics, but we should like to quote ne extraordinary and revealing little story of the spread of Vestern ideas in Africa and its profound and disturbing results: r. Ossendowski asked his guide Mahommet why he had never
d. After some hesitation the guide told him this ory. He and his friend, Yusuf ben Ali, had served together in
nee. They had come in contact with French girls, and hough they had been treated with contempt by them, they eit the charm of free and independent women :— " It was the revelation to us of. the humiliating position of the b women, and of the barbaric form of marriage among our people, hich is unworthy of civilized man. We made up our minds that • should have wives, not slaves, free women equal to us men, eat as it was there in France and the other countries of Europe."
• fter his return to Africa, Yusuf decided to marry and had a • e chosen for him by his parents in the usual way. This is hat Yusuf told his friend :— " 'When I entered my wife's room I pronounced the traditional rds, and she answered with the usual Insh Allah" . . . Then explained to her what our marriage must be and that we must equal in everything. The daughter of Assudi could not under- and my meaning • she wept, tore her hair in some superstitious rror, and prostrated herself at my feet—she, more beautiful than e pictures we saw in the Louvre, but having the heart and mind a slave ! During the whole night I tried to show her that a slave to be had for the price of ten or twelve rams, and to persuade her sit I did not want a slave, but a wife, a friend, and the joy of my hole life. In the morning she ceased weeping but was deeply flooded. She was ashamed to go out of her room or to show herself fore her parents. In the evening I discovered her putting some rt of powder in my food, refused to eat it and finally forced her own that her old grandmother had given her some potion to light ye in my heart. The poor little maid did not realize that her ,auty had fired my love from the very moment that I saw her sinning face, but that I did not want it to be an animal, brutal, emental love. Two days and two nights passed in this way, in ars, complaints and prayers. Then I did what every Berber does— flung her on the bed with a curse that I had to tie my life to that f a slave. Incredible as it was to me she became happy and right, though she continued to look upon me as strange and con- *dered me unsound in mind. The family also regarded me with spicion. Some weeks later she poisoned me with, some herbs that said to inspire love. Then I beat her and left the hotise.! Such as the story of my friend, who was laughod at, covered with abuse d soon compelled to leave the town. He 'crossed' ovel• to France, here he now works as a stevedore on the piers at Marseilles. And is is the reason why I am not married."
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