to reach Mecca; once in his life every Mohammedan must make the
pilgrimage, if he wants to reach paradise when he dies.

The Mohammedans believe that when they have made their pilgrimage, they
are forgiven their sins, and can go back to the world as free from sin as
when they were born. All Mohammedans who have made this pilgrimage are
given the title of Hadji.

There are about one hundred and seventy-six millions of Mohammedans who
believe this, and who have been believing it, and making their
pilgrimages, since and even before the year 620 A.D.

These people are scattered through Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceanica,
which, as you know, is sometimes called the fifth division of the globe by
geographers, and consists of Australasia and all the islands below Asia.
The Philippine Islands, where Spain's second war is raging, are a part of
Oceanica.

If you will take your map, and see what an enormous portion of the globe
is inhabited by Mohammedans, and then find Mecca, which is in Arabia,
close to the Red Sea, you will understand that the making of this
pilgrimage is no easy thing to many of the Moslems, and that it must have
a most serious meaning to them to make them undertake such terrible
journeys.

These people must save a great deal of money, and have much difficulty in
arranging their affairs, so that they can afford the time to make the
journey, which their religion says must be made on foot wherever it is
possible.