READING AND WRITING BY INSPIRATION.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 945, 14 September 1901, Page 3

READING AND WRITING BY INSPIRATION.

In the " Life of Abdur Rahman, Amii »f Afghanistan's carious account nptuuih of how tbo Amir learnt, or rather te-liaiut, to read and write. The story ib told Ut ihe Amir himself. In reading the nanntive i>ne is inclined to think that the Amir i» poking fun at Western educationists. Here, at any rate, is what he saja:— One day when I was hoAdins my Com t, I received a letter from Amir Azim's daughter who lived at Kabul, and who was betrothed to me. She had instructed her raessengei to deliver the letter into my bands only, nod that it was not to be shown to any one, mid the reply was to be written and Bealed by me.

As I have before mentioned, I was ne< er food of reading and writing, and I hud forgotten what little I had ever learned. Imagine my disappointment on receiving this letter! 1 felt my heart beating, and I blamed myxelf very much that while I boasted of being Buch a Hue man, I was really most unmanly, being so ignorant. On retiring that ni<.-ht I wept bitterly, and prayed to my Uod wiih all humility, beseeching the soulb of ihe Saints to intercede for me. I repealed lhis prayer: '• O God, send a light into my hem t, and enlighten my mind, so that I may mud and write. Thoußhalt not make me ashamed in the eyes of Thy creation." At last, bnini; overcome with weeping, towards mornine, 1 tell asleep. I dreamed that the figure of a holy man appeared to me. He was oi middle size and very straight, with almond eyes, ai.d delicate eyebrows, a long beard, and an oval-shaped face also small long ting' rn. He wore a brown turban and a striped cloih around his loins, and carried a long staff, at the end of which was a piece of iron. He appeared to be standing st my henrt, and saying very quietly: " Abdur Uahiw n. rise and write." I awoke with a start mid seeing no one, I slept again, and again the same figure appeared to me, saying: ' 1 t-uy write, and instead you sleep." I hesitated, and awaking a Becond lime, and seeing no one, I again fell asleep. For the third linn) trie holy man appeared, saying, with evident annoyance: •■ If you sleep again, I shall pierce your cheßt with my staff." At thisi E was f i ightened and awoke, but not to sleep again.

I called to my pages to bring pen and pa| or to me, and began thinking of the letters X used to write at school, tho unseen power of God the shapes of tho lotlvia before my mind one after another. My memory helped me to recollect what I hud read, and I scribbled on tho paper one wo d and then another. In this way I finished a letter before sunrise of about sixty i r seventy lines. Some of the letters weio in t joined and others hardly formed. When I read this over I found I could read it all, and I also noticed the mistakes, of which I hero were many. I tore this up, and re-wrot« it, beiDg so happy and glad I could hardly c ntain myself. On rising that morning I opened one or two letters addressed to 1110 from the governors, and rinding I could understand the subject of the letteis, my pleasure was multiplied ten times. When the hotirarrived to attend tho Court, the secretary, whose duty it was to road my letters, came to me as naual, but 1 said; '* I will read my letters to-day, and you shall correct my mistakes." Ue trailed, and said: " But your Highness cannot read," at whici I opened a letter saying, " Hear if I can " With that 1 commenced to read, ami dictat ed the replies. Iu this way we got through 200 letters, and answeiou'loo.

At the end of a few dnys I was quite independent of my BicietaryV help, and read and answered ray prhate letters myself. Some days after I re-read the Koian. and ga\o money away in the names of the Holy Siiiuts and Prophets. I also wiote to my falher an account of the providential help which < uabled me to read and write. I sent this let tor through my guardian, and when at fiiet my father doubted the truth of my story, my guardian said: " You know your son could Dot write anything to you which was not thu truth. How could lie show his face to >ou if he told you a lie?" My father at last believed him, and presented him with a 000 tangas and a valuable khilat. To me he sent one gold-mounted bwoi d, ten sheoic i>f gold cloth, and a few pieces of woollen material. I praised God, and wrote my thanks to my father for his kindnrs*