“THE NEW KORAN.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19529, 11 July 1925, Page 5

“THE NEW KORAN.”

BAFFLING LITERARY MYSTERY. An amazing book, written like the Bible and called “The New Koran,” published in London in 1861, in which a mysterious society called tho Pacifioan Fnondhood sot out a theory for averting the Great War. is baffling tho experts at the School of Oriental Studies in Finsbury Circus, who, in spite of wide advertising, have been unable to trace another existing copy anywhere (stajes tho London Morning 1 oat). The Director of the School will shortly consult tho heads of the British Museum with a view to Ending out whether anything is known thoro about tho extraordinary volume. . , .. The full title or the work is: ihe New Koran of the Pacifican Fricndhood, or the Text Book of Turkish in tho Teaching and Example of their Esteemed Master Jaido Morata.” Opposite tho forntispieco is published a coloured map called “Confederated Europe, vide Counsels XLHI-39.” Tho whole of Europe is divided into three olear-out States. Tho first, painted in yellow, includes Russia, Sweden, and Norway, together with the smaller States, which now include Poland, Lithuania, etc.; the second runs from the North of Scotland to the base of Greece, and is painted in red; the third, painted in blue includes Franco, Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain, The first State is called the Russian Confederation; the second,' tho English Confederation; and the third, the French Confederation. THE BOOK OF LABOURS.

The volume is divided like tho Bible into separate books, and begins with tho Book of Labours and ends with tho Epistle to the Duties. Each Book is divided into chapters, and each chapter into verses. “The esteemed master,” Jaido Morata, begins tho Book of Labour with this verse: “A voice from tho sunrising to children and men ! Yo who are pure hearted and diligent seeking for light, hoar now the word of tho Gospel of Nations and hearken to the parable of God,” and goes on to say that men are not appointed for war and destruction as beasts of tho desert, and for this reason should put away old contentions and bo reconciled every man with his own brother so that all may enter tho Paradise. Jaido Morata then gives a short account of his life, saying that he was bom at soa and lived later in Damascus. His father was an Israelite who had “boforetimo dwelt in the land of America,” although his mother was a “Christian of the Franks.” VALUE OF THE BOOK.

Sir E. Denison Ross, the Director of tho School of Oriental Studies,' who is making a special study of this book, told a Morning Post representative that he very much doubted if anybody had ever rood the whole book through, but that in spite of its rather pompous language ho considered that it was of the greatest value to students of Mohammedan questions. ‘"I advertised everywhere in order to try and trace a second copy of it,” ho said. “But as yet I have had no success.” Tho greatest .value of the book to students of political economy is, of course, the fact that tho so-called Pacifiean Fricndhood were able as far back as in 1961 to predict the Great War of 1914, and put forward a plausible way out of it. Tho suggestion of uniting all the small States of Europe, under tho three figureheads of Russia, England, and Franco, is rather on the same principle of tho United gfates of America, which, it is contended, gave the Now World such tremendous power, both from political and commercial aspects.

Tho prophet Jaido Morata obviously got out of his depth to a certain extent before he finished the book, for ho adds on the last page as a foot-note this little notice: “A Key to the New Koran. Now preparing for the Press, is intended to give a full explanation of this book with respect to its origin and names.” Whether any descendant of tho Pacifiean Fricndhood exists at the moment or not is unknown by Sir Dennison Ross, but research to find tho key to this mystery book has up till now completely failed.