There are many orders besides these, having a great- er or less Importance : the Kaderijek^ founded by Ab- del-Kader-el-Gilani, known by their white banners and turbans ; the Said-Ibrahim^ founded by Sidi-Ibrahim- el-Dahuki, whose turbans and banners are green ; the RmheruB; the Shemsirs; the Jemalis; the Nacsh-ben- dieSj who are itinerating dervishes, and make pilgrim- ages to all parts of the Mohammedan realm. From the better orders the imans, or Mohammedan priests, are chosen, and many of them also exercise civil func* tions.
A special work on dervishes has been published by John P. Brown, secretary and dragoman of the lega- tion of the United States of America at Constantinople CThe Dervishes, or Oriental Spiritualism, Phila. 1868). According to this author, the spiritualism of the der- vishes has its roots in religious conceptions prevalent in the Eaftt anterior to the rise of Islamism, and as- cetic practices like those common among them have been found equally widely spread, and are traceable to a very high antiquit}'. None of the dervishes, he says, separate themselves fhnn the doctrines or pre- cepts of the Koran, the contents of which they seek rather to spiritualize. They divide, moreover, the Koran and other books of religion into three portions — the historical, the biographical, and the purely spir- itual. **The historical and biographical portions of these books may even comprise errors, omissions, ex- aggerations, and even may have been more or less changed fVom time to time by copyists; while that which is purely spiritual and essential to the soul of man, commenced with his creation, has always exist- ed unchanged, and wi^ so continue to the end of time'* (p. 106). According to their best writers, it is held that there are four creations: *'l. The creation of Adam fW)m the clay, or mud, of which the earth is composed. 2. The creation of Eve from a rib or part of Adam. 8. The creation of the human species, that is, the children of Adam, by natural propagation. 4. The creation of Jesus Christ by a special breath of God, conveyed to a virgin — Mary — by the angel Ga- briel" (p. 107). And as the spirit of man is capable of communing directly with this spirit of God, a holy person will regard all ordinary pleasures and pursuits of life as indifferent objects ; and the more he is desti- tute of worldly goods, the less wUl he be liable to be drawn from that contemplation of God which leads to union with the divine spirit Hence all orders of der- vishes are tacitly or openly mendicants. But degrees are well recognised in saintly attainment Adam was a holy man whom the angels were bidden to worship ; Abraham was the " friend of God," and " Jesus Christ owes his existence as a saint to the special breath of his divine Creator, but is not, nevertheless, consider- ed as being God. He is held to be only a divine em- anation of the most sablime character*' (p. 109).
See Madden, TurHsh Empirs (Lnadn, Wt Auldjo, Journal of a Vimt to Coagtantsmopk, dc i 1835); Ubicini, LeUrts sur la Turqme; Onai^Jn eU (Amsterdam, 1735, 4to), ii; 2(»-2»7 ; Pari h The present State of the Ottotman Ea^tire, etc [Im 1668, fol.), p. 135 sq. ; D^H^rbelot, BiU. OnaLa Derviche and Fakir; Mooradgeft d'Ohsaoa, fat r Empire Ottoman; Rogers, in Cfood Words, Jbl X: ^ Von Hanuner, Osmanisehes Rack (Wiem 18U ^ r^ Brown, The Dervishes, or Oriental ^sritmaSmi?'^ delphU, 1868, 12mo).
De Sacy. See Sact, De.
De Sales. See Sales, De.
Des Cartes, Rkxe (pu FRBRosi)— ia ito im form Renatus Cartesius — one of the eailkA n vp] and the first in genius and repatatiaii, of the »ss philosophers of France, was bom at La Usn^. m Tm raine, on the 30th of March, 1596, and died M ^ holm on the 11th of February, 1650. He steamd :« name of Du Perron from a small estate inboiiH^ his mother. He divides with Bacon the gi^^d founding the modem philowphy of Europe, aaii m municated a more potent impulse than Baeoa t ^ general philosophy of mind. These two gnat asnJ as Cousin observes, inaugurate and conttitote tk -it losophy of the sixteenth centm^. They bare *s compared and contrasted with eadi other waAa t» blinding influence of national prejudice aad atfia rivalr}', and the palm has been conceded tote e»c- to the other according as the critic was Fro.1 r English. The profound and widely-diffused nftft of Des Cartes is evinced by the names and tbems^ his opponents, as well as by the names and mUM of those who adopted or modified his doctriaes. Amu the antagonists of Cartesianism within the serecmt century may be specified Gassendi, Hobbet, Ana*. Huet, Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke, and ^aa Clarke ; among its more or less acquiescest fetk*^ may be enumerated Rohault, Clerselier, Spimxi. Bri. Malebranche, and Leibnitz. It is not too macti tt «r that the whole domain of metaphysic5 and ■ Uxj^pe of physics still bear the impress of the gesSmmi*^ bors of Des Cartes.
Life of Des Cartes,— The constitatioo erf" Do Ccr was always feeble. To this may be ascribed hi* <► diouB habits, his quick impressibility, his indiBicrc'- reverie and solitary meditation, his hahitasl kwr d seclusion, and the timidity which reatraioed nd r- tarded the enunciation of his dogmas. At e^ p» of age he was sent to the Jesuit college of Ls Ft^ where he remained eight years. His keen tAterre^ and curious inquiries had led his ftither to dewnar him, even in early childhood, as "the ph3«nF^ His weak health occasioned the relaxatin in ki» ^ half of the ordinary routine of academic dfcqfr:. Ho was allowed to lie late in bed in the vmm. During these morning vigils, which were cfcoJ^ through life, he meditated and revolved tht •i* scheme of his philosophy. Des Cartes pro«<«««^ bf college studies with dUigence and success, bst lecw dissatisfied with their supposed vanity and wpefei^ ity. His complaints on this subject, ottered t q^w of a century afterwards, are a strange antidp**^'' the opening monologue of Goethe*s Faust AftrfW^- ing La Fl^he he went to Paris, and plunged iito^ sipation ; but from this course he soon withdn^ J* studious seclusion, concealing himself firca bk «- quaintances for a year. When discovered be no*' to Holland, and took service under prince Msarin "^ Nassau, 1617-19. Here h^ composed his tnit» ^ Musica^ and developed his remarkable mstbesutisl capacity and attainments. In 1G19 he valiiott«i« under Maximilian of Bavaria, and partidpstod is t^ opening campaign of the Thirty Tears' Wu. ^ winter quarters, 1619-20, were at Keuborg oa the Po- ube, where he devoted himself for months to Mliir