Show Mass Wedding Anniversary Observed North t African African- N Negroes Celebrate r I Recall Sultans Sultan's sF Famous amous Army FE FEZ FEl Morocco March Ia ch 23 9 UP UPI UP- UP I The Tho greatest wedding feast In itt tI the tue c world climaxing the time marriage of negroes to ne- ne occurred 10 years 18 ago to toda today to- to da day and and with feasting and beating heating o of the million mill descendants In north Africa ot that gigantic mass marriage are celebrating to today to- to day dar Sultan El EI master r of or Morocco Morocco Mo Mo- rocco rocco In 1630 ordered the tho forests of or Senegal gal nand vigor 0 ous us' us young joung oung stalwarts and and black maidens were recruited to form Corm him an arm army o of his owl own The trace of tho ho same mc arm army Is still to bo be seen in the famous black blackguard blackguard guard huard a beautiful troop of oC six six- foot Coot negroes which guards tIme the present pres pies I ent sultan day n and night Tho The caravan of or naked blacks walked Its way tay from Crom Gao to Mar Mar- raked arriving at tho tIm southern capital on March 29 1 1690 There the tho same ame e evening tho men were turned loose to pick lek their own brides bride and by a mass ceremony the benedictions of ot Allah ero asked upon th tIme the There Thero r neve never was wrig a greater wedding wed wed- ding in Inthe the world l For or weeks blacks observed ro time the marriage feast Wives rIves were vere exchanged lost stolen or strayed Eventually domestic calm settled s again over O th the Atlas Allis tooth foothills i lie As s s. 4 time went weilt iliaD along the time OOOO became and the black arm army became tho strongest In all nil Africa The Ilic power or of tho sultan Increased un until i 25 years cars after the thic great marriage mar mar marriage the time sult sultan n died tiled Th The Tho negroes roes by then so strong an and l so well org organized ull d that they thy overturned nil all oth other r plans and amid put a n favorite son Jon Jono o of tho the sultan on the throne A 4 long Tong holy war tol followed the I blacks oCl often n putting to d death ath as many as ns 2000 at a n time 1 Both Moors and blacks black's lost host strength but the blacks s survived r There ire arc t today a million descendants of or these lIr first t. t Two hundred of ot their strongest and and most warlike sons are rire In the sultans private arm rm army They haSh ha never lost host a a war but they have In saying that thc they have htwe n never r 8 started arted a quarrel The They are a purely defensive arm army |