Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-10-15
Low Life In Egypt.
PICTURE or POVERTY AND sQUALoR-INDE
PhNDENcE IN HoyRL-A PRIMITIVE CHURN.

PICTURE OF POVERTY AND sQUALoR-INDE
PENDENcE IN A HoyRL-A PRIMITIVE CHURN
4 correspondent of the Philadelphia Press
writes from Egypt: From my window in
what believe TO be the most southern he-
tel in all Africa above Cape Colony, at Minch,
in Upper Egypt, looked down into the in
terror Of the houses Of many Of these agri-
cultural laborers, if houses the simple struc-
tures can be called. They consist of clay
enclosure, of irregular shape, six feet high
and ~ or II ieet square. Across one cor
ner OF this enclosure, are thrown few bund-
less OF reeds or cane, which form II shelter
from the MONDAY rays of thesun. The door
Of this enclosure opens into similar one,
but without such shelter, ia which at sun
rise stand donkey and buffalo COW and
her calf. This yard opens into the street,
from which it is separated by door of pait-
ed reeds. This structure the Egyptian calls
his home. Here he lives, here his children
are born, here he expects to die. The whole
affair cost probably IS besides his own labor.
! In the neighborhood of the town he NAV rent
a small plot of ground at the rate Of SO
per acre; he also possesses the buffalo COW
and her calf, donkey, and few goats
then perhaps SO worth of tools, furniture,
and clothing, and ornaments for his wife and
family. This ends the catalogue of Ach-
NETS worldly possessions. Yet Achmet is
the most independent man in the world and
1t Is Jast this independence that ruins him
tins absolute freedom that keeps him in such
aoject poverty. lie wants help from nobody;
he shares his task with nobody He is ut
terly Ignorant of that great modern secret of
power, the division Of labor. lie does not
support shoemaker, because he and his
iamily 60 barefoot the entire year nor
tailor, because his wife, Fatima. takes the
cotton cloth from the bazaar, and, sewing a
few seams, makes upon similar and most
simple plan all the garments of the family:
nor does he need a woollen mill for he sits at
the door of his hut spinning with single
spindle sometimes all day. .long. Nor do his
needs extend to a wagon maker the donkey
transport everything he requires-hs home |
made, sun-dried bricks, his hay, himself, |
tatima, and his children. He wants no |
miller, for Fatima, turning one fat stone |
upon another, grinds the corn and wheat to |
coarse powder. Dispensing with the oven,
tatima mixes this powder with water and |
bakes itin rude stone and clay oven, which
Achmet, self-taught mason, has built in
one corner Of the outer-yard. lie needs no
halter, for he rolls his turban of white mus
I'm hlm'eit-and this, to the European is the
most attractive work OF art Of which Achmet
Is capable. He scarcely patrOnize the comb
maker, because his head, for cleanliness
sake, Is shayen As close as the chin of a
Frank. lie requires no physician, because
his has suspended around TIE necks Of his
family, in ddrable leathern bags, scraps Of
paper bearing magical texts from the Koran,
which scribe VINO sits cross-legged at the
corner oia street is ready 10 write at a mo-
ment's notice, and these are the cheapest
and best preyentives and cures for all dis
eases. Even his designations are of his own
preparation; he grows drowsy on tobacco
raised on his bit OF ground, which he smokes
as a cigarette, rolled by himself He smokes
or chews the hasheesh grown BY stealth in
his garden, and he intoxicates himself upon
the date spirit which he has lermented and
distilled in his primitive alembic. Fatimi's
entire domestic establishment has no work
for a cooper, for all her vessels, except an
iron pan, are of coarse earthenware. Nor
does She need churn, for saw her from
my window use the most singular and primi-
tive chnrn in the world She brought from
some mysterious corner askin ola last years
5o1tf " NhAN4i Adu bttn taken from the animal
as nearly whole as possible. To each of
what represented the legs Of this animal she
tied the end ola cord, then broug ht the other
ends together in a knot, ami suspended the
whole to peg five feet above the ground in
IN the wall. She now proceeded TO open the
skin at the neck and pour into it buffalo
milk or cream from large jar. She blew
the skin full Of air, and tying the neck tight
y with string, at.iown upon the ground to
shake it. For five minutes she shook it with
both hands back and forth-the buffalo COW
herself looking on with q most knowing ex-
preston and ruminatng the while-then the
lir was let oil and fresh supply blown in
rom the lungs Of the woman This alter
ate shaking and supplying with air was
continued for half an hour, when there was
svidently mass of butter rolling about
within the bag. The buttermilk was pour
ID off into the cream jar and carefully pre-
erved, the butter squeezed into a coherent
ump, and the operation was complete.