Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-04-13
| Conversation With the khedive.

A Conversation With the khedive.
HAVE met the Khedive on two occa-
slons during our sojourn in Cairo, and had
a 1ull halt hours conversation with him.
lie received US at his palace without much
ceremony, coming down one flight of
stairs to meet US half way, and then lead
ing the way to his very plain but cosy re-
ceptlon room. For a Sovereign whose
Individual will is the supreme power over
millions OF people, the Khedive is very
simple and democratic in his receptions,
and one sees at once that his mind is more
intent upon business than upon the pomp
and show OF royal power and court dis
play. The Khedive is a man of full hab
it, though not over-large, with quick,
keen eye, marked intellectual express
sion, and well-developed, amiable coun-
tenance. After the usual exchange of
compliments he talked business with us,
and little else. He said Egypt was try
ing to advance in civilization; that she
had made some progress, as we had re-
marked, but a great deal had yet to be
done to make the country what he wanted
it to be. The people need to be taught,
he remarked, just as children are taught
from infancy; light has to be let in upon
them gradually, else it might blind
them instead Of enabling them to see
more clearly. But little by little
they are getting used to the light, and find
they can see great deal better with itthan
without it. The Khedive conversed
freely and AT some length about the ag-
ricultural resources Of the country, the
crops produced the lands reclaimed from
the desert by irrigation, and the proper
methods Of working the soil in Egypt so
as to produce the most with the least ex-
penditure of labor. He said Egypt was
an agricultural country. They had few
manufactures of their own; it was most to
their advantage to buy manufactured arti-
cles abroad in exchange for their cotton
and other agricultural products. The
Khedive said he was DESTROYS to secure
the services of a competent practical farm
er and an agricultural chemist from
America to test the soil of the country
thoroughly in order to ascertain how it
can be worked and cropped to the best
advantage. He desired persons of expert
ence and capacity for this speciality, but
they must be men who have no interest
connected with agricultural machinery or
speculations Of any sort from which they
might hope to derive profit here. " I have
found" said he, many people ready to
give me advice and offering to instruct
others in agriculture; but their advice and
offer to instruct have been supplemented
with some speculation or other, and it
turned out that they wanted to sell US ma
chimes. Now, I want men who have no
machines to sell, and who will serve rs
disinterestedly, so that we may find out
with practical and scientific exactness the
very best way Of carrying on our agricult-
ural industries. That accomplished, we
can then buy machines and make other
provisions for raising and securing crops
as actual experiment shall have proved to
be best adapted to the country. Thus we
can successfully work out of the old sys-
tenn and adopt the better methods of civil
ization in the pursuit of our INDUSTRIES -
This is certainly sensible talk, and must
say that the Khedive impressed me as
man Of decided ability, great business en-
terprise, and bent upon doing the best
possible to advance his country in mate
rial thrift and true civilization. He ex-
pressed a high regard for America and
Americans, saying that he should like to
have the elements of their progress at
work in his old land to help along and
hasten the work Of its regeneration. The
Khedive may be going ahead too fast
with his enterprises, spending too much
money for city improvements and orna-
mentations in Cairo, and for the building
and support of magnificent palaces; but
after all he is earnestly working to pro-
mote the best interests of his country
CAIRO (Egypt) Cor. Troy IN. ~ Times.