Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-09-28
The Native Egyptian.

The Fellah wears hut one garment, and
suffers from cold in Winter, for he has no fire
and no bed-clothcs, except perhapsa kind OF
quilt lie lives on unlcavencd bread, sour
milk, raw vegetables, but sometimes for
weeks together has nothing but dried dates.
In towns the food is sold ready cooked, and
consists of different kinds of haricots and
lentils. His house is ro0hess, except for n
few canes laid across the low mud walls. 1t
contains no furniture but in Upper Egypt,
there is generally mat at the door and
sort Of raised dyan made of mud. He can
afford but one wife. who. like himself, has
but one garment and a hood or vail, while
his children 90 naked. In this respect in
deed, travellers remark great poverty year
by year. There is immense mortality among
the children-partly. no doubt, from the
dirt in which they are kept, as they are ney-
er washed before they are seven years old,
but partly also from the absence Of medical
aid and the universal ignorance OF the causes
of disease. The women are in every respect
inferior to the men. They are too poor to
have employment they have no stockings
to darn, no house linen to mend, no furniture
OF cooking implements to clean. They wash
their garment in the river, cleaning 1t with
II piece Of mud which acts like soap and pun
nice combined. They wear their bracelets
and neck aces in the field where they pull
corn or herd the cattle. They carry all the
water required in their houses from the river
in heavy Jars, and sit long on the bank gOS-
sping and catching ileas. Women in Egypt
do not say prayers like the men, and have
soulless expression which contrasts strangely
with the intelligent and even noble look ire
quent among their husbands. Their highest
idea Of life consists in doing nothing. The
daughters of a family are kept at home as
long As possible, ~ it is II mark OF rcspect-
bility to retain them at least till they reach
fifteen but this advanced age is only at
tanned in comparatively wealthy homes. In
Nubia the position of women Is better.
Though the clothing is even scantier than IN
Egypt, they have some idea of working en-
broidery, weaving mats and making baskets;
and they keep their houses in better order,
spreading the golden sand on the floor and
sweeping it clear There are doors to all
the houses, and sometimes an iron lock and
even knOckcr. over the doorway there Is
an attempt at ornament, and plate or sau-
Ger begged from a passing dahabeeah is ssome-
times inserted Before the door is row of
round mud bins, like barrels, ior storing
corn and there are separate pigeon houses.
The pigeons everywhere eat more than they
are worth, and contribute greatly to the
dirt Of the houses in Lower Egypt. Fever
! is rare, considering the filth, but there are
su,umer complaints and innumcrablc skin
diseases OF great severity. ophthalmra Is
said to BE- decreasing in Cairo since the open
ing of wider anu better watercd streets, but
everywhere else it IL very common, and
seems to be carried by TIE flies from child to
child. There is also mysterious sleeping
| sickness. about which doctors dI1cr 1t Is
always fatal. A man comes home irG9 hrs
work, lies down, and sleeps for three days,
when he dies 1t is impossible to get leave
to make II posi- marian examination, though
English physicians have repeatedly attempt
ed it.