Daily Kennebec journal., 1880-01-13
NO.11.
Mistellaneous.
THE DRESS or THE MOOR.

| am ashamed when pass handsome
Moor in gala dress. compare my ugly
hat with his large muslin turban, my short
Jacket with his ample white or rose-cel-
ored caitau--the meanness. in short, Of
my black and gray garments with the
whiteness. the amplitude, the graceful, Dig
nitied simplicity OF his-and it seems that
look like black beetle beside n butter
tiv stand sometimes at my window in
contemplation before II portion of n pair Of
crimson drawers and gold-colorcd slipper
appearing from behind column in the
square below. and find So much pleasure
in it that | cannot cease from gazing.
More than anything else admire and en-
w the caic. that long piece of snow-white
wool or silk with transparent stripes which
is twisted round the turban. falls down be-
tween the shoulders. is passed around the
waist. and thrown up over ene shoulder,
whence it descends To the feet, softly veil
ing the rich colorS Of the dress beneath,
and at every breath of wind swelling,
auivering. floating. seeming to glow in the
suns rays. and giving to the whole person
a vaporous and visionary aspect. No one
who has not seen il can imagine to what
a point the Arab carries the art Of lying
down. In corners where we should be
embarrassed to place bag of rags or
bundle of straw, he disposes Of himself as
upon Il bed of down. He adapts himself
upon the wall like Il bas-relict. and fiat
tens out upon the ground until he looks
like sheet spread ont to dry. He will
assume the form of a ball. cube or a
monster without arms. legs or head; so
that the streets and squares look like bat
tie fields strcwn with corpses and mutilat
ed trunks of men. The greater part hav-
ing nothing on but simple white mantle
but what n variety there is among them!
Some wear il open, some closed, some
drawn on one side. some folded over the
shoulder, some tightly wrapped, some
loosely floating, but always with an air;
varied by picturesque folds. falling in easy
hut severe lines, as if they were posingfor
IN artist Every one of them might pass
for Roman Senator. This very morning
our artist discovered a marvellous Marcus
Brutus in the midst of a group Of Bedouns.
But if one is not accustomed to wear it. the
face is not sufficient to ennoble the folds Of
the mantle. Some of us brought them for
the journey, and tried them on, and We
looked like so many convalescents wrap
ped in bathing-sheets. ] have not yet
seen among the Arabs a hunchback, or u
lame man. or rickety man. but many
without nose and without an eye, one or
both. and the greater part of these with the
empty orbit--a sight which made me shiv-
er when | hought that possibly the globe
had been torn out in virtue of the lex tai
ionis. which is in vigor in the empire. But
there is no ridiculous ugliness among
these strange and terrible figures. The
flowing, ample vesture conceals all small
defects, as the common gravity and the
dark bronzed skin conceal the difference
of age. In consequence of which one en-
counters at every step men of an indcfina-
bic age, of whom one cannot guess wheth-
er they are old or young; and If youiudge
them old, a tightening smile reveals their
youth and if you think them young. the
hood falls back and betrays the gray locks
of age.-From "Morocco," by Edmond dc