Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-15
ARABI BEY.
History of his Birth, Education and
Training-The High Esteem ia
which He is Held by His People.
4. casrele in Philadelphia sunday School

T. CGirene IN Philadelphia Sunday School
Tines.
1t had long been nv wish to see little
more Of home life among the women of
Egypt than is generally witnessed by the
ordinary traveller. Mr.. and Mrs. Abbott
were kind enough to give me the desired
opportunity. One morning that gentleman
sent me note, saying he had to leave Cairo
for Alexandra on business, and that during
his absence Mrs. Abbott would that dav
have some native lady visitors, and If 1
would drop in little before noon she would
be able to crafty my curiosity.
On reaching the house, was ushered into
the sitting room by Soleiman. the door
keeper, tall young Berberin (Nubian), and
was met at the door of this apartment by
Mrs. Abbott, who introduced me, in very
informal manner, to her lady guests as "an
aunt's son." and, therefore, near enough
OF blood kin to make 1t quite proper for our
hostess to admit me into her home during
her husbands absence. There were several
ladies. First, Sitti Safsaf, matronly Coptc
LADY OF dignified demeanor, fine features,
and beautifully clear, though extremely
dark, complexion This lady arose from
ner seat on the divan, standing upon It, and,
aIter touching the palm side of my fugers
with the tips OF hers, kissed her hand to me,
say, "Peace be to thee how art thou ~
The next one to be greeted was Sitt
Gimyanah, or, In the diminutive form so
much liked by the feminine sex, Sitt Cab
buna, the daughter of the first lady. Miss
Gabbunah, with maidenly shYness, spoke not
a word, nor dared even to raise her eyes,
but simply rose upon the divan, as her
mother bad done, and just grazing my flo
gers with hers, kissed them lightly. This
young lady was tall and slender, having
rather a broad mouth, but with beautiful
large, soft, black eyes, rendered still larger
by a profusive application Of "kohl,"
or black antimOny, so. much used by
Eastern women. The third lady was
Sitti Nabihah (Which means intelligent,
bright, wide awake), a lately married
MOhammedan woman. She was too IN
accustomed to the ways-of foreigners and
Christians to even rise for me, but with true
Mosem bashfulness, hid her face behind
small veil, aud then turned 1t from me to-
ward the wall, saying, "Ys hafeeZ," which
means go Preserver," meaning thereby
that she prayed God to preserve her from
the dangerous looks of a stranger.
Mrs. Abbott and Sitti Safsaf explained
that she need not be afraid of me, that |
was the blood cousin of our hostess, and
that, as she was among us, who were all
Christians, there was nothing to be feared
ance, privileged to see her countenance. |
took chair at a little distance from the
ladies' divan, and Sitti Nabihah gradually
faced about on her seat, but dared not look
at me.
Beside these ladies were also Husnah, the
washing g-WOman, and Amman, her mother,
both seated on the mat. They had often
seen me before at the house of Mr.. Abbott
The married ladies were smoking; the
maiden, Gsbbunah, not having that privi-
lege so long as she remained single. | will
not attempt to describe feminine dress-in
attempting to do which every one of the
rough sex will always fail utterly.
My entrance had interrupted Husnah in
description Of her experience the night
before. When we were all seated, she re-
sumed the thread of her tale, or rather, for
my benefit, began It anew.
She had been out all night with her old
mother at a moolid-the anniversary of
some deceased holy man. 1t is very GUS
tomary for women, as well as men, of the
lower classes to 90 to these religious night
where singing, music and story
telling are mingled with the sterner recita-
tiOns Of the Koran and various other re-
ligious rituals in strange confusion. Hus-
nah was in high glee, and told us all about
the early history of el-Uraby, as she had
heard it that night from the Fikis-the men,
namely, learned In the religious or eere-
monial law, and who harangue the crowd on
such occasions.
Upon hearing the name Ura6y, l prfcked
up my ears for was not this the famous
Arab Bey who was playing such a part in
modern Egyptian politics Mrs. Abbott
remarked to me in English that we should
now learn what the masses-the folk
thought aud were taught to believe concern
ing him. Husnah's graphic narration ran.
substantially, as follows:
About fifty years ago there lived in the
Delta OF Egypt, near a small hamlet called
eI-Wijh-that is, the front, because it Law
near the Eastern Desert, and faced II. NOT
far from zagazig, on the iron road since
built by the Angles between Alexandria and
Suez, wOrshiping farmer of some means.
whose wife was barren. This farmer. or
land owner, was q man of some Influence
among his clan, which was originally de-
scended from the Bedawin Arabs of the
Eastern Desert, but had become "domesti-
Gated" and had settled down on the bor-
ders Q! the Delta as tillers of the soil. His
friends had often told him that the cause of
his wife's barrenness was of course known
to the Omnisctent only; but that as she was
an Egyptian Of the lowlands, and he
was descended from the stock of Abra-
ham and his eldest son IshmaeI.
God would be much more likely to bless
him with offspring, were he to take unto
the desert. de accordingly sent eastward
to certain wandering tribes, and in due
course of time had brought to him a true
Bedawin girl. This girl, knowing that she
had been taken to wife by her husband
only with view to offspring, had, on her
way to ei-Wijh, passed by the resting place
OF the remains OF Our Lady Nafeessah (be-
tween Aagazig and Ismailah), to there prav
tnaG she might be blessed soon with a male
child, that she might find favor with her
lord. Nafeessah, the name of the holy
woman In question, means excellent, elo-
quent, full of soul and spirit: the
word is also used as Dure
adjective to describe a woman who
has just given birth; for has she not at such
a time brought soul-s nafS,or aseJesh-into
being? The shrine OF Our Lady Nafeessah
is held In high honor, both by Moslems and
Christians, even as It is said: First. a Dill
grimage to Mecca; next, pilgrimage to the
molly city or Jerusalem; and third, visit to
Our Lady Nafeessah, thus making her shrine
second only to Mecca and Jerusalem. Dur
ing the night that this true Arabian pfrl. who
was on the eve Of marriage, spent at the
tomb OF the soul giving Nafeessah, she had
a cream. a man clothed in the robes of
the religious OF der of law doctors appeared
to her, saying, go in peace to thy Intended
husband, for thou shalt find favor in his
eyes," ~ A1is
La the fullness OF time she gave birth to a
male child; and when the midwife bore the
glad tidings to the father, he exclaimed.
: ''Ah hmad-ul-PAha ~ which means. az nrsise |
God" Wherefore all the women friends.
when they heard what the father had said
declared that the boy should be called |
Ahmad.
1t may here be observed that the proper |
names Muhammad, Ahmad, Mahmoud and
Hamadah are very common among Mos |
lens; they are all derived from the root |
hamad, which means to praise.
Ahmad grew up to be stalwart youth \ |
and was known among his fellows bv the an. |
pellative ''el- Urabi," because of his descent |
from the Arabs in contradistinction with the |
Egyptians. And, indeed, Arab Rev or |
Pasha, speaks dialect which betravs his |
Bedawin origin from the Eastern Desert
Mrs. Abbott here called for coffee. and |
while we were being served with the beye- |
rage, Husnah interrupted her discourse |
long enough to roll a cigarette of Kurani |
tobacco, and take a cup Of bitter. that Is |
unsugared, coffee, for herself, remsrkiup to |
me that the men preferred the strong Stam- |
Douli or Turkish tobacco, while the women |
Ilked the Kurani or Syrian variety. This
species OF the weed comes from a small dis |
trIct near Tripoli or Syria, called Kura-the |
Arabic form of the Greek word cl,0ra. mean. |
ing a region or district.
But was too busy with other thoughts to |
reply to her. The name Urabi, applied to |
this man who is descended from the Beda-
win OF the desert north and east of the
Delta, reminded me of the story in the Book
of Judges Of Gideon, and Of the slaving of
Il 9eb and Oreb, and of the other Midfanitas