River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-01-10

Pictures OrGIairO.
Egyptian Correspondence New York Tri-
hupa

Pictures OF CAIRO
Egvptian Correspondence New York Tri
bune.
Cairo is certainly fascinating city
but to see it under It's best aspects one
must abandon donkey and driver and
plunge into the narrow lanes, right o.
left, ask no questions, but just drive in
wherever chance or fancy may direct
Here in the close courts and alleys you
find tile life Of the Orient, and here in
the densest by-ways are bazars and the
miniature factories that supply them.
There are originally kind ofhigh street
which ran north and south, and from
this innumerable lanes have diverged,
which are as crooked as the ways OF
evil. and redolent OF ali 0dors from.
frankienense and attirto garlic A stick is
an invaluable accompaniment on all
pedestrian excursions, for although for
eigners are as plentiful as flies, the Ms
tives still pursue them with
intolerable curiosity The raising or the
stick will make man start away several
wards and fixed glance, even 1t OF adj
rniration, at some beautiful little girl
will cluse heT tc scream and fly precipi-
lately from the Gyii eye OF the stranger
Bot, if curiosity or cupidity frequently
trumphs over fear, there IS a deep
seated aversion in the Arab heart 10 af
those but of his own faith, The advent
Of the English troops hHis brought trade
and security into thehcOuatry: and il
Lore Dutlerin should carry out the re-
forms he has planned, foreign capital
and machinery Wit soon tighten the
burdens Of the people. But 10 this
they are Indifferent, and prefer their
own sort of civilization and happy hunt
ing-crounds. In many Il household
verses pass from hand to hand, and are
hung upon the walls b6mOamng the con-
dition Of the city. 60 Nasr Caro- how
last thou fallen. Weep for the fate Of
the beautiful pearl Weep, let US bow
our heads and weep, for strange men
ride armed through the streets.
The Musk and the Boulevard Moham-
med Ali have cut the old High street IN
twain. and monopoized the more mod
ern shops, but the Arab trades are stu
carried on in the labyrinth Of lanes. IN
one barely wide enoughfor two persons
to pass are the shops Ofthe silver smiths,
anu all the courts leading from It re-
sounds with the furnaces and bellows OF
the workers in precious metals. The
productions of the old Caireue, and the
wilv dealer has always q disco!ored speci-
men of one of these forms to pass OF
upon the curious traveller as genuine
work of the Soudan. With the eXcep-
ton of articles OF general consumption,
the value Of which is fixed, preposter-
ous price is in the first instance always
demanded, so that shopping is an occu-
patton o 10y 10 the CENTER sex, as IN
other more fashionable capitals
Souatting side by side upon the
shop board, the merchant and
the fair shoppers discuss their coffee,
smoke their cigarets, tn K scandal, and
every now and then, as if by accident,
return to the object of the purchase.
Fifty francs is sometimes asked for an
| article which may be eventually obtain
ed for FIVE. Time seems to be Of no i'm
portance TO the trader. bat the hurried
traveller finds tia sore trial to his temper
| to bargain for several hours, even with
the assistance Of a dozen other Arabs,
who drop in 10 advise aud assist. In the
C3Crts of the mosque Of Muristan kaaun
once d spacious hospital erected by q sui
tan of that name, the coppersmjths have
established their FORCES, and the sound
Of many hammers and the voice OF many
| thinkers now break inupoa the deVotion'
| of the faithful. In q lane adjacent
groups Of tallors are cutting and stitch
| ing garments, embroiderers are tracing
gorgeous ornaments for the running
| footmen, and weavers are throwing otl
| thousands of yards Of gold lace for the
new mushroom Egyptian army. There
are mountains of brilliantly cOlored Mar
chester goods for woman's wear; stacks
of mysterious articles from the coasts OF
| the Red Sea; labyrinths of yellow slip
pere. and such a wild rness Of red-toed
shoes that one maryel5 how the bare
| footed population will ever wear them
out.
Among the noisy mass that throngs
the streets the only creatures thataccept
Kismet in its absolute entirely are the
dogs. Generally OF the color OF the sad
desert itself, they are the most forlarn,
| miserable, NANCY mongrels accident
ever produced. With foxy head and
half-opened eyes, they lie in twos and
thlees in the sunniest and most incon-
Venient places, and when kicked out Of
the way or trodden under foot they
make no remonstrance, but trail oil to
some other spot equally pleasant and in
convenient for the pc lestrian. They
appear utterly devoid Of pluck, spirit OF
intention, and exhibit no emotion, ex~
cept when they catch sight Of a bone in
the fist OF an ARAB munchlng MS dlunef
on the sidewalk. They about half wake
IN then. and surround tho dinner
in sem-cjrcle, blinking
at the bone in fa4nt sort of feeble ex-
pec'ancy. lndeeu, Inere is but one
thing that binds them to life, and that is
to keep their beat involate. fla stray
dog should venture into the street
where he was not dragged up, he or
she will be instantly assailed by the en-
tire detachment Of that street and COM
PEELED to Nv or Immediately become a
neal In other parts of Egypt the dog
displays some OF the qualities expected,
but in Cairo he is too degenerate Il beast
to inspire sympathy and too stupid to
accept it even if it were offered.
Carlo is SAID to possess 80 mosques,
great number of them on the line Of one
cramped and ancient thoroughfare.
The mosque Of FL Ahmar, with a lofty
portal and vast and graceful interior,
is undergoing restoration. This has been
undertaken by \ council recently con-
4iituted t. protect and preserve tic pub
lie monuments, and the authorities have
wisely added he antiquarian Rogers pey
and IL other Europeans o the body.