The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-07-02
tiFE IN DAMASCUS.
The Letter Writer - Booth - Pilxrims-
1Iourners-- Man and Wifs-A Prophet.

oIourners-Man and Wifs-A Prophet.
lCcr Lewiston I've , Jour7Iall
The public letter writer is an ,nstitu-
tiou o. damascus rs OF Jerusalem and
Caro-. lie is handed down from great
antiquity and is souvenir OF publIo il
uUranCe.
There are rude booths such rs tho pUo
pie constructed in Jerusalem in ancient
times dur ng the pcntecostal fGastS. The
booths contain II knot OF women gOS
sipjng and smoking the big water pipe.
Sellets of licorice water favOrite bey-
crage o. Damascus, pass up and down
banging their IRA en- Saucers together to
attract attention and adding lnonoton-
Gus, drawing putclY to the advertise
nlent. Lemonade and rose water in
glass urms with leathern sprouts is
served 10 tie thirsty for a penn
glass.
We saw ragtag .and.tobtail COM
pany of pilgrims returning from a rellg-
lOus feast at Jerusalem. They are firing
old guns, beating tom-tOms and drums
and making hideodS noise. They have
been week or ten days afoot, and are
a weary tand, cordially greeted BY their
friends. These pIgrimages are sub
Stahtially what they were IN the time Of
Christ. and they straggle along in
Il O>t diSorderly manner
There is not a newspaper in Damas-
Gus. Think OF a city oi 200 900 souls
without street lights or railways, or a
real pOSto1ice service or u skating rink
no ably there are not a halt do en- car
ria eS i'll the whole city.
The Toys of damascus in little cotton
gowns and red fc., are brought up 10
industry. Hero is one mortising piece
of tImt er; another is planning Loard
for the construction of a rude cradle.
long strips of mutton, with roses
stuck nto it, signify a market largely
attended by flies
Tie windows along the narrow streets
arc without glass, Lat are pgotecte by
iron gratingS.
We pass the whitewa>hed tomb Of n
sheiEh. y great, ungainIy boy is cry
ing, lying PROSTATE 10y the tomb. Other
molrncrs are making noise to order
lamps Of oil are dimiy burning i'll the
htt,e niche ordained to ,'ags and d vers
offerings y. love. Aratic inscriptions
give the dead shcikh divine hOnors.
Here aIe rddc cafes with stone floors.
and groups OF robed sons OF the prophet,
smoking their lives away and gambling
at a game somewhat akin to domlnoes
, i'll the open air, at Jtle round table.
ioyS are makjrg baskets out OF papy-
, rus as did their iorofathers No do {
ne mo;aer Of ,tc5es E.aIo an arh Tor
i,,r IA : ont OF tn, same matcria
which you viii remem Ner WAS as plenty
on the river lie in Moses day as 1t
, now is by tie waters OF Merom.
The tonSor al artist o. Damascus 5 an
amusing fellow. lie plants his little
chair anywhere by the waySide and
shaves the top of the patriarch mead
as bare as the shell of an ostrich egg.
zee that Arab and bis latest wife.
The, are astride the same horse, ut the
.usUand has the ren5 The Wifi sits
oS,'ide as does her iiege lord, and per
h&pS there j., a baby or two lasned TO
her
See that prophet IN the green turban
oSgins along on Il iackaSS. He is
chewing string beans and water crosses
poorer and less Inspiring rotiono than
ohm the BAPTIST loeusts and Wild
, honey.
/ We stop at the Greek hotel, and the
| proprietor treats us to cigarettes and
rose water, a s.ckiSh sweet drink. which
! compelS one to wish he Ealn come, but
which the civllites of hospitality re-
! qulre We should compliment.