Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-08-25

Ihpa, Wflte ABOUT boys. 90 plehu-
ed my little laddie one day not long
ago, and here is what can say about
some Of the boys have seen il Egypt,
Arabia, and Palestine. The Egyptian
boys are Us bright, sharp, and enter
prising lot Of youngsters as can be
found anywhere. The afternoon that l
landed ut Alexandria crowd of don
key boys met ME at the dock, and each
made frantic efforts to get me to take his
donkey. They called them Grant, Mark
Twain, Bill Tweed, Lincoln, Blaine,
Logan, and other such names, to at
tract the travelling American. They
caught HE by the hands and coat tails
and fairly forced me OH donkey.
When finally made my exit from the
crowd there went up IL frantic, derisivc
howl from the Young fellows passed
by. They prophesied that all manner
of evil would overtako NE for using
that particular donkey.
The favored boy battered along be-
hind his patient little beast, urging him
to greater speed with queer cries and
punches with Il sharp stick, scolding
him all the time. We soon got to be
on the best of terms. That boy smoked
my cigarettes, helped eat my lunch,
showed me the sights of Alexandria
like IL good fellow, and then cursed me
and my grandfather to the lowest
depths because | would not pay his ex-
orbitant overcharges. Still | bear him
time and place, and was as much a
curiosity in his way as Cleopatra's
needle or Pompey's pillar. He dresses
like his father, and was full-tledged
man in all except stature. He wore
baggy tIowsers, short monkey jacket
of IL coat, Il red feZ cap on his head, and
brilliant colored scarf wound round
his waist for u belt He was a Mohanl-
medan, of use. and said his prayers
wherever he was six times day. He
was faithful to few; a liar, oh, what a
liar! he was naughty to his mother,
delighted to torment q Jew, and was Sc
cruel to his POOR little donkey that ii
made my heart ache sometimes. But
after all, lie must not be altogether
blamed, for he only learned we'll and
improved on the lessons taught him by
his elders and parents. He was
ignorant of most of the common things
that an American boy knows, but he
could smoke n pipe and swear like 9
pirate. A smart, wicked, young
scoundrel that's one kind of an Aral
boy.
At Cairo enother sort of an Arab boy
made his appearance at the carriage as
! started from the hotel to go to the
pyramids. He had the universal rec
fez on his head, but was otherwise
clothed with sandals and big sheet
gathered with a rope around his waist
He ran ahead of the carriage, carrying
a big stick about the size of a hoe han.
die, with which he dealt blows right
and left, all the while shouting: MAKE
room for the l.owadji! His excellen
cy cometh Room for the rich Ameri
can! Bow the kneel" Thus he cleavet
the narrow way. He came without
being asked or needed, his only hope
of reward being such cold yictuals AZ
We're left from lunch and such back
sheesh as | chose to give him.
Arab boys parents are usually very
poor, and an American boy would no
think they had any fun at all but the,
do have fun, and lots of it, too. The,
have game they play with bright
stones, or almond nuts when they eau
get them, Just like hully gully. The,
play tag Just rs YOU do. They pla,
ball much the same as old-fashioneC
town ball. Their balls and bats dom
cost any money, nor does anything else
Up the Nile the boys are very poor
and they have hard times. If it wer,
not that the sun is warm and they hav,
+ plenty to eat, their life would be bur
den to them. They have to watch tn,
tlocks of goats and sheep, stone tn
birds of the growing grain fields, fetcl
and carry till their poor little back
must ache. They have hardly an,
clothes, no shoes, no books, no play
! things, no nice homeland their fathe
beats them as he would q dog.
AS for the Arab boy in Palestine, Ii,
Oft, thanks'to the guns of English AM
French soldiers and the Bibles of tn
missionaries. There are numerous
schools in Palestine and their influence
reaches the boys. Many of them cal
read and write, and the printing presses
in Beirut furnish them with books
picture papers and Sunday Schoo
songs, all i'll their own tongue. One o
the most delightful men L ever met il
there, devoting his grand talents to thu
good of the boys. DR.. Jossup is hi
uame, and I've seen the boys in Beiru
follow him about the streets; they love
him so. He has taught them baseball
| prisoners base, ante over, checkers
humble the peg and other American
games. An Arab boy has a way o
shooting marbles that would astonisl
they play with. L doubt if the averag
Arab boy has twenty-five cents a yea
that he can invest in playthings
Like Little Miss Mutfet that sat on
tuffet," he lives on curds and whey
With bright, cheerful disposition, b
makes the most of his hard life, an,
grows up to be a self-reliant, resource
full man, one who, when he has half
chance, makes his way in the world
and is a credit to the country in whicl
he lives; for, faulty as he is, it wou1
be worse without him.
The Arab boy at the pyramids is
fox of boy. A little village of Arab
near there has the monopoly of guidin
visitors to those wonderful piles O
stone. hired one to show me abou
them, and the Temples of Chaffra an,
the Sphinx. They are all keen money
makers, and this little chap was shar-
| one. Going to the interior of the prea