Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-03-30

EXTRACTS FROM DIARIES KEPT DURING
TOUR THROUGH EGYPT AND PALESTINE IN
THE WINTER AND SPRING OF LAST YEAR.
No. VIII.
Three Weeks in Luxor, LOnanR and
GOssiping.
March 3. This morning | received the
visit of the American consular agent, Moo
rad ALI with his son, who speaks some Eng
lsh He has had difficulty with the Ital
ian agent, and asks Tor my offices with the
American consul general in Cairo. Thus l
shall pay for the dinner given in our honor
If it were not too long, would write a
whole chapter on consular agents in the
East, in the Ottoman countries especially
We have inherited from our gone friends
a young man, Yusef Tor Joseph, who every
day is at our disposal with two donkeys.
We survey the whole neighborhood. To-
day we ride to a farm which have visited
once already. Two hundred palm trees
form a grove, in which are the huts of the
owner, who is my friend since | gave him
three bright new silver piastres. He re
ceives us with great cordiality, brings out
a bamboo sofa-bed makes coffee, and ex-
hibits his younger children-dirty, unfortu-
nately, and we do not dare TO show our re
pugnance. Two oxen raise water by means
Of well, in which is turning wheel with
earthen pots attached on the sides it is
called sabakeh The old father, seventy
five years old, mounts his donkey and starts
off to another farm to get dates for Our
Lady it is great act Of kindness When
he tells me his age, | remark that shall
never reach it that in fifteen years shall
be in my tomb 1T will be as Allah pleas.
es he answers while pointing to heaven.
We are loaded down with palm nuts Our
Lady visits the secluded wife in her misera-
Bile hut OF course our piastres have Sc
cured such II reception yet under it we
can see the flow of human kinship when
those poor people are spoken to and treated
as equals.
While sitting band Of men have gone
by, some on donkeys, all led by officials
wearing the official coat and the red cap
called fez. 1t is corvee or troop for OBJ
lgatory work. To dig canals and trenches
and keep them in repair, each village has
to supply number of men, who are taken
sometimes to a great distance and kept
working for t,cO months, receiving no pay
and feeding themselves. Hence abuses
without end labor not regulated, wasted ;
a crowd with most scanty tools, bad food
sleeping in open air. The corvee is curse,
and no wonder the wise ones wish 10 see it
abolished and paid labor substituted 1t
has become public question and an i'm
portant one.
We return across fields without paths .
reach the Niles gold, silver blue water at
sunset sails and boats gliding on its sur
face-a true fairy scene, which gives the
| Nile its reputation. Our Lady, delighted,
furgives me my tyranny in not allowing her
to 90 on long excursion with the Ameri-
can ladies, who return completely exhaust
ed
March T. Two sparrows are trying to
make their nest in one of our blinds others
make theirs in the open jaw of stuffed
crocodile; it becomes a text for Our Lady
to write very pretty stories to her grand
children. Mr. and Mrs. Wilbour call on
US. He is Yankee from Providence who
has become fascinated with the Nile, on
which he has spent the past five or six win
ters. Finally he has bought a boat, brought
his whole family, and floats up and down
the river in perfect contentment. He is
well Informed man, has read much, speaks
some Arabic, is a connoisseur OF antiques
Mrs. Wilbour is most intelligent lady,
well known in Paris society. Their boat
will see us more than once it is very pleas
ant to meet in this far-off land such good
representatives Of Yankeeland
March ,. High wind all day a tornado
Of dust and dirt 20 almost cold. 1t
takes the place Of rain, and cools the heat
ed atmosphere
March i. Splendid weather | walk
through an inch of mud dust 10 the Coptic
| church. a number Of boys want to guide
me, fight over me, and become such a nuis
ance that "imshee" go away them, when
they become impudent and have to pick
up "A stone TO get rid of them. The church
is empty, the service over boys and girls
crowd around the stranger guardian
| sexton goes for a priest. who exhibits
| their sacred books, shows the inside of the
sanctuary-behind the screen, as in all
| Greek churches-and gives Inc a small loaf
of blessed bread used for the eucharist.
Unable TO converse freely, inquire If they
have some one able to speak English. a
| youth Of sixteen, who has been a pupil in
the American school is found, and acts as
| interpreter. Before the door find mum
| Der of priests and notables whom the news
of my presence has gathered. | am offer
ed a chair it would be offensive TO refuse
it. Coffee is sent for, and | ask many
questions concerning their church, services
and festivals. They have the Gospels in
old Coptic, which che common people do not
understand and which must be translated
their services are somewhat like those OF
the Romish church, formal and entirely be
yond the intelligence of most of the hear
ers. The priests wear no Distinguishing
dress. One of them, Rev. Hanna Toniosse,
asks me if ! have not a pair of spectacle.
to give him, as his sight is getting impaired
am obliged to say no, as charity begins a
home need my two pairs of specs as
need my eyes. promise to send him q
pair from Cairo, where have a reserve. u
kept my promise, but here in Luxor, a cen
tire of %, 600 souls, it is impossible to buy
| spectacles or a seidlitz powder,) Altogeth
| er, have been cordially received, and hav,
| met with more cleanliness than usual. Il
is among the Copts that the American mis-
sionaries recruit their converts | give
| piastre 10 the sexton and one to the boy
who brought me to the church; they arr
quite satisfied
With my English-s speaking youth | visi
again the statue of Rameses IL. | find i
surrounded with pieces of pine wood screw
ed together. Mr. Grebault, director of tn
Egyptian museum, is present, and explain
that the statue is cracked and would breal
if these precautions were not taken. Tn
statue weighs twenty tons The wood use,
has to he imported from Asia Minor, anC
costs so much that the removal of the statu
will represent at least a thousand dollars
The budget of the museum is only $4,000
hence most limited resources for keeping
the ruins in proper order against depreda
tors and Nile mud. We have long con
versation. propose TO tax each touris
five dollars to surround temples and ruin
with fences, etc. The question has bee
agitated for many years, but diiiicultie
have arisen and nothing has been done.
is a pity Tourists would not feel the tax
and much mischief would be prevented.
March T. | 20 to the American mission
and buy "Pilgrim's Progress" for my inter
prefer of yesterday. He has (most rare oC
curremce . refused a money reward an
asked for book, which | sent to Shenoud
Atnasiosse, Arment, the village where h
lives, some miles away. So much for tn
influence of American schools.
Al four o'clock we Join our Milwaukee
ladies aud accompany them in their deht
| beah down the river. 1t will be full moon
we have sent donkeys to the landing place
and we intend to visit Karnak by mool
light. After dinner the sheik of the vi
lage is soon at hand to leave guardians fc
the protection of the boat and TO escort |
10 the ruins, about "a mile distant. 'Wh
guardians y my readers will say 'al
there not twelve sailors - Well thos
guardians are polite word for blackma