Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-15
AN ORIENTAL VISIT.
A Picturesque Street Scene
from Cairo at Chicago.
The Willy Arab Knows How to Charm
Cash from Visitors.
Fun Alsas The stsssts-Ihs Dsaksys. Dancing
Girls md nunaies.

Girls aa6 0unales.
WORLDS FAIR, June "A - Especial -
One Of the great successes Of the side-show
department of the exposition is the street
in Cairo. There is no other place within
the vast enclosure where 50 much genuine
fun may be had and where such strange
sights may be witnessed. Here it Is diff
:ult for the visitor to imagine himself in
Chicago, or in America So skiilfully Is
he very atmosphere Of the Egyptian me-
;ropolis counterfeited. 50 realistic Is the
reproduction Of the quaint scenes Of Arab
life, that one has now and then to pinch
himself in order 10 recall the fact that he
is at the Worlds fair and not travelling in
the orient. Il doesn't cost much to get
into this street of Cairo. A dime is the
charge. But it costs good deal to get
out. do not mean to say you are COM
PEELED to spend more money, but you will
be a queer sort Of American il your Curl
osity can resist the temptations which the
willy Arabs place before your eyes. Talk
about Yankee ingenuity, American show
men, New England smartness-you should
see the Arabs charm dimes and quarters
and dollars from the pockets Of their visit
ors. They are the real artists in that line.
On entering the gate you are at once
plunged from Chicago into an ancient orr
entail city A winding street lies before
you, fanked on either side by rows Of
houses or shops Of certain Arab archi-
lecture. There is no mistaking
the fidelity with which the orig
inals have been reproduced. The
quaint windows Of the upper stories are
closed with decorated blinds, but on the
street level each house has one or more
little shops. The shops are not more than
twelve or fifteen feet deep, and everything
that they contain is displayed before the
eye. There are in all forty or more of
these bazaars, and in most cases they are
attended by native statesmen, who speak
enough English to get along very nicely
and who are very shrewd in trade, In each
shop is a young American woman, and
her business it is to handle the cash and
keep a record thereof to make sure the ex-
position management gets its fair per cent
of all receipts. These bazaars display no
end of oriental jewelry, much of which
was manufactured in America, to
save customs duties; handkerchiefs,
perfumery, slippers which are made on the
spot by native workmen, candy, flowers
(by a very bold fiction claimed to be of
Arab culture), toys, cigarettes, dried
snakes and lizards from the Soudan, curio
of all sorts. As rule the prices are rea-
sonable, too. though you can never be GER
tain the wares are of actual importation.
But it is not to the bazaars your atten-
ton is first directed. The street scene
itself at once entrances you with its pict-
uresque novelty and pleases you with its
grotesque gaiety. Near the entrance you
come upon a lot of Cairo donkeys, little
animals not much bigger than Newfound-
land dogs, attended by Cairo donkey boys
Very amusing are the animals, and more
amusing are the boys, in their bare feet
and native costume, cracking a stock lot
of jokes in queer English and humming
ia -ra -ra- -boom-de-ay with many grimace
and laugh. There is an old tradition
about the solemnity Of the Arabs, but you
find 10 evidence of it here. The willy ori-
entails have discovered that it does not pay
to be solemn Gaety and frolic catch the
popular ldlft anu tHt Toil III tuo
faster the more laughter there Is along the
street.
A great crowd Of visitors is in she thor
oughfare, which is as long as two or three
city blocks. Every few moments you hear
= clatter Of feet on the brick pavement
there is no sidewalk in Cairo-and one of
the little donkeys patters by, urged to
speed by the whipping and shouting boy at
4 hie b =
child whose face is all smiles at the nov-
city of the excursion, or a grown man or
woman whose feet all but drag along the
| surface of the street. How the little dom
KEYS carry some Of the riders who mount
their backs Is mystery, but they do, and
,he Journey finshelthey go to sleep stand
ing on their four legs and wait with ex-
cessve patience for the coming of the next
| customer.
A little further along we come upon a
scene which p,eases us very much. Eight
| or ten great dromedaries lie upon the
ground, with their trappings or saddles
upon their backs. They are asleep, too.
Around them is gathered an enormous
| crowd ot visitors. They are not so much
Interested in the dromedaries as they are
| in he fun which is to follow. The fun
comes quickly enough. A party Of gay
| American girls, attended by their broth
| ers or other escorts, arrive. The Ameri-
| can girl at the fair is out for fun. She
wants to see everything in sight. No
timidity or false pride deters her from
having real good time. There are few
| giggles, whispered consultation. the
passing of a few pieces of silver from
| brothers hand to the eager paw of the
dromedary attendant, and the boldest girl
| in the party seats herself on the saddle of
| the recumbent animal The crowd cranes
| its neck in anticipation of sport.
| Mr.. Dromedary humps himself a little,
shows the teeth in his frightfully ugly
Houth, moves his long legs and elevates
'ne end of himself in the air. 1t Is q
great elevation, and 1t is so suddenly
attained that the young woman know,
she is going to slide down over the ami
mails neck. Frantically she grasps the
straps which have been placed in hel
hand. and shrilly she shrieks. Through
the crowd runs loud guffaw. The fur
has commenced. Then Mr.. Dromedary
elevates the other end of his being Thi:
also comes up with the suddenness Of &
shock, and the young woman on his bach
this time feels sure she is going to roll ovel
backwards Again a frantic grasping O
the straps. more feminine squeals, another
round of laughter in the crowd. Now thu
hump-backed courier Of the desert start.
on his journey up the street. His saddl,
sways from side to side, shuffles will
more motions than any other animal il
capable of producing Every lope of hi
long legs, every side-wise lurch Of hi
awkward frame, and his rider giggles o
squeals.
Up the middle of the narrow and crowd
! ed street go the camel and his fair rider
The crowd falls to either side. There i
much shouting and laughter. A wave o
merriment follows the party as it pro
ceeds. By this time the young America
woman has recovered her spirits and he
confidence. She finds il not so very diff
; suit creature to ride, after all. The fun
she perceives, is all good natured fun, an'
rhe likes it. II her feet are pretty AM
: beatly shod she doesn't worry about them
and peculiar thing it Is that you rarel
see a woman with awkard feet on the bac
of q dromedary. Now other young VIC
men. and young men, and OCCASIONAL
older men aud women. and no END
children, mount the backs Of the camel
and are sent weaving and lurching up th
oriental thoroughfare. It is great spor
for all concerned, and it brings many
good American dollar into the till OF tn
willy Arabs who run the show.
Here is another crowd 1t stands In