The record-union., 1893-08-04

90 1t on purpose, but it didn't scare the
camel and il did hurt the man.
Little imps ot'darkness scamper around
through the crowd and ask for basheehs
with brazen countenances. A feZ-
crowned takir calls 10 the crowd and i'm
p4ores them to consult the greatest of
living fortune tellers, to witness the
most wonderful of living magicianS.
Every style Of oriental knick-knack is To
be found in the booth, from tifteen-cent
scent bottles of altar OF rose to old
armor and ancient weapons and ham
mered brass. Here, too, white women
are salegirls, but turbaned Turk is al
ways somewhere in sight. Turkish soft
drinks" are sold. in great quantities, and
light-compleXioned Arab "hollers"
himself black in the face as he sets forth
the exceptional attraction of the sweet
Egyptian candy, which rejoices in the
euphonious name OF 'bum-bum."
At II o'clock, when the sun is in the
zenith. the cry of the muzzin is heard
proclaiming it is high noon and calling
upon all deVout Musselmen to pray. And
they DO. For few minutes they leave
on preying and fall to praying, and then
( they resume their more congenial occu-
patton Of the two.
Then comes the marriage procession.
! ms IS stately affair, and is one of the
attractions of the street, taking place
every day at this time.
Two dlgnihed men lead the way, then
come dancing men, naked except for n
hreech clout. Their bronze skins, shin
ing with perspiratiop, look like a we'll
boiled ham before it is skinned. They
comfort themselves. A savage-looking
knave on camel brandishes a long,
curved sword i'll his hand and threatens
to cut his neck straight across. The
clashing, OF cymbals, the beating OF
/ drums, the blowing OF weird instruments
follow. Some of the performers are on
foot, some ride camels. Camels bear
palanquins, slaves march with gifts, the
bride, yelled in red, follows with her
maldens, two expert fencers precede her
on the way. she nears the bridegroom's
| home, which in this instance happens to
| be the dancing temple, the attendants
cross spears, they all range in opposite
lines, the man with the two monkeys on
a donkey, l believe | forgot to say he
led the procession, sinks rearWard. The
doors Open-the bridegroom rushes out
and picks up the bride as if she were
bundle OF goods and runs with her into
his home. That ends the wedding pro-
cesSion.
SO much has been said about the dane
ing temple and the dancing girls. l paid
my quarter to see for myself. AS soon as
L had entered, a smoOth-tongued Arab
asked me if | wouldn't like to pay %
cents more tor reserved seat. | shook
my head and was content with my first
lee accommodations. Then l watched the
crowd pouring in. The women looked as
| II they felt that in coming in they were
/ DONG something naughty, and rather en-
| Joyed the idea. If there were any who
| looked as if they wished they hadn't come,
l didn't see them. A great many young
men came in with an air of questionable
expectancy. Few paidtOr reserved seats,
but some did. ! noticed that whe never
man had Sunday y-schOol-superinten
ent or Bible-sOciety' 's-secretary air,
| long, lank, sanctimonious cast Of coun-
teuance, he 1t was who tripped or
sneaked, or snaked down TO the dividing
/ line, dropped an extra quarter in the box
and took front seat.
At last, after the awk kward-stringed in
/ struments had made a villanOus din, the
/ dancing girls came out. They were dis
| appointment to the eye. one only was
rather pretty. and she looked like a Cau-
! Casian. The others looked like "DapOs"
or Iow-class Mexican women. They
wore high-laced boots, skirts that came
down to their boot tops, but which hung
I from far below the abdomen. A tiny lit
tie jacket crossed the bust and shoulders.
| The rest Of the body was clad in trans
/ parent silk gauZe. Each girl had a turn
at the dance. She stamped, she clicked
/ her metal caStanets, she made her hips
wiggle, she spun her abdomen up, and
/ ont and around. NoOne can believe what
/ the motion was until it has been seen. 1t
/ was a most striking example of what |
would call Oriental DelsartiSm. When I
! say that it seemed as if the dancer would
/ hit her chin with her pendulous abdo-
men, some idea may be gained of its eff
! feet on the eye. The back, the shoulders,
/ the bust the head, all went through these
| dreadful cOntortions. 1t made me sea-
sick, and all that night afterward L could
| not get the wave motion ont of my con-
SciOuSneSS. l have a pain in nv own
/ head now, when l see in memory those
/ girls throw their heads so far to one side
/ that one ear was on a perpendicular line
/ with the neck. The dancers are not
| pretty, they are not graceful. They are
! peakably so.
! Corbett must 90. He is not acceptable
! to the finer sensibilities of the directors.
! Chicago would like TO peLticoat the chaste
| Diana on the Agricultural Palace, but the
! dancers of the Midway Plaisance are all
/ right 1t is safe to say that in no city in
the United States would such a show be
/ tolerated as a theatrical representation
/ 40 galaxy OF 'temale minstrels' ever
/ presented one-half so Objectionable a pro-
gramme.
Take sedan chair and ride to the en-
trance to the Midway. The burly Turks
will jolt you nearly to death, and the
crowd will peer into the chair as if its oc-
/ cupant were part OF the exposition, but
1 by use of sedan chair the long walk in
the sun is avoided, at the cost of quar-
/ ter
/ \ nice cool place to visit is the divers
tankhouse. Here one can look at a big
tank Of water, and feel cooler for awhile
I see the diver come to the surface and be
relieved of his armor, while Yankee
Snowman explains all about diving and
! knocks holes in Jules Verne's bottom of
/ the sea stories. ON the lower floor tho
! diver can be seen through port holes as
he sits at work with perluuctory ham
mer. Or those who so desire NAV con-
verse with him through the newly in
vented submarine telephone. He picks
up his slate and writes, while at the bot
tom Of the tank, "Good-bye. Call again.
/ We are always in."
That's the way in the Midway.
ELIZA ID. KEITH.
r'Di NernOn'Y.