Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-15

Khalil HAla CALCULATES, with . broad grin
on his intelligent face, '-gallah, gallnA. =
He performs some more clever tricks, and
just as the throng is getting interested the
conjuror announces that the performance
will be continued in his tent .
little way mp the street Then
the orchestra strikes mp. and the
march toward the conjuror's tent Il b.
gun OF course large number Of people
follow this strange cayalcade, and give up
their silver quarters for the privilege Of
seeing the great Khalil HAdA perform his
tricks. This is . sample Of the manner in
which these smart Arabs get out in the
street and hustle for trade. They can give
the Yankees points In this business.
Those who enter the tent OF the conjuror
do not regret it. He il o very akiilfal
prestidigateur. Without any elaborate
accessories be sits down upon dias only
four or Eve feet from the heads Of his
nearest spectators and performs feats
which are really marvellous They are
common enough feats in the orient, and
post of our professional performers are
able to do them, but the Egyptian has =
style and a charm all his own. He, too, ap-
preciates the value Of good humor. He L.
always smiling and joking, never fails TO
mutter '.gallah, gallah, when the crowd
spplauds. characterizes his own work as
'very CLEVER" makes no pretensions to bs
anything but a trickster, and is evidently
happiest when he most successfully fools
those who assist him in his work by hold
ing the rings and the coins and the hand
kerchiefS
The Arabs have here about q thousand
devices for charming money out Of :he
pockets of the crowd. Most Of these are
worthy devices, but q few are not. The So
called Cairo by Moonlight" to which an
admission fee of a quarter is charged, is a
mere revolving stereoptieon fake. most of
the pictures being Of Jerusalem rather
than Cairo, and uninteresting. Another
fake is the so-called Temple Of Luksor,"
$500 years old. The advertisements, and
the glib-tongued young man who stands in
front of the temple shouting to the passers-
by, say one may see within the mummies
Of Pharoah. Of Rameses II, oppressor of
lsraelites, Of Sethi !, whose daughter
found Moses, Of Hirhor !, father in law Of
King Solomon and Of Nessi-ta- neb-asser,
Solomon's sister-in-law. But these mum
mies are mere reproductions. There is not
genuine mummy In the building. The
10 called sacred dance OF the ancient Egyp-
.ians is fippant bit Of mummery gone
through with a good deal Of laughter and
ewkwardness by u party Of young Arabs
who are evidently new at the business.
The Cairo theater il rather sensational.
There Is some talk Of having the authori-
ties stop the dancing which goes on in 1t.
Five or six dancing girls from Egypt go
through such strange oOntortions here,
always before large audiences, with such
reckless abandon and indecent exposure,
that Americans deem the performance dis
gushing Women, and good and proper
women at that, do go to see this show, but
they go unconscious Of its character; and
you may be sure they do not go a second
time, or permit their daughters to see it
after them. The street in Cairo Is o
charming addition to the international
feature Of the fair, but its dancing girls
should be squelched and one or two Of it,
lakes be closed up BY the authorities.