Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-05-22
A VISIT TO DAMASCUS
a TRAVELLER WRITES or WHAT ht
SAW IN THIS FAMOUS CITY.

SAW IN TINS FAMOUS S''V'
sss xsssssi,. ssA iss.s~sss.s ls.sssss-Ths
wsss~sfsi walls - f,sssassss - tss
WV Dee Iiss rrs~ rhen-Ths nsss~'
$1,000 wsss~s - rAsss nssha
The bax,lar IL Damascus ars quite
extensive and moro interesting than
thrc If Cairo with which thry are fro
qusntly compared. becauss they ars en-.
tirciy untouchcd by Eurupean innu.
enc~ They ap generally covcr~l and
somc IL them have lefty roofA In then'
are found all the products of tile cast
Caravans ~ from hero 10 Bagisd and
beyond. anil . great deal Of merchai'.
disc Ii carried 10 and fro There arc spe-
ciai large. pr,ientious buildings with
numerous domcs, In which Wholesale
trade L. carried ga IL was = rainy day
when We first went through the basaars,
and we appreciated the advantage Of 20
ing shopping under cover.
The largest bazaar IL la ''the street
called Straight" Its great roof extends
Tor 1000 feet. with small slioIs on each
siie Il IL wide enough for carriagss
By the way. this street Is straight.
though Mark Twain made reflection
Indicating that the expression Ina the
Bible lsce Acts) was irunioal. The con-
sui who rcpr~snts the Unit"l States
government In Damascus IL syrian.
AMI that fact makes him permanent
officer. lie IL not Obliged To turn ovcr
his Office Ia somebody els. when q new
administration comc. into power.
lie rccived us very politely and de-
tailed "kawas sort az Official mil
itary s-cort-to attend us while W. rc-
mainci In the city. This II rather dc-ir'
able, NJ 10 insures respectful treatment
Without such an c~crt We might hay,
unkind r,marks thrown Mt U.s. though
We should not understand them The
"kawass" could not talk English, bat
another young man from tho consul''
otiioo also went with us He spoke Eng
lish and was an intelligent and agree
able guide lie tuok US 20 $50 the into
riors of two very handsome houses, uns
q Mohammedan's and the other q Jews
We did not sec the proprietor of the
hrst, hut thu Jew took us into his libra
~ and showed us copies of the Jewish
Scriptures ON double rolls AZ tbs rad
er prucyssis he unrolls from one 90 the
other. We al-o visited an English mis-
sion school Tor girls. In which the pupils
hal PRETTY and bright fao~ They ar'
mostly Gr,k Christians. but our "ka
wass." who L. MohAnmesiAn. -smc'l
a. take grrat pleasure In pointing on'
his daughter In oae AZ tho Glasses
M the walls IL Damascus only the
lower oour-- date frum Roman timss
AhJvo thcsn courses l. Arabian work
and. still higher. Turkish II IL raihe'
unfavorablc IA strung emotions whei
icoking At the plsoc wh~r Paul va. le'
down a. ol-rry. that chi. part Il ths
wall 10 Turkish. nos moro than so'
years old
About the most safisfactory thing ~
did In Damascus wss q nd. o. th'
pathern suburtss. WHERE frum thu .loi-
~ q hill W. got hne ,icw 70 Oh. ~hol'
irigai~i valley. with Oh. city II In
fran. 10 ,,riurr All ouis,d. Il THU
was brvwn and barrn Tn. dome- ans
minare,- 10 tho city max. ,cry pr,tiy
picture. la Oh. c-ntsr of which stane
the citadel aud the grcat mosque. which
wa. partially destroyed by fir- only last
year. Our guild. J-uinicd cut to us tn
caravan road- 10 Mccca AMI Palmyra
extending ANUS the sr,at ds-cri o. tn
horit1n. This view CAV. N by FAR th'
i.-t Ida 10 Damascus and IT. surround
ings Twenty milc- away We caught th'
CLEAN 20 lake. into which the Barsi'
1.-THE Ahana - scriptursl pour it, fio"i
Escrp, In tho spring 10 u rather q mo
rass than q Lake.
our hotel nc Damascus. the Hole
DiaInatri Kari. was formerly tho palace
of wealthy pasha, and !, contained In
kr-ting specimens ~ d-cnstiyc worl
IL the first class II l. very we'll kept
far better than any hotel In Jerusalem
I'm fact, the Jerusalem hotels arr th'
ponrvst We have encountered ~ far II
our travels Our Damascus hotel wa
built around q CENTRAL curt. .mbsllish
e,i hy q handsome fountain and orang'
and lemon trees Every window on th'
street In Damascus. the streets bsin,
narrow, IL covered by q wosicn laiiic.
You can look out through u, hut yU'
cannot 80 into the room across the way
II IL considered very improper TO rails
this lattice You might sec Mohain
moian woman. or she wight see you
which would make truu6lc. A very -
culiar effci IL produced by hgurs
muslin which many 10 the Mohamnr
dan women wear over their faces. !
makes them look like ma~luersier
with masks You SEQ something tina
looks like features. but II IL 1T.
roguish eye may L. twinkling under oh
gauzy material. but u Is completely dis
gui.ed II IL said Ia h unsafe in thi
fanatical community to si,ow too mucl
curiosity about the facos nj the women
Damascus women have reputation IN
beauty. Ircgrct tn say that We arr ul'
able 90 expr~s any opinion on the sub
jcct. The uncovered faces we have -ssi
ought not 10 get their owncn int
i L. It,. H...lL