The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-02
N SOCIETY CIRCLES.
Judge and Mrs. Quinton Entertain
the Caledoreans.
MR. C. C. BAKERS CLEVER TALK


Judge and Mrs A B. Quinton enter
tanned the Caledorean club last evening.
Their cosy home was tastefully and APP
propriately decorated in the Egyptian
colOrs, blue and yellow, MIR. G. G. Baker
having kindly consented to give talk
on Egypt, the subject which the club is
now studying.
On the piano yellow silk scarf was
intertwined with one of blue velvet The
library mantel was profusely draped with
lotus flowers; the members wore tiny
flags of blue and yellow ribbon, and the
score and table cards provided for the
guidance of the company in a game of
high five to be enjoyed after MIR. Bakers
talk, were decorated with sketches; the
score cards with those of lotus blooms
and leaves, and the table cards with
those of the sphinx.
Mr. Baker talked in an easy converse
tional style, saying bv way of preface
that he had not been at all sure but that
he would be expected to sit down and let
the ladies of the club fire questions at
him, ad libitum, and had been frightened
nearly to death in consequence. He
said with the exception of the pose,
Larry resemblance to the sphinx, and
that fact, with the appropriate
floral decoration, makes the delusion
that l am with you tonight along the
Nile, nearly perfect" Mr.. Baker said
his party had been invited to call on the
khedive. but having left their dress suits
in Italy, were deferred from meeting
him.
He said: They say he is a very pleas
ant young man who speaks English we'll,
and is an up-to-date all round good fell
Iow.'
Mr.. Baker told the following, no doubt
modern, version of a story of Joseph:
Among the best known Americans who
spend considerable of their time in
Egypt is Mr.. G. E. Whitehouse, a
son of Bishop Whitehouse. He is
an American, but he lives in Lon
don, hobnobs with Prince George, who is
his neighbor, and is a charming fellow,
as we'll, and l found him an agreeable
acquaintance during several conversa-
tions on the veranda of Shepherds hotel
in Cairo On one of these occasions he
was relating his experience in trying to
get the Egyptian government to adopt
scheme of water supply for irrigation
purposes, of which he would be the chief
beneficiary. l had come into the party
after his conversation had progressed
somewhat and innOcently asked him to
state what locality this Ryan tract, as he
called it, was in. His story may interest
you.
you will remember" he said, "that
Pharaohs was prime minister and ran the
government in a pretty sensible way. As
d result, he became very popular, so
much SO, in fact, that the King ere long
discovered that Joseph was apt to gain
such hold on the hearts of. his subjects
as to make it uneasy for the old man, so
one day he called Joseph in and told
him that be would have to hunt
another job, that hereafter he would con-
duct the affairs of state himself Joseph,
who is man of large discernment, had
suspected that this state of affairs might
come to pass and was prepared for the
bounce He had good store of shekels
and his agents had kept him advised of
all the probable boom sites in the coun-
try, and he proceeded to do just what
you or l would have done in his place.
He said, "Very we'll, sir,
will depart in peace. and may
Allah protect me, but l beg
you to remember that I have been a
faithful servant and l will close my Ca
reer by giving you pointer. That is.
that you had better make it appear that
l left your service of my own accord
Then the people won't grumbIe SO much.
Wherefore, 1 say that if you will give
me permission to select for myself hab-
itation in the desert, of such extent as l
may reasonably demand, l will turn over
the portfolio of state with smile, and
the people, not being onto our little
game, will be satisfied"
"Well, Pharaoh wasn't any sharper in
these matters than kings or presidents
in these latter days, and he consented.
Therefore Joseph gathered together his
property and loaded it on camels and
went out into the desert unto the best
boomsite he knew Of And behold when
he had arrived, it was this same Ryan
tract which 1 now control. And when
be had arrived he sat himself to work
and did much thinking And when he
had thought long enough he put his
slaves to work and had them dig a
trench from this tract even unto the Nile,
and he was about to tap the waters OF
that stream and conduct them to his lax 9.
where he would hold them and make the
people who needed water for irrigation
purposes pay him many shekels there
for. But about this time the king, by his
spies, whom he put upon Joseph, learned
of the very neat job which his ex- minis
ter was putting up on him, and he sem
for Joseph. And when Joseph wa:
come unto his palace he said
Joseph, you have run in a colo
deck on me. and you will do me up, anG
will do up all the people who farm
at points below your lake in the Valley
of the Nile, and have sent for you to
say that running the whole state myself
is tri1e wearisome and want you tC
re- assume the robes of state, and accept
some more of my camels. and be with
me again, and it was even so done. Then
the winds filed up the trench and thu
matter passed out of thought until
came over here about fifteen years agt
and discovered the same basin"
Later developments were not more il
favor of Mr. Whitehouse than they wer,
Of Joseph, and his scheme was unfavor
ably recommended by the commission
which returned to Cairo and made it
report sw days after this converse
ton.
Mr.. Baker described Egypts system o
irrigation, which ought to interest ou
Il 4 L.