Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-03-28

SlFeu-laSc come 10 pass. L AN now So
journing in the and so long ruled ver
by the Pharaohs Of old, who built the
magnificent and apparently everlasting
monuments which are now annually
visited by Sc many thousands of our
countrymen and others, to be bled by
the willy and We present and ever
f~OrbackSish, persistent Arab. 1t
is almost at the price of ones existence
to visit the monuments, as the way has
to be fought for foot by foot Yes
terday / visited the great pyramid of
Cheops and, with the assistance of
three Arabs and a tallow dip, won my
way, under difficulties, to the former
sacred but now prOfaneG central cham
Der, the intended final resting place
of the builder. But alasi the vanity of
human glory; the coffin is there, but
not the remains. The passage to the
chamber is quite dificult-frst down
wards for some distance and then up
wards for, say, a hundred feet or per-
haps much more, as in the darkness,
heat and more or less excitement un-
der the novel experience, distance is
not easily determined. The passage
is narrow and in several places has to
be made in a doubled up and conse-
quently rather humiliating position for
a citizen of the great western republic;
but the novelty of the thing is worth
the price.
I had often wondered how the land,
whose fertility and fitness for human
II abitation depends entirely upon
the annual overflow of a single river,
would look, but on the spot it is clear
enough. We speak of our immense
western prairies as remarkably level,
but they do not begin to compare in
that respect with the sO-called valley
of the Nile. Here there is no variation
in the surface, except the elevations,
evidently made by human hands.
where the natives have built their vii
lagos, mostly of mud. Cities and vii
lagos are built just high enough to es-
cape the annual overflow of the river,
but sometimes the Inhabitants have to
fee for their lives. The valley, which
is only a few miles wide, is bordered
on both sides by elevations of ever
shifting sand and graveI-perfect des-
erts-where no vegetation can flourish.
No trees of any account exist in the
valley, 81 far as | have yet seen, ex-
ceDt palms and the acaciaS which are
planted along the fine drives leading
out of this city.
To say that the population is mixed,
is not an adequate expression, but you
can add to it yourself all your mag
nation can master and you will not
even then. perhaps, cover the ground.
Very little is spent here on covering
for the feet, and [ would not advise
any Wisconsin shoemaker to look for a
profitable field here in his line of bus
mess, especially if he looks to the gen
eral public for support. The same may
be said as to tailOrS: and manufacturers
of soap would surely come to grief in
a short time. The covering for the
body is loose and airy, just suited to
the climate, / should judge. \ great
many people appear to be busy at
nothing and find lots If time to sleep,
and it is quite a common occurrence
to find them rolled up in their blouses
and sleeping in the public places under
the roasting sun. In the night we find
them reposing on the sidewalks, evil
IDENTIFY as unconscious of the passer by
as if miles away.
All kinds of mechanical trades are
carried on in very small shops and on
the sidewalks. Turning is done by
hand and foot: n hand turning the
stick with a bow-like apparatus, the
Al, T., - l.@JlsxDw $500 - - L. A--,
ing tool, while the other end is guided
by the toes of one foot.
Naturally our attention has been
called to many remarkable things here,
among others to the exact spot
where Moses was found in the basket
by the daughter of the ruler of all
Egypt; another to two marble col
umns brought from Mecca, the city Of
the great prophet, placed in a very n
cient mosque here, which once con-
tanned 500 marble columns. but many
or most of them now sadly missing.
Among the collection are two on which
the followers of Mohammed rub
their tongues, after Smearing them
with lemon juice till they bleed pro-
fusely, in order to be cured of certain
diseases. The blood and the effct of
rubbing on the solid marble we could
see very distinctly, but not the cured
patients. We have also been shown
the sycamore tree that grew up from
the roots of the tree under which the
virgin rested on her way, as we'll as
the niche in a nine hu~ndred-year- old
COptic church where she sat down for
another rest; also the well of bitter
water which Joseph turned into sweet.
Of course we take it all in without
question.
Being OF such classic ground. a
visit was made to the place once oc-
cupied by Heliopolis-the On of
scripture-where a certain woman of
some notoriety-I think her name was
Cleopatra-had lots of fun with
Anthony and made him forget the
task he was intrusted with-is said
to have planted balm of Giles
brought from Canaan, but no bali
trees are to BE- seen here now ara
all that remains of Heliopolis is one
of the needles which the above named
lady presumably used while darn
ing her stocking. if she had any. New
villas are now being built by we'll
TO do people here. as the ground is
considerably elevated above the Nile.
Many of the male natives of Egypt
ny, $40 I~@I.-~ xo~-T- 4-II - 5000