The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-07
EGYPT OF TIE PRESENT.
Charms and Fluctuations In Oriental
City Streets
CFrom the Cairo sphinx


Of the setting sun. the Turneresque after
glow. and the delicate browns Of the des-
ert. can be best suggested in water colors.
for. like Venice. Egypt demands master
hand In ola
The traveller Of impsessionable nature
yields 10 the fascination of Cairo's quaint
Eastern life. as perfect as IL met Gar be-
yond the orent's threshold. and doubsv
satisfying. because found within a half
hour of the creature comforts of hotels
conspieuously modern. To walk the street,
OF an Oriental capital wherein history ha,
been made. between meals. as il were
aud delve by day in museums and mosques
perpetuating mysterious past. and dine
de riSueur in the evening with the hesr
music OF Europe at hand explains a charm
that Cairo has for mortals liking to witness
Eastern life, provided they are not CON-
PEELED TO become part of It, II Egypt dis
appoints the indecisive idler can In four
or five days be back in Paris or on tho
Riviera
Every turning in the old quarters of tho
Mohammedan city had its story The REM
nant of fortified gateway. a dilapidsted
mosque. Cutie text, each has its history,
perhaps carrying one back to the days
when Saiadin went forth from El-Kahira
TO meet Richard and his crusaders on the
plain OF Acre: or the minds eyes sees tho
good Harun- al Rashid, freshly arrived
from Bagdad. stealthily pursuing his mid
night rambles. A hundred associations
such as these are wrapped about the
crumbling ruins OF medieval Cairo. to this
day rich with exquisite achievements Of
Saracenic art Huge monuments of tho
earliest history of the world fringe the
horizon as one looks from the ranparts of
the citadel. teaching US how the years OF
Cairo are but as days in the sight of the
Sphinx and the Pyramids. To the left is
desolate Memphis. earliest city OF the
world: face about. and you behold the
edge OF the land Goshen; two or three
miles down the Nile, lear the Embabeh
end of the railway bridge, Napoleon and
his army. Just century ago. won the
battle Of the Pyramids. over the Mameluke
horde. and in :. modern structure In the
near fnreground. the Egyptian Museum.
rest the bodies OF Seti and the great RAM
eses. while within a few PAGES of the spot
from which you are viewing this matchless
panorama sleeps the Roumeiian warrior
who by daring and bioodshed founded ths
dynasty now ruling Egypt. All this. and
more, may be seen in an hour, il the blars
OF bugies. reverberated by the Mokattam
Hills. does not inform you that the British
soldier has decided II is time to close the
gates of Saladin's stronghold and you ara
awakened to the fact that your table d'hots
dinner begins in thirty minutes. and you
must array yourself in conventional even
ing garb before you can partake thereof.
The suburbs have a double charm to stu
dents OF the Bible. A visit to the Shoubra
road. the Corsc of Cairo until fashion
decreed the Ghez,reh drive. at sunset viii
illustrate the Scriptural illusions to the
sheep and the goats; and a pleasing pic
ture may there be seen OF the shepherd
bearing in his arms a lamb or kid too
feeble to keep pace with the herd. The
scene might have been taken from an en-
craving in an old Bible. One will not
proceed far without seeing devout Mos
lens engaged in eventide prayer on the
housetops. The wine-skin of old was the
same as that used now by the water-car-
rier, seen hundred times day In Cairo.
enabling one to comprehend the smile OF
new wine in old bottles. Aged men about
the mosques and bazars are aparaIed
today as they were in Abraham's time,
carrying the same slaves; and the scribe.
with inkhOrn and pens of reed in girdle.,
joins the throng in the Khan Hall today.
and frowns upon the outcast Jew, as did
the Pharisee upon the publican. A few
minutes walk from the hotels brings one
face to face with the living Bible; few
minutes drive in another direction may
bring one face to face with the grotesqus
characters of a hotel costume ball. with
dances. Cairo is paradoxical as well as
Walk eastward fr61 your hotel, and in
five minutes you are in the medley Of
East and West. At the postoffice observe
the minging OF nationalities. A German
nurse maid. leading the little son of a
prosperous Frankish merchant, is enquir-
ing for letters at the poste restante win
dow and a patriarchal sheikh in silken
caftan and turba' is negotiating money
order to SEND to some up-Nile village.
With a swagger indicating sense Of i'm
Dortance Tommy Atkins enters. pouch
over shoulder. to get the mail for tha
mart regiment quartered at Abassieh, and
lone letters for officers and men. An
yther window is surrounded by students
rom El-Azhar. One is expecting his
monthly remittance from the family in
runis, and his ten or twenty comrades
AXE keen interest in the operation OF
TEACHING the Arabic hierogiyphics to the
everaI receipts demanded in case Of
money order or registered letter.
Over the way, ranged along the iron
alings of the buildings OF the mixed court,
re the public letter writer's, grayely i'm
erturbable sitting in umbIella-shaded
lbIes. prepared TO write anything for IL
terate applicants. in any language, for
iastre or two. One is Preparing the SOUL
upassioHeti letter CT Blanca to her Gio-
anni back in Naples or Brindisi. assur-
lg him that she has not ceased to love
i'm, although separated by the turbulent
for more than month At
mother table one of the professional
,ribes is indit'r5 for Youssef Mohammed
bid for clear. a canal at Assiut for
hitch the Government has invited ten
ers.
The contrasts presented by the people
lrOngiug the streets are amusing and be-
ildering The European element-Greek,
allan. and French-is everywhere blend
i with the Oriental. Egyptian women
wing along in blue gowns and black
ellis hanging loose. allowing the neck
nd line CT cheek to be easily seen. while
oncealing the only part OF the face scru-
ulously hidden by an Oriental woman
ne mouth. Badouins stalk about with
Jrdly mien, wearing around their turbanS
lie striped kaieh of their desert tribe.
optic effendis. uncomfortable in the cier-
al-cut coat signifying government en-
oyment seamper along on donkey-back
JnsciOus of their own importance. but as
bsequious as slaves on eneountering
srson Of higher official station. a clat-
,r OF hoofs of a cavalry guard draws
geryone to window or balcony TO see his
lghness the Khedive dash past. in oseu
irriage, with aide de camp by his size.
urrying in from Koubbeh to conduct the
avs affairs of state at Abdin palace
unring footmen with bare brown legs
nd embroidered Jackets with flowing
aaves carving wands OF authority. soon
How commanding the populaoe to make
av for the carriage OF their master per-
ans A pasha making 4 call of cf,ramoRy.
. the diplomatic representative Of one OF
e great powers.