Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-04-17
Fgypi-Up the Nile TO Palestine


PoRT SAID, EeYPTf Jan. q, 1901.
From Cairo to Luxor, in Upper Egypt,
is a dusty journey Of a days length.
Nearly 500 miles OF the Nile valley is
trayersed and the view OF the green
fields and the brown sands makes a
fine spectacle. The contrasting colors
In the clear atmosphere OF Egypt are
specially notable. The Nile is the
great sight, teeming with river-craft
Of all description, steamboats,, sail
boats and row-boats, its banks throng-
ed with caravans Of camels and droyes
of donkeys, the irrigation machinery
Of ancient type on every hand, one
never tires Of studying the unfamiliar
scene.
The most stupendous engineering
feat ever attempted by nan is being
brought TO a successful completion on
the Upper Nile at Assousn. This Is
the erection of a great dam which will
conserve the waters Of the river and
enable the Egyptian government to
turn them upon the thirsty land when
needed. 1t will push the waters back
$50 miles or more across the Tropic OF
Cancer and into distant Nubia-l00,-
O00,0 900 tons of water the statisticans
say. Irrigation has always been well
conducted in Egypt and this latest
irrigation-experiment will be the most
remarkable. 1t is as though the Mis-
souri, river were damned at st. Joseph
and a mighty flood of water pushed
back beyond Nebraska's northern
boundary, there held in check to be
released as needed for the farm lands
further south. Territory the size Of
two Rhode Islands will be added to
cultivable Egypt by this dam and
Egypt will have the most dependable
lands in the world-absolutely indie
pendent Of the seasons uncertainties.
The modern Nile-god is an American.
1t was an American engineer, Cope
W~hilthouse, who first suggested the
idea Of this dam and though a British
engineer and British Capital are CON-
plotting the huge structure 1t is to an
American citizen that the credit for
the conception is due. The construc-
ton Of the dam or reservoir will con-
vert Lower Egyptinto a great cotton
field and give Upper Egypt entirely
over to cane and cereals.
Did you know that no tobacco was
grown in Egypt? The Egyptian ciga-
rette, so popular with smokers all
over the world, is made 10 Egypt
sometimes-but it is made OF tobacco
grown in Turkey and brought to
Egypt. The Khedive long ago pro-
hibited the production Of tobacco In
the land Of the Nile for the reason
that the soil would more p~rottably
produce cotton, cane and other crops.
Khediye Abhs Hilmi H., who is now
on the throne, a young mar Of 2s years,
is the best farmer in Egypt and his
Agricultural College, model farms and
experimental stations rank with the
best conducted in the world.
PoLYeAMY AND THE HAREM.
By the way, speaking Of Abbas
Hilmi, suggests that the practice OF
having four wives, the extreme num-
Der permitted by the Koran, is not gen.
orally followed In Egypt. The Khediye
has only one wife, a native Egyptian
Ito whom, by the way, a son was
born just yesterday-and most OF his
people are similarly blessed. Some OF
the lower classes look upon the limita-
ton Of matrimonial partners TO a sim
gle spouse as an absurd British limita-
tion OF their ancient privileges and
hence still maintain four families.
We saw several such in Upper Egypt,
four wives and a joblOt Of children all
in the same house or dragged around
on n cart by a patient husband and
another donkey.
The harem no longer exists in
Egypt. Every native house has its
division set apart for women as the
salamlik is for man. Here resides the
wife or wives and children of the mas
ter and usually his mother. The lat
ter's rule is absolute. Slavery, too, is
a thing Of the PASTOR emancipation
from service may be had for the ask
ing. Women friends come and go
freely, though, OF course, no men are
permitted, except those Of the house
bold, in this harem division with its
odd-latticed windows. Tall, high
cheek-boned negroes guard the en-
trance, but as for the houri's which
the poet depicts, there is no suggestion
OF any angels than one can find
on Flat Branch or negro town.
THE GREAT TEMPLE OF KARNAK.
We have attempted 10 set down a
glimpse now and then Of the many
strange and interesting things in this
land Of wonders. To enumerate them
all would take 4 volume. But refer
ence must be made TO the great Tenn
pie Of Karnak which we visited at
Luxor, first In the glory Of an after
noon sun and then by the silver radi.
ance Of a full moon. Luxor Is the
ancient Thebes, with its hundred
gates" Of which Homer sung. 1t was
the splendid ancient capital and
metropolis Of Upper Egypt In the days
when the Nile-land vas the world.
The temples at Karnak, Luxor and
across the Nile are the finest and best
preserved in Egypt. OF these the
great ediice at Karnak, built four
thousand years ago, is the most enor-
NOUS. Here is the great Temple Of
AmmOn, with hundreds OF giant gran
lie columns yet standing, called al the
time THE Throne OF the World" The
first court covers ten thousand square
yards and other portions are upon a
a correspondingly gigantic scale. In
one Of the small temples, the greatest
Christian church now standing, could
be carefully tucked away. Column
upon column, pylon after pylon, wall
upon wall, are yet standing IN their
original place, many adorned with!
and ~frescOes and inscrip-
tions setting forth the history Of the
kings under whose direction they
we're erected. The view by moonlight
from the top Of the Great Pylon. which
We climbed with some Arabic assis-