Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-03-20

any inquiry ABOUT luc hNMtSA VI LIS
household, even from his closest
friends. AS for the ~bride-the groom
had never seen her. In America the
bride is the whole show az : wedding
the groom is merely a necessary
evil. In the lands OF Islam the bride
is OF small consequence. We looked
around. Not a woman was at the
wedding. In America all the end
seats intithe church are occupied by
women, but here were only men. Prom
the harem windows along the streets
moving shadows betokened that even
Arabian women are curious and at
one the rounded outline Of a face could
be seen. But that was all. Coffee,
prepared a Ia TurQue, was passed. OF
course, we partook. Some time later,
about II O'Clock, the procession start
ed for the home OF the bride. A hand
Of music at least they called Il
music-went ahead, with drums and
gongs and other matchmaking instru-
ments. Two camels gaily ca%pariSoned
followed. Upon one was the groom,
on the second was the place for the
bride. Then followed In motley con-
fusion friends and relatives on various
beasts, including many on Shank's
mare. 1t was in this procession that
the Kodaker and the Scribe with
grave and reverend mien marched. by
a roundabout route the procession
came to the home Of the bride Here
a twelve-year.old girl, wrapped In
robes that made her appear as a large
bundle Of clothing rather than a
human being, with a pasteboard cap
on her head, vas placed upon the
camel reserved for her, the formalitles
as at the gruom's house were repeated
and the wedding procession wended
its way, with the addition OF several
yelled women. back To the starting
point. This was kept up for two
nights. On one night the feast IS
furnished by the brides father and on
another BY the groom's After the
marriage festival lasts longer.
Marriages are arranged by match
makers. The bridegroom pays about
sl25 for a ~wife-half OF which goes to
her as a wedding dowry and half to
the matchmaker. Widows can be had
for about one-third as much.
We saw another wedding procession
afterward Of a cheaper variety. VIII
it, to save expense, went a eircumeiS'
ion procession as we'll The boy being
decked cut in the bright clothing OF a
girl and wearing all heornaments bis
family could muster.
AND THEN 90 TO A FUNERAL
Christians are not permitted TO g
linear a Muslin burial but we went a
near as possible. Six blind mel
marched in front, chanting from TN
Koran. the Mobammedan creed
"There Is no God, but God; NOLAN
med is the ambassador Of God; God b
gracious to him and preserve him.
Then came relations o. the deceased
!, a half dozen deryishes, several school
/, boys aud, finally, the body Of the dc
ceased, carried head-foremost upon
> bier by six friends. Then came th
. women relatives and al last the hire
! professional mouruers weeping an
! wailIng. The procession went 70 u
mosque, where prayers were onere
land then to the cemetery where u
Z body was buried with its face towar
. the sacred shrine Of Mecca
CLIMBING THE PYRAMIDS.
We have climbed the great Pyraml
{ of Cheops at Glzeh-that is the kodal
1 ler has actually and the Scribe has,
! part. vicariously. The camel Is u
used 10 climb the Pyramid but thr
n alert and active Bed0uins from q
. desert are They fairly drag the p
= grim up and down.
The view from the Pyramids Is ;
i wildering and beautiful beyond q
= Inscription. Cairo lies at ones feet,
forest Of minarets. To the left is I
Libyan desert, a vast and pathls
solitude, a striking symbol OF deaf
,dlThe melancholy Nile moves yound
= toward the sea and along its ban
q are green and fertile fields. Nowhe
: upon earth, possibly, is the contrast
tween life and death more striki
and the separation sharper. 7
desert does not fade into the fields
,lgreen. but is severed as by a sha
VI knife: on the one side desert a
y death, on the other life and hvi
green. The visitor maryels, as |
ancient Roman traveller did, at
colossal proportions Of these aneit
~ monuments. This single pyram
upou which we stand, contains 2'3I
600 stones, each Of 40 cubic feet.
more marvellous than the enorm'
s size is the great age and wondro
not wholly unexplained, meaning
= the tremendous pile. There wal
! America when these blocks "
placed the one upon another. or
~ Britain was barbarous land Romu
bad not founded Rome, no record
" been made Of Europe and yet In u
~ far OF mysterious age these mo
he ments, the greatest Of human ind
try, we're erected by machinery VII
lei modern science has not been able
surpass or even duplicate.
.He We look into the face Of the dis
~ ured Sphinx-the same half-quizzI
Us expression upon its countenance
Al greeted Moses and Joseph and Ma
leon. We gaze into the unchan.
and Interchangeable desert and bid 60
y by to the Pyramids, these great So
eb piles upon the desert edge. No,
ne good-by, for wherever n goes
IN Lower Egypt the Great Pyramid d
ing mates the horizon, a giant fig
reg though one be miles away. 4
ere where one goes beyond the boz
INC Of this mysterious, awe-comPell
land the memory Of the Che
haunts the picture gallery Of brair
eoi ones thought OF death and hop
Us Immortality. OF death and INN
nd, tally does CheOps speak 10 langu
his that the veriest underling may
derstand.
tbvl The Chicago Tribune says: Dur
aid a residence Of forty-six years in Oh
Frederick Ehlen, a pioneer VIII
our wright, who died On Tuesday evenI