The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-04-12

~- Cairo is 193 miles and takes three and half hours on the express tram. Soon after leaving Alexandria we enter upon the fertile plains of the Nile, and every inch of the verdant soil and every scene and object that presented itself cannot fail tc impress one, and vividly recall the Egypt of the days when Jacob and his sons left Mesopotamia and settled In the land of Goshen.
 One is lost in admiration and wonder where to look and gaze. On one side you notice the highway, whereon differ ent types of Arabs attired in variety of costumes are moving and tossing to and fro, some leading their buffaloes and cows, others driving focks of sheep or a herd of goats. Tall men riding along on short donkey's at a great pace; camels loaded with women and children or walking in leisurely and stately fashion; women carrying chill dren or water jugs on their heads. Elsewhere you notice hidden amongst gigantic sycamore, palm and date trees, tiny hamlets consisting of primitively built mud huts crowded together in a pile,
 As we near Cairo we notice dimly on the horizon the wonderful Pyramids, those mysterious creations of mankind which have kept the secrets of thou sands of centuries buried in their bo- som, and faithfully stand as sentinels at the edge of the Libyan desert. These wonderful monuments would claim all ones attention were it not for the sud- den appearance of the Nile, that en- chanting and majestic river coming from the heart of Africa for g journey of nearly 4,000 miles to bring fertility and abundance to the valley of it's cre- ation and whilst flowing she mocking- ly gazes at those bare mountains which run side by side with her, keeping away from her view the vast Libyan and Arabian deserts. So gently and now and then swiftly she flows until she becomes weary of the long toll and pours herself into the Mediterranean,
 We now approach Cairo, the beauti- full city of Aladdin, which nestles in its Oriental glory and splendor amidst orange and eitron groves, interspersed with forest-like sycamores and palm trees The Citadel with it's quaint tow CTS proudly stands out from the Mokat- tam Mountains, whilst number,ess domes and minarets are basking in the sun. The Nile smilingly carries to and fro numerous steamers and pleasure boats, and the Pyramids from the dis tance entice you to approach them. And while gazing on the fairy-like scene, we reach Cairo, where we re" mained for nearly ten days.
 Cairo, the largest and most imposing city of Africa, is divided into two DOT tions. Cairo proper, and old Cairo, The former is the seat of government, and contains the palace of the Khedive, the public buildings the opera house, thea tres and fashionable hotels, and is in fact the center of all social gaiety where native and foreigner intermingle and revel in the glory of ''the East Old Cairo is now more or less aban- doned to the natives, and beyond the antiquarian interest attached to it's buildings has fallen into decay.
 We spent portion of an afternoon in Old Cairo. Here we visited one of the earliest Christian churches named the Abu Sargah (saint Sergius1, wherein accordance with tradition-the crypt under the church served as a refuge to the Holy Virgin after her flight into Egypt. There are some splendid carv- ings in wood and ivory in this church. The dwellings in the Coptic quarter of Old Cairo are very ancient and quaint. We passed through an old Roman gate, which was well preserved. and at one time was a protection against the sud- den attack on the secret followers of Christianity.
 From Old Cairo we crossed the ferry for Rhoda Island, where there are the finest tropical gardens In Egypt. On Rhoda Island we saw the famous Milo meter, constructed in 715 A. D., for the purpose of marking the height of the Nile, as in former days the taxes were regulated in accordance with the height of the river The island possesses great biblical interest for In accordance with tradition it was here that Moses was found by Pharaoh'e daughter in the UulTuSIlGSs5 a1dIIO kUllNdlllS lluIlulEIG VI mosques, some of which were built as early as the ninth century, but as they are generally of a uniform style we contented ourselves by visiting few of the principal ones. Generally one enters a mosque by a richly decorated doorway leading into large square courtyard. In the center of the court yard is the fountain for ablutions. On entering the mosque and before you set foot on the raised floor covered with the most costly carpets and mats, all faithful Moslems slip off their shoes, while slippers are supplied to visitors so as not to defile the "Liwan," or place of prayers. The Moslems hold that to go barefoot is a mark of humility and it was to inspire this feeling that the Lord said to Moses when he stood be- fore the burning bush, Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground
 By far the most imposing mosque in Cairo is the Sultan Hassan,' built in 1856, also called the Magnificent" It's beautiful doorway, sixty-seven feet high has served as a model for many Egyptian and Persian mosques. This mosque has the highest minaret in Cai- TO, being 29O feet high. The sanctuary contains the mausoleum of Sultan Has san covered by an immense dome 1SO feet high.
 We also visited the Muhammad All mosque, sometimes called the Alabaster mosque, which is situated in the heart of the citadel