The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-22
BY GEORGE ABE.
SF NEONSE "DEs
1906. by George AIDE.

copyrighted. 1906. by George Ade.
"a N R. PEASLEY is a secretive
III student Of the gqhidss dnshsna
and on the quiet. Then when we come
face to face with some "sight' - and are
wondering about this or that Mr.. Peas
lev opens the floodgate Of his newly ac-
CURED knowledge and deluges the whole
party. He is seldom correct, and never
accurate, but he knows that he is deal,
ing with an ignorance more profound
than his own, and that gives him con-
fdence.
For instance, the first afternoon in
and rode out to the citadel and the
mosque of Mohammed Ali, both Of
which are perched on high limestone
cliff overlooking the city. The mosque
Is modern and very gorgeous with ala
baster columns, profuslon OF gay rugs,
stained Windows and crystal chande-
Tiers. We were rhapsodizing over the
as swell and elegant as the new Clay
pool hotel in indianapolis, when we hap
pened to overhear one Of our country
women reading aloud from very enter
tanning book on Egypt written thirty
years ago by Amelia B. Edwards.
Miss Edwards allowed that the mosque
of Mohammed Ali was tawdry and
hideous specimen Of the most decadent
period Of the mixed-up architectures
When we heard that we made a quick
switch and began to find fault with the
decorations and told the guide we had
enough.
On the way out to the parapet to en-
Joy the really wonderful view Of the city
and the Nile valley, with the pyramids
lifting themselves dimly from the old
gold haze of the desert, Mr.. Peasley
wished to repay the lady who had read
indefinite and non committal gesture,
said: "Near this very spot Moham-
med Ali killed more than $50 Name
lukes in one day.
Our fair countrywoman looked at Mr.
Peasley with a puzzled frown on her
brow "a and o, then j., timidly asked "What
We thought she had him, but not so
He. wasn't even feazed. He replied
promptly, "a Mameluke is something
like a mongoose. only larger. -
i. :. i. -, :. !.
That is Mr.. Peasley's way. If hi
doesn It know, at least he will make {
stab at it. One evening at dinner WE
had anchovies as a curtain-raiser, and {
man sitting next to Mr.. Peasley poket
at the Dr1ny mlnnOWs with MS Tori
and asked, "What are these7'
"Those are anchorites,' replied Mr.
Peasley, without the slightest hesita
ton.
AS a rule he gets one syllable right
which is pretty good for him. At pres
ent he is much interested in the hug
dams of masonry and iron gates tina
have been thrown across the Nile a
Assiut and Assouan. Over here the
are called "barrages. Mr.. Peasle
insists upon calling them "garages.
We tried to explain to him that a gal
- age was a place where automobiles ar
cared for, but he said that automobil
and ''dam' belonged in the same cats
CORY and often meant practically tn
same thing, SO he continues to speak 0
the "garage."
!. i. +
By the way, when a pious Englishma
over here, say a bishop on a vacation
wishes to relieve his feelings withor
Che actual use Of profanity he exclain
"Assouan! If he falls off h
donkey, "Assouan!' If his tea
served to him at less than PIP degrees
Fahrenheit. "Assouan!
"Assouan means the superlative
all dams, the biggest dam in the worl
: It takes the place of whole row
Peasley uses the word, when he ca
think of it. If his memory fails hi
he falls back on the American equiv
lent.
Inasmuch as I reside in Indian