The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-06-12
TRAVELS TN
THE ORIENT
Through the Suez Canal e On
the Road to MandaIay where
the Flying Fishes Play. I
UNIQUE BATHING CEREMONIAL

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The Suez Canal is about one hundred
miles long and connects the Meditera-
mean and the Red Seas. A bright lit
tie boy on shipboard said he couldn't
see why God while he was about it did
MT connect them Himself.
Port Said is at the northern or Med
iterranean end and Suez is at the
southern or Red Sea end. Ismailia
lies midway where the trains from
Cairo first reach the canal and go north
to Port Said or south to Euez. Pass
engers for India usually embark at
Port Said and sail through the canal.
Tt is not at all rough in fact, people
with the most sensitive stomachs have
sailed the whole length Of the canal in
comfort but you usually can say that
of the entire voyage, excepting the un-
Usual times that sometimes occur.
The Red Sea isn't red but it is red
hot at almost any time-that Is, all
the people and most Of the books ex-
plain that you never knew what it was
to be hot before you embarked on it.
Doubtless it is a fact that there are
times when ships have to be turned
about toward what little breeze there
is to give the people air. / have been
through the Red Sea three times the
first time I wore an overcoat the Sec
ond and third times ordinary medium
weight clothing and it was lovely all
the way. Two years ago / was quar-
antined for four days at Moses Wells,
several miles from Suez, and on the
shore Of theIRed Sea one could pick up
wagonload Of the most delicate and
exquisiteIy tinted seashells, such as are
seldom seen.
1t takes twelve days to go from Port
Said to Bombay. From a great dis
tance you can see the dome of the new
and magnificent Taj-Mahal hotel, the
grandest in Asia. The architect Of
this great dome is e. w Fritchley, a
native and convert to christianity.
One of Mr.. Fritchley's contributions
to charity is the sending out letters Of
cheer to the shut ins all over the
world. He began by writing letters
to some sick children, and now has
them printed and sent broadcast free
of cost.
$ The poor benighted Hindu
He does the best he kindu.
From the first to the last
He sticks to his caste,
And for breeches he makes his skin
du."
Mark Twain said he had always no.
ticed that if clergyman appeared at
dinner without his trousers he was
certain to attract attention but that
was before he saw India. The least
noticeable garb an American can wear
upon the street is an old-fashioned
night-shirt and a pair of slippers he
attracts no attention whatever; but
that would be an overcoat in Ceylon,
where a whole suit could be tucked in
to cigar case.
The Parsees convey the remains Of
their loved ones to the Towers of Si-
lence," where the body is left for vult-
ures to devour, which is entirely ac-
complished in ten or fifteen minutes.
Our method is as repugnant to them
as is theirs to US, and we had been
brought into the world Parsees we
would have followed their rule; so
much for custom.
Bombay has some beautiful drives,
but none so beautiful as to Malabar
hill, where the " Towers of Silence ("
are located in beautiful floral park.
They are circular buildings about 20
feet high, with sort of gridiron roof,
On which the body is laid. The vul-
lures are everywhere in evidence,
roosting soIemnly about, always keep
ing an eye out for victims.
shall never forget my first bath in
real India. l had arrived the night
before in Jeypore, and told my "boy :"
(who snored in regular American style
on the stone floor outside my door)
chat had decided to take a bath at
eight O'Clock the following morning.
There are no locks in all India, and at
six o'clock the door was opened and in
walked boy with tea he was soon
followed by procession, first, man
with tin bath-tub on his head; sec
ond, man with hot water; third, a
man with cold water; fourth, man
to do the mixing fifth a man tosuper-
wise the affair; sixth my guide and
two helpers. The first man Thought
fully set the tub down in front of the
window facing the street, so l could
see things while taking my bath.
India is so dry and dusty and there
is so much squalor and degradation
that the beautiful things shine with
greater radiance because of the greater
contrast. and this accounts to an ex-
tent for the world-renowned beauty Of