Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-09

ing such hats. The town is quite manu-
| featuring center The nativesI mean the
berbers and Moors-seem to be all engaged
In house Industries of one kind or other.
went through street after street lined with
little shops, lighted only by the doors at the
'front.', containing men and boys weaving
cloths, embroidering caps for women and
hats for men, sewing slippers and shoes
and working at the various other trades OF
the country. The weaving is all done with
native wool upon rude hand looms. In the
dirtiest of shops the most beautiful of white
burnouses are made and little round caps
covered with velvet and embroidered with
gold and silver turned out in places no
better than dog kennels.
The whole of the native quarter is a mix
ture of the gorgeous and the squ1lid.
man will wear an SIS hat and at the same
time have bare feet and legs bare half way
to the knee and dirty white gown. A
woman will go along wrapped in white
flannel blanket much the worse for wear
and on her head will be one of these gold
embroidered caps, just about as big around
and of the same shape as tin funnel such
Is used IN our kitchens. The cap will be
hidden by the blanket and she will keep 1t
so tight about her face that only hole the
size of postage stamp be seen.
Through this hole peeps a liquid back eye.
and IT Is only when she stumbles when
the amorous wind tears open her garments
that you see any other part of her person.
Even little girls often so draped. al
though some show their faces.
Land of Queer Costumes.
I wish I could tell you American girls
just how your well-to-do sisters of this side
of the world are clothed If you saw
party of them on the street you would think
they had picked up their bed blankets and
started out for great masquerade. II you
were a man you could not possibly get near
enough to examine them, but one of my lady
friends has told just how they are
baggy trousers which come about half way
to the ankle, and above these, Jackets of
embroidery with one or two vests under
them. They wear sashes about the waist
and undergarments of fine gauze.
At home the ladies either go barefooted or
wear slippers of velvet embroidered with
gold They plait their hair in long braids,
and tie 1t up in knots behind the head. They
wear the little gold caps have already de-
scribed and tie them on with cords of gold
thread under the chin. Those who can at
ford it are loaded with jewelry. They have
bracelets and anklets and some wear gold
rings In their ears. Even the children
wear jewelry. / see little girls with
rings almost big around the bottom Of
a tin cup, and anklets of silver as thick as
their own little fingers.
The Arab men have gowns of white wool
en- material striped with silk bound in by
sashes at the waist. Under this they often
wear baggy trousers and over it white
men sometimes have sort of overcoat
of fine navy blue cloth embroidered with
silk and made in the shape of a burnoose
which they wear over the other burnoose.
Some Of the men wear stockings and some
riding horseback have instead long. red
boots of the finest Morocco leather, which
are almost as soft as wool Over the foot
they have shoe covering the boot to the
ankle, and to this shoe a spur is attached.
The poorer Arabs wear hacks. long gowns
Of a night shirt shape. made of camel's hair
and wool in white and black stripes.
Many of the native garments are made in
Tlemcen. This town has long been noted for
its good workmanship and Its lace, hats,
shawls and blankets are famous. Among
other garments some made for the
Jews, and especially the bright red shawls
which they use here for mourning.
New French Towns.
The Tlemcen of today is largely composed
of new French buildings. The streets
French streets. There is a square in the
center of the town where the people meet
to walk about, and there is a park outside
1t filled with great plane trees and wild
olive trees which Is known Tlemcen's
Bots de Boulogne. About six years ago the
city was first reached by railroad, and it
now has two trains each way every day.
On my way here 1 stopped at Sidi Bel
Abbes, a French settlement Of 1900 people,
which has grown up within a few years.
Sdi Bel Abbes is named after a Mohamme-
dan saint, and it has its Arab quarter today.
The city is built In the shape Of a rectangle
with great walls about 1t, and like most of
these Algerian towns. 1t has Its military
quarter. This is inhabited by several COM
panes Of the foreign soldiers employed by
the French to defend Algeria. They are
composed of Swiss Poles. Germans and
such other riff-ran can be enlisted at
few cents a day The troops there vary in
number, at times reaching as many as
G, 600.
Sidi Bel Abbes has its regular concerts by
the military band: IT has q theater where
they are now playing BOX and Cox" and
also q Cafe Chantant," where the songs
and dances are even more wicked than those
of Paris itself. Indeed things are moving
fast in this French section Of the African
continent. FRANK G. CARPENTER.