The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-22
A GLIMPSE OF TANC|ER
The Oddities of This Famous
City of the Moors.
ITS QUEER, WINDING LANES
No Wheeled Vehicles Are to Be Found
There, and the Street of the Chris
tians, the Main Thoroushfare, 10
Only Twenty Feet In Width.

There, and the Street of the Chris
tians, the Main Thoroushfare, Is
Only Twenty Feet In Width.
First impressions of a city like Tan
Gier are difficult to give because OF
their enormous confusion. 1t Is varte-
gated and microscopic picture that one
recalls of events since ones arrival.
full of motion and color, but devoid Of
order or sequence. 1t is as hard to ar
range ones ideas as to assemble ones
coins of American, English, Spanish
and Moorish mints, reduce them to pc
setas and centimos and get back the
right change when making purchase.
From the pier one passes into and
up the main thoroughfare. or Street OF
the Christians, and here your first idea
of Tangier itself begins. Bare legs,
flowing robes, red fezes, white turbans.
donkeys, mules, men, women, children
and produce pass before the eyes, and
a babel fills the ears.
The Street of the Christians is the
widest in town, averaging twenty feet
Others are ten, eight or as little as six.
All are paved with rough cobblestones,
and of course there is no room for
sidewalks. Wheeled vehicles there are
none, either in Tangier or elsewhere in
the country. Men and donkeys jostle
and push each other without ceremony.
but with a certain comfy and mutual
respect that comes of long and close as
ISOLATION While your head is turned
from both sides of his back will bump
them against you, sending you careen-
ing against another patient beast laden
-alway. overladen, 1t may be said
with bags OF grain.
Houses are of masonry plastered out
side and usually calcimined with
slightly blush tint to reduce the glare
otherwise of unrelieved white. Mostly
they are two and three stories in
height, many with such windows as
they have opening upon an inside court
and only narrow peepholes looking out
upon the street This taken together
with the narrowness OF the highways.
makes 1t hard to distinguish architec-
tural landmarks as you go about From
either side of the Street of the Chris
tians queer lanes branch out and wind
and cross and double and end with tan
talking frequency in blank wall
Finding ones way is beset with diff
culties and following directions hope
less.
Soon after arrival / decided to visit
the American consulate. | fixed 1t
upon the map as about two minutes
soh SyrytA 10
with scorn when he offered to accom-
pany me- An hour later / was thank
full merely to find myself again on the
Street of the Christians and had for
gotten all about the American con.
sulate. The next day l was humble
enough to let the guide show me the
way.
Guides here are numerous. but, out
side of a narrow limit, worthless on
account of their slight acquaintance
with English or any other tongue ex-
cept Spanish and their native Arabic
and their inability or dissemination TO
do for you what you want Their main
object seems to be to take you on don
key rides when you would rather walk
and divide your pesetas with the driver
or steer you into cafes, where they or
der coffee which you do not want but
Tor wnlen, as an American ana there
fore a millionaire, you are expected to
pay.
On the other hand, one cannot well
do without these guides. because he
cannot ask a question of two words on
the street or even pause to read
sign before he is surrounded by a
dozen interpreters-interrup would
be better-donkey drivers, street vend-
ers and beggars. each Of whom thinks
himself entitled TO half a peseta for
merely offering bis services.
So, after all, it Is as well to be bled
by the guides. because while they are
with you they drive Oh the other para
sites, wishing to preserve your pesetas
for their own better purposes, and it
is a question Of suffering at the hands
OF one rather than otherwise support
ing the whole town.
As an instance of the cosmopolitan
character Of the town, the owner Of
my hotel is an Englishman whose wife
is a Spaniard born in Tangier. The
French, British, German and Spanish
governments maintain separate post
Offices. but all take the money Of the
others. The first letter / mailed !
took to the German postoface, tender
ed English moneT. In paymert and got