The Washington herald., 1909-06-01

Cairo, Egy3t., May 12-In the Thou
saac and One Nights q citizen Of Mosul
praises Bagdab as the city Of peace, but
venerable man in his audience replies
thet 1e who has not seen Cairo. has not
seen the world. Her soil he declares, is
gcid- Her women are an enchsntment
The Nile Is wonder. Upon the following
evening Scheherezadeah says:
What are the joys Of seeing the be-
loved compared 70 seeing Cairo? When
one has seen Cairo he thinks OF the night
whom the Me reaches the desired height.
and returns the goblet OF wine 20 him
that offers it. He lets the water return
to Its fountain head. That Is to say he
wants nothing more. And when thou
seest this land OF ROda. thou are trans
ported with a joyful delight And when
thou standest by the Nile, when. at sun
set. it is velled with a tissue Of sun
beams. thou art revived by the soft
breeze that fans the shady shore"
This vas written Of the city Of the Ca
Ephs before European civilization superinn-
ped itself upon the structure Of Egyptian
He Nowadays the streets Of Carlo pre-
seEt nvelier scene than they did before
the British occupation resulted In the es-
tabi!sAment OF chain Of hotels from the
shores OF the Mediterranean 10 the Cata-
racts OF the Nile. brought Thebes and
karnzk within easy reach Of the person
ally conducted" tourist. and brought the
accomplished French chef 10 preside over
The heshpots Of Egypt
The Nile valley is q ribbon OF emerald
- r--- s-Tfy
ing than the contrast between the desert
where II is still desert, and the strip that
Nile water has made TO blossom as the
rose, are the contrasts that make the
streets OF Cairo distinctive. Color is the
idiOsyncrasy OF this gay city. 1t gives
character TO the streets as optimism and
ophIhalmia characterize the Egyptian
masses In the multichrOme, scarlet
rules supreme. Every color IN the rain
bow contributes 20 the picture but the
flaming coat Of the British soldier and
the blazing fez Of the Egyptian predOni-
nate il the perspective
Il is a kaleidoscope panorama that IN
rolls itself The beggar in picturesque
rags passes the bey in European gar
nents OF the latest mode; the boy con-
tortionist, clad IN q unlon-sUit OF Ameri-
can manufacture and a crimson sash.
who ties himself in knots upon the side
walk, is gravely contemplated by the
stately tUrbaned Moslem sheikh with flow
ing robes: the dainty Parisienne passes
the Arab girl who Is proud OF the silver
anklets above her bare feet, and whose
black eyes fash above the vol thar hides
her mouth from the pTOfaning eyes OF
man American tourist, Levantine sd-
venturer. Tunisian, Armenian. Algerian.
their presence 70 a spectacle Of cOsm5-
politanism uneQualed in any city Of the
world
Where the Orient and Occident meet the
West no effort 20 conceal fts interest IN
the costumes and customs OF another
world The Orient does not try 70 hide
Its serene lack Of interest in a world for
which II has no admiration. and in the
doings OF which II feels no curiosity The
camel, individually as ancient as the
pyramids in appearance. and scion OF an
ancient race, does not look with greater
cisdain upon the electric hanson than
does the unprogressive son of the East
upon the progressive son Of the West
The Egyptian, astride Of a donkey no
larger than a Rocky Mountain bUrro. his
red JOe-slippeTs hanging down from his
bare heels and almost brushing the as
phalt, IS not envious Of the rnagnifcence
Of the British army officer whose gold
lace glints in the sunlight as he Sallops
BY upon a trig Arabian horse The
American millionaire may impress his
own COUntTymen, but be is only a poor
worm compared 10 the gorgeous Circas-
sian. in baggy cream-cOlOred trousers
and red boots with gilt trimmings who
al 10 az r-<4 -
who broke the bank Of Monte Carlo. The
young sprig OF British nobility, wearing
his white hannels. his rn0nocle and his
sun helmet. IS a bird Of sCrry plumage.
and humble withal. compared 70 the
white-rObed and crimsCn-sashed eunuch
from Central Africa who guards the car
rage conveying the Circassian ladies OF
= pasha's harem 70 the shopping quarter.
Surprising all Of the rest in pride Of
=alment and position IS the Sudanese loot
man. whose ebony complexion. the
Swallowed livery OF the FURNISHED sun. &"
makes his white duck suit and white
turban whittier than the wing OF a gull.
The West may invade the East, and camp
there. with its striped pantalOons. its
derby hats, its theories Of education
and sanitation. its religion, its laws, and
lis militant determination 10 inaugurate
reform, but the East invaded remains
meesu-ably the East unchanged. That
is why Cairo Is not EUropeanized but
picturesque. after century OF French
influence and a quarter Of a century OF
British occupation
IN the native sections the distinctive
features Of Cairo life are seen just as
they were before the Europeans came
IN a street above which the pencil-iike
uinarets OF Nohammedan mosques tower
against the ever blue sky, the lemonade
seller threads his way through the
throng. chanting in Arabic the virtues Of
q beverage that SINNERS under the rays
OF the sun. The n1ilkman delivers milk
by driving a COW OF goat to the custom
er's door and doing the milking there.
The water seller carries his stock in a
goat skin. tanned with the hair upon It.
The Egyptian in the hunmbler walks Of
life takes his sissta upon the sidewalk.
When drowsiness overcomes him he lies
down in the sun, draws his robe over his
head. and dreams happily OF Egypt for
the Egyptians or OF three new wives for
himself HIS feIlOw-countrymen the
English occupiers Of his soil, and the
tourist within the gates. respect his slum-
bers and walk around him. Even the po-
iiceman does not club him on the sOles
OF his feet nor send him 10 the lookup.
The custcn Of sleeping il the street is
hOnOTed because Of It's age. When the
railroads were new in Nileland many
Egyptians lost their lives BY selecting the
railroad track for a pillow so that the
train would awaken them IN time 70
finish their labOrs IN the fields
Cairo cab horses. like Cairo Arabs. take
their rest and much Of their nOurshment,
On the streets The driver feeds his team