Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-04-15

else. There are from 200 to Ii,
600 students in attendance at one
time. and it looks very odd to see
them on their knees studying and all
the time keeping their bodies sway
ing back and forth. In answer to
our questions for the reason of this
the guide informed us it was to
keep them from going to sleep.
There are no benches. and they kneel
or Sit on the floor. Many of them
live there, and we were in the places
where they keep their individual food
and clothing. Many were sitting on
the floor eating as we passed through
and others we're lying ON the hard,
stone floor, sound asleep, and all that
was between them and the stones
was their everyday clothes as they
wear them. Visitors are not permit
ted to take pictures, and here as in
other mosques, we wore slippers over
the shoes we had on. No one is al
lowed to enter the mosque except in
their stockinged-feet, or in slippers,
especially furnished, and it looked
odd to see the members of our party
going around with the big slippers
on. At one place, as well as some
tohers. got impatient of delay in fur
nishing the slippers, and so took of
our shoes and went through the tenn
pie in our sOck-feet and carried our
shoes. In all of the mosques, except
the university, thick carpets were on
the floor. so it was easy to walk about
in ones stockilged feet. In fact it
was relief so to do, as it gave the
feet a chance to cool off.
All of the altars of the Mohamme
dams face the East and all followers
face in that direction when they pray.
Although they permitted the ladies of
our party to 60 into the mosques pro-
per, their own must not do so, and
for them the galleries overhead are
provided. Mohammed said, mosques
were for the men and women should
pray at home. If this rule was car.
ried out in our country, the church
attendance would be slim. The Mo-
hammedans observe Friday, the Jews
Saturday, and the Greeks and other
Christian nations Sunday, SO in Cairo
a good portion OF the week is consid-
cred days of worship by some race.
The main. objects Of interest here
are the Pyramids and the Sphinx. and
in the afternoon we went to see them.
They can be reached by tram (as they
call trolley cars here, or you can 60
by carriage or on the back OF don.
key. The trans were too civilized,
the donkeys TOO hard-riding. so we
compromised on carriage and had a
most enjoyable ride. When the Suez
Canal was completed, the then Khe.
dive Ismail had this road specially
CONSTRUCTED SO that his guests, par.
ticularly Princess Eugenie, could
travel in comfort to see the famed
Pyramids and the Sphinx. Although
the road is nearly nine miles in length
they say tina. it was built in less
than a month, but in order to do SC
it was necessary to impress thous
ands of the natives and for their ser
vices no pay was given.
| To-day there is a fine mecadamized
road shaded on both sides with
| Acacia trees, thus making q shady
drive for the entire distance. Or
this road can be seen all kinds of We
hicles. from the auto of the wealthy
to the poorer class. We drove owe,
the famed Kasr-el-Nil bridge.
would mention here that this bridge
is closed to passengers from 1:3O te
I3P. NJ. each day, as during this time
the boats pass through and the
bridge is open for them during those
hours, but closed the remainder of the
time. Just before reaching the
pyramids we had to leave our car.
riage, as it is too sandy around the
sphinx and pyramids to use the
regular carriage, and donkeys and
camels are the usual means employed
although it is possible to walk there
as it is not over ten minutes journey
from where we stopped; nothing but
q camel would do for me, and as they
were plentiful, soon I was on my
way to see these wonders of the
world. The ship of the desert is not
nearly as bad riding as / supposed
it would be as they do not shake sc
much, but they are certainly slow in
towering ground. 1t was getting
late in the afternoon, and therefore
bad for pictures. but we managed te
get fairly good view of both the
Sphinx and the Pyramids. The
former is hewed out of solid rock
and considerable portion of the
oase is buried under the sand fol
even though they dig it out the sand
blows back again in short time. II
is far from handsome, the nose has
been broken of and as it was never 9
beauty. the missing nose does moi
add to the attractiveness. There are
three pyramids close together. but
they are by no means all there arc
for in view are many others, in fact