Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-28
LIVING IN CAIRO.
one Can Get Modern conven;ences
But Must Pay a Bio Price.


"hch first went To Egypt to live.
apoat twenty years ago. residence in
calro was very different from what it
- INV houses were inconyenjent
''"u heithef pantrieS nor bathrooms
ana servants had no English training
at all III the way OF orderly housekeep-
ing. i
oi course there were ALWAYS tba
one or TWO exceptional servants 10 he
fad ana occasionally decent house
or Two to be found but these things
Doth cost 4 mint OF money and were
rot available to the young official Tho
English community was small per-
maps 800 or 400 souls at the outside
and their residences were scattered
over z Wide area of many miles.
Mrs. Jones had called; but where
dld she live? Right away on the other
sue Oh the city. down the riverside
roao' under gateway, through a cot
ton repository, and then into a one
Stored flat bungalow surrounded by
gardens. And Mrs. Smith. where did
she live? Out on the desert. two miles
from nowhere in a corner of the old
soioitrs barracks; no address no
rcads, no SignpostS.
Still You had To find il and in On
doing You made great friends for your
pains. and everybody absolutely knew
everybody else. In winter things vera
quite gay, but funnily enough in sum-
mer they were still gayer. All the IN +.
fortunatcs who were left behind TO
spend the heat in Cairo dubbed to-
gether. full of real friendliness and
good will, t" gle each other . good
time.
Il am afraid that sort OF thing is
quite done away with now. Cairo has
grown too big. too prosperous, too
pusy to bother with the next door
nelghbor The change seemed to
come with the change of government.
| III the old days when the Sudan was a
| military fighting unit the pick of the
| English army spent it's holidays from
Halfa and Assouan with us In Cairo.
coming and going throughout the year
ard made up of England's best form
| of sportsmen.
In Cairo itself the present influx
| OF hundreds of young educational OIL
| clals had not come into vogue. The
| club, not FULL to overlooking, was quite
small, very coSey, very homely, very
dear The men had no wives and we
few ladies had or drawing rooms al
WAYS full with delightful bachelors.
| And now, twenty years later, what
| has happened? Ones winter is spent
in returning endless calls from UNI
known acquaintance sent from. ether
| acquaintances just passing through.
| You pass friends you would like to
| know only in the rush and tear Of
SavorN dinners or other hotel dances.
| You are out every night and in bed
| all day resting for the next bout.
Rents are enormous, servants
| wages are ruinous. You must have
| endless dresses for such climate, and
in April when your money is all gone.
| you still have got to leave for Europe
else you spend the whole of next win
| ter getting over tho heat of a sum-
MGR spent where you are. Everything
has increased in price. The old houses
| are unfit FOR habitation and the new
ones want $3.50 year rent for five
| rooms. Even then you can only stay
there half the year. Added to this you
must come and go with your family
and you must keep alive somewhere
during the other six months.
| You can at eXOrbitant wages throw
| out your servants when you leave, but
it is better to pay them a reasonable
rate and keep them through the sum-
mer. After all they too, have got to
| live, and their wives and children; also
| if you get a reputation for closing the
house 10 servant living will take much
| interest in your welfare ard will inces-
| sanity rock you during the winter
months because he must.
1.-THE cooks wages is high, but he
has rent to pay, family to keep and
no summer work available. You must
feed your English cook and pay her
rent. 1t averages the same with the
good one. and the bad ones We do not
keep at all. Your black butler boy
is your English parlor-maid and in
these days quite as naughty. He also
stops at the silver ard the door ard
will not touch the dustpan.
There is little to choose in these
| days between the price of good fiat
and service in Cairo and the same in
the centre of London. You can get
everything now sanitary. we!l built
flats. telephone, electric lights and gas
stoves, motor and electric trans Just
at the corner. but also you must have
not less than c1000 a year. In, Eng
land If YOU are comfortable you can
stay here all the year round. but IN
Cairo, the more babies there are and
the more the expenses increase, sc
much the more urgent 1T is that you
must move out in summer and repea!