El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-04
Copyright, 1910. by Fy Frank C. carpenter).

neeole- L am toto Iney sometimes raise
their wells to entice the merchants to
lower their prices, but if So I have not
seen them. and, have been told by my
guide that # I wish to keep my head
1 had best turn my eyes in another d.
rection.
The Louise Market.
There is one Damascus bazaar IN
which I walk carefully, and as far as
possible keep in midstreet It is called
the Louise market and you may know
why when I tell you it is devoted to
second hand clothes. The bazaar is
just BACK Of the citadel and not far
from Straight street. It is filed with
customers and dealers from morning
until evening, and auctfoneers walk
back and forth through it. each car
rying a garment which he holds up,
asking for bids. He praises his wares
and tells the crowd that the things
viii be sold for a song.
FanaticaI booksellers.
spent a short time in the bookseI1-
ers' bazaar, but my guide. Shammas,
dragged me away, fearing that we
might be insulted and mobbed. The
dealers are such rigid Mohammedans
that they do not wish to even seH to
the Christians. The shops are near the
gate of the Great Mosque, and among
their wares are many copies of the
Koran, the Mohammedan bible. picked
up one and asked the merchant the
price. He scowled and angrily ex-
claimed, Put 1t down. That book is
not for you. Put it down. Put it down.
We do not sell our holy book to the
Christians"
Thereupon, as 1 saw he was growing
angry, I dropped 1t, saying:
Eve Christians are glad 70 give or
sell our bibles to any one, and as for
your Korans. I can buy them by the
ton in New York or London" The
Moslems here are noted for their ha-
tired Of Christians, and one of the
bloodiest massacres of modern times
occurred in Damascus about so years
ago. The people are no better today,
and they are almost as ignorant as
they were then. The chief books sold
are religious. There are also some
story books and copies Of the Ara
bian Nights either IN parts or as a
whole
The Great Mohammedan Stomach.
During our trip through the bazaars
we find the Mohammedan stomach
everywhere IN evidence. These people
like good food. and they eat. If seems
to me from morning till night. Ped
dlers carrying candy, lemonSde and
ing their wares; bread men sit on
the sidewalks, and there are shops
which sell nothing but pretzels. The
most common bread is a fat, round
cake as thick as the buckwheats
which we use for breakfast, and foot
or more in diameter. These cakes are
white or brown in color. They are so
pliable that they can be doubled up
without breaking. They are often used
to pick the meats out Of g stew. The
orienta1s do not use forks for eating,
and they claim that their own hands
are much cleaner. They have a saying
that every one knows whether he
has washed his own hands. but no one
knows who washed the forks" An
other kind of bread is like a gigantic
shoe sole without the heel, and an
other Is a round biscuit about an inch
thick
But here comes man selling candy.
Take bite of IT and your mouth will
flow water like the rivers which feed
this city and make fertile its plains.
Damascus is noted for It's sweetmeats
and its candies are shipped far and
wide over the world. The sweets are
sold in the bazaars, some Of the mer
chants having large shops. There is
one dear old turbaned sheik who has
a cell IN the candy bazaar, where you
can buy nuts and fruits At for the
queen Of the fairies. His sugared al
nonds are the joy of the tourist. and
his Turkish delight, a soft. sweet,
transparent paste, with pistachios or
other small nuts scattered through II,
is a dish for the gods.
Begging for Custom.
Stop a moment and listen to the cries
Of the peddlers. Shammas will inter-
pref them for US. Here is a man sell
ing bread hot from the oven. He yells:
'rYa rezzak," or. God send me a Gus
toner" and follows by showing
cake and saying: All this for
cents" Another coming behind cries
out, in Arabic: Buy my bread and
the great God will nourish you" and
a third says: my cakes are food tor
the swallows and the delight Of ten
der and delicate girls"
Here comes a lemonade man. He
has big glass jar slung to his back
with a neck so shaped that he can
tilt its contents into a cup. He has
two brazen bowls which he holds in
his hands and rattles as he shouts:
Drink and refresh thy heart" An
other peddler has ice cream, the cold
ness of which he cries forth in the
words: ''Balak snunak" or Take care
Of your teeth meaning it is so cold
that it will make your teeth ache
Fruit is sold the same way, and also
cooked meats Of various kinds. There
is one kind of salad which the men
cry out is so tender that if an old wo-
man eats 1t she will find herself young
in the morning.
Some such wares are bought by the
charitable and given to beggars. This
is so Of the bread and meat and also