The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-05-16
LETTER FROM MRS. JfffRIfS
Tells of Seeing Strange Sights in the Far Eas Visited
AIoiers, Naples Genoa and Other Cities.
Vienna, Austria, April "a, 1912.
Editor Reporter and Friends:

Vienna, Austria, April "a, 1912.
Editor Reporter and Friends:
AS / promised to tell you more of
our journey l will pick up my story
where l left off.
Early December 10th, after forty
eight hours sailing through the Med
iterranean sea we saw the African
coast spread out before us in the
golden rays of an African sun. The
great snow covered Atlas mountains
and the mountains of the Kabylia
arose high in the air and stood out
sharply against the deep clear blue
Of the sky. Along the thickly wood
ed slopes the white cottages of the
Kabyle villages could be seen among
the luxuriant foliage. AS we stood
enjoying this splendid scenery we
we're tasty approaching the Bay of
Algiers.
When at last we were within the
bay with the beautiful city spread
out before us the quiet enjoyment
on shipboard gave way to intense
excitement The entire city was
brilliantly white, and rising as it
does in terraces from the deep blue
of the sea up the green wooded
slopes of the Sahel to the snow clad
peaks of the Djurdjura it forms a
picture which will long be remember
ed by all who have once seen it. The
sky was cloudless, and as the hot
African sun poured down upon us
and glistened on the white buildings
of Algiers our conception of Africa
as tropical country was verified.
Before our anchor was cast the
steamer was surrounded by many
Arabian boats whose occupants de-
sired to sell us their wares or want
ed to take us on shore. AS these
dirty fellows were not allowed to
board the steamer they tried to climb
up the sides but gladly turned back
when they were greeted by a stream
OF water from the hose which the
sailors turned upon them. When the
tender reached the steamer the gang
way was lowered and we soon made
our way to the shore where we met
for the first time the noise and pratt
tie of the east They all talked and
screamed at once, pushed each other
and scrambled about in order to be
the first to greet the traveller. Many
of these dirty barefoot Arabians had
baskets suspended from their necks
in which they carried all sorts of
trinkets. 1t was remarkable how
these same trinkets decreased in
value in the short time we were on
shore. When we were returning to
the boat they were willing and glad
to sell them for less than half what
they had first asked for them.
While waiting for the carriages
which were to take us through AL
giers to make their way through the
traffic of the quay we were fascinated
by the people we saw about us. There
was a strange mingling of the east
and west, of Mohammedan and
Christian culture, of the modern pro-
gressive man and the lazy dreamy
nan of the Orient. Yet everything
&C Algiers seemed to speak and
breathe of content and happiness.
we drove along the magnificent
boulevards which line the sea front
and admired the modern buildings
and hotels. Many beautiful squares,
rich in sub-tropical vegetation, with
pleasant resting places in shady
hooks opened off the boulevards.
Here we also saw all sorts of styles
imaginable, from women and men
dressed in the latest Paris creations
to the Moorish women deeply yelled
and wearing the Oriental baggy
trousers instead of skirts, and the
Arab man with his once white burn
Gus hanging in rags over his bare,
sun burned legs.
These boulevards, which by their
magnificence and splendor, have CIV
en- to Algiers the name paris in
Africa" and illustrate what the
French government and French peo-
pie have done for this city, finally
came to an end and we passed on
into the older part of the city.
In short time we began to realize
more truly the characteristics of the
Moors as we entered the narrow,
winding streets of Arab town. Both
sides of these streets were lined with
dirty, filthy shops in front of which
sat lazy Arabs smoking their pipes
and regarding US through half closed
eyes, while the women attended the
shops and performed their household
duties, which by the way, were not
of much consequence, judging from
the glimpses we had of the interior
of some of the houses The odor in
these streets was anything but pleas
duL, duu VIC "ClC S1ou "ACA We "SAS
we'll out of the place.
We soon passed into wide road
which led up above the city where
we got out of our carriages and
climbed still higher to the walls of
an old fort where We had splendid
view of Algiers and the bay. From
here we could see the roofs of the
houses of the Moorish town which
we later visited. Our guide told us
that, the Moorish women summed
themselves on these fat roofs of an
afternoon as little or no light can
enter their crowded homes.
After returning to our carriages
we drove only for short time when
we came to Kasbah, the old Moorish
town which we found So interesting.
The streets were SO narrow and tor
tuOus that we were obliged to walk
through them. Before we started
our guide warned us to keep close
hin, oo %horo uyoc dQnOor IT