Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-06-07


products. in short. Of every tropic
country. The industry of the city is
the entertaining. guarding OF the cara
vans and slaves that meet In this des-
ert waste for recuperation preparatory
to the final assemblage at the chosen
marts on the seacoast
Visits of the Dread Simeon.
Almost daily the simeon makes life
burden unless one is sheltered I'M,
der the ample palms or in the spacious
ground apartments Of the solemn look
ing fortresses called houses. We're
the gardens on a level with the cur
face of the desert they couldn't exist
an hour in simeon which sweeps
everything as clean as the new tangled
hotel sweepers. But let the simeon
whirl dust and heat with what fury 1t
lists, the voice of the 'muezzin" six
times a day proves that the human
still exists, and that is about the only
evidence that there is anything but
vast circumference Of almost evenly
built ediflces made to resist the desert
invader, both simeon and nomad.
The strange jewellers In this unin-
viting oasis are as extraordinary as
their surroundings. There are three
distinct groups. they can hardly be
called races. The descendants OF the
earliest known habitants. differenti-
ated distinctively as Rhadamesians,
who are accorded a certain priority of
rank. arrogating to themselves nobih-
airy distinctions; the "Atryas,"
mingling Of negro freedman from 9TH
er parts; then the descendants OF the
mobiles. by negresses- These black
folk, however. have none of the physi-
cal traits Of the African. Their noses
are aquiline, their hair long. their lips
normal. and their feet well proper
toned, evident descendants, the an
thropologists discern, Of the ancient
Libyians. A considerable group OF
scientists who have sojourned In the
oasis testify. however, that the earl
lest settlers Of the oasis were unques-
tionably the native black African, and
that the remnants of their civilization
attest superiority to their SUCCESSORS.
The Italians look upon this as a very
hopeful promise for their future set
Element and civilization of the I'm
mense desert wastes that have fallen
to them In occupying Tripoli. since
they propose to make use Of the myri-
ads hitherto brought by the caravans
as slaves.
But the conQuerors, like the French
In Algeria and Morocco. will be COM
PEELED to turn he soldiers casernes
into schools to teach the men operating
In the country the innumerable dia-
lects spoken by the natives. for no
two groups speak the same lingo Nor
will the work Of "assimilating' the
now masters prove easy, since the
women are more Theoretically i'm
INJURED at home than even in Turkey.
One of the secrets OF the French facil-
ity In gaining the good will Of con-
ouered peoples is the ready adaptable
ity of the good humored little soldier
in making up to the women; he Is al
ways handy, always serviceable. he
can teach how to cook edibles In a
fashion never dreamed by the aborig.
inal, and thus make 1t easy 10 indoc'
trinate the habits and even religion OF
the Christian states. But in Rhadames
the Italian can hardly count on this,
for woman is under no circumstances
permitted to quit the house, save to
go to the mosque twice day. and
then wrapped up like a mummy. But
though debarred the streets. the Ria
danes dame has abundant opportun
ity to visit and gossip with her neigh
bors, for the interior Of every house
communicates by the gardens ana bal
comics with every other house; thus
the, immured danes may circulate
from end to end of the town without
being seen by man. as the inner apart
ments of the houses are devoted ex
clusively to the women