The Washington herald., 1914-11-22
HowtheC Chicago
Worlds Fair
Robbed Egypt
of It's Ddncers--
SaUe TwOFou11d
At the Little
Mud Village of
El Mazata.
BY ARCHIE BELL.

= CHATTED with old AbOu Bakr Has
san Fayed at Menieh, Egypt. He
came from away back in the desert
and he wasn't making a holiday of
his visit to the little Nile city. With
him came long train of camels laden
with palm fiber and dates. He was a
good merchant, this grsly old Hassan,
and he sat in the bazar with his life
long friend, whose name also was Has
san. and together they deigned to offer
a cup of coffee to those who came to
bargain with them. They sat in front
of the store on little wicker stools about
six inches high. puffed cigarettes or I
narEhle, and. they had not the appear
RnCe Of engaging in such a vulgar pur-
suit Ts that OF buying and selling. But
in few days Hassan would return to
the d@sert we'll satisfied with his visit
TO N, nieh. There would be money in
his IErSP. provisions on the backs of his
cam, -. hcAes of candy and bolts of
E2udy calico for his wives. For Hassan
VAS ;~od sal in expenditures | never
saw the female members of his house
hold. for they remained behind in their
d. se-t camps: but doubtless they were
not unlike the women in the tents of
ether desert men Probably their arms
we're encircled by tin, lead and zinc
bracelets, from their wrists to their
elhOI.S Hassan understood" women.
He admitted it. He knew how to ap-
peal to their vanity.
Curse America" he said to me
throi Eh an interpreter one day as sat
bcsiC" lin on a dirty little stool putting
my pipe ard hoping that tobacco was
q disinfectant. But he didn't mean
exactly what he said. because his krin-
klcd and parched face merely smiled a
pleasant reprOaCh that did not indicate
anger What he meant no doubt was.
81 blame America" I had asked him
about the dancing girls of the desert.
these bTOnze-skinned beauties who whirl
to the rhythm of music before the tents
of the Arab, after the sun has set and
the fires have begun to cast a glow
across the sands.
There are no dancing girls any
more" ne said. america spoiled them
You remember they went to Chicago for
the worlds fair. Some of them remained.
Others came back TO Cairo and told the
other dancing girls of what had hap
pened. Arabs might like to see them;
but white men paid real gold. So they
went OF to America in droves. And
they went 10 Europe These who stayed,
made their dance vulgar. trying to i'm
itate their sisters who went oversee.
There were white tourists in Cairo.
They must see the vulgar dance that
they had heard about in America. SO
all Of the girls began to dance-not as
they had been taught to dance when
they were children, but as those girls
had danced who went to Chicago The
result? Well, you'll not find any more
d"eert dancing girls in Egypt. They were
81 .'ad by America"
A-d when old Hassan delivered an
opinion or this sort, it seemed to be
final. The interpreter explained to me
that he was ''veera reech man''-and
wealth clothes ones words with author
ity in Egypt. Once | saw a group of
men approach an old fellow and kiss his
hand. They were merchants and we're
transarting business with him, but when
l asked for an explanation in regard to
so much Difference and SalaaminC, | re-
ceived the same reply: He veera reech
man"
SO Hassan's prOnunciamento was dis
couraging. He advised me to wait until
I got back TO Cairo if l wanted to see
the dancers. Cairo pays them better,
and as soon as they hear about it, they
go there" he explained. Most OF them
have husbands who want the money"
There was just a chance, however, and
Hassan told me about the mud village of
El MaZata. When Assiout or Cairo
wanted new dancers. they usually sent
to the handsome young sheik of Mazata;
and sometimes he was able to provide
them, but often unable to do so. The
caravans from thC arabian desert came
to the Nile az Fl MaZata. and sometimes
1t happened that they brought with them
beautiful girls girls who had not vet
heard # Cairo ard the Worlds Fair at
Chicago. But Hassan couldn't offer
much hope.
The next order that the old black reis
on the dahaheyeh received. however, was
to stop at Ell Mazata, which I learned
would be reached the following morning
Hassan said that We might use his name
as an introduction to the young sheik.
His father had been Hassan's friend, and
such an introduction was not to be
ignored At least, ii might hasten mat
ters. Oriental manners do not usually
admit of haste in these matters of intro
duction, so we felt that we had gained o.
one point and eagerly looked forward to
the break Of day.
1t was a daffodil yellow morning,
when we found ourselves moored TO the
mudbank and beheid Mazata. like a
splotch Of brown paper in the desert.
But even this brown became a strange
ochre when seen in the mystic light from
the east. There were a few palms that
waved their dark green plumes over the
village, but they were so rank upon the ,
dizzying landscape that they stood out in
contrast like the colors on a Venetian
blanket. These lights and coIors are so
unusual and mystifying to the unint-