Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-05-02

A Americans. Each season scores
of 'trippers' get as far as
Damascus. touch at scorching Alden
sandswept coast, or scurry by tram
across upper India on the beaten path
around the world" They swarm
into Constantinople. too, and overflow
down the shores of the Mediterranean.
seeking the levantine delights OF
Smyrna, Beirut and holy Jerusalem.
But Bagdad, Babylon and historic
Ninevah-in fact the whole of TURKISH
ARR bia and most OF Persia-is still
terra incognita to even the most hard
ened elobe-trotters. Few travellers,
indeed. aside from those who are
forced by duty to make the arduous
trip, ever penetrate this isolate though
interesting region.
Shut off from the outside world by
burning deserts and the hostile Per
sian gulf the middle East-the birth
place of nations-refects to this day
the simple, primitive life OF centuries
ago, uninfiuenced by modern men
About Bagdad the desert Arabs live
as In Abraham's nomad age, observ-
ing the same rites and customs de-
scribed in the Old Testament
Now the average American knows
in a general way that Mesopotamia.
Persia and Afghanistan are some
where off in the scrambled geography
of southern Asia. But let him be sud
denly told to proceed, say to Bagdad,
Heheran or KabuI-and he probably
wouldn't know just which way to
start. 1t was so with me-when l
was ordered to Bagdad. writes Fred
erick Simpich in Los Angeles Times.
On the Map.
II took the tourist agency almost
week to route" me. The ticket ven
der at the desk-so often an omnis-
cient person goaded to sullen silence
by myriads of fatuous questions, hon
estly admitted his ignorance when
named my destination.
Where is Bagdad?" he pleaded. In
a voice that spoke his shame.
I proudly showed him. ON the map
but | did not tell him how long l had
hunted for it myself-locked in my
room with an atlas of the world! Be
tween us we discovered that freight
for Bagdad and Persia is sent through
tn, Suez-mostly via Bombay-and
then across the Persian gulf and up
the winding Tigris.
So it was my ticket read via Ma
pies, Alden, Colombo, Bombay. Maskat,
Bassorah, etc. But to the very last
the agent was dubious. He was loath
to admit that Bagdad was really a
town, and not a cigarette, dead hero,
or a strange disease. His last words
were, IF you ever get there. let me
know"
At Naples the company's agent ex-
changed my ticket for another-bigger
than the first-a sort Of poster effect
printed In four languages, and on
which Bagdad was spelled with an n
In the middle. And by the time the
Lutxow had slipped through the Suez.
and over Pharaohs bones in the Red
sea and down past "Old Alden, bumped
above" was a marked man on board
I was known as that man who 10
going to Bagdad."
At Colombo a Portuguese sailor got
a glimpse Of my trunk. with "Bagdad"
painted on its end. He crossed himself
nervously, and hurried into a drink
ing place run by q Malay. Later, at
the Gale Face hotel. Singalese man
Sarbed In woman's clothes, selling In
dian sapphires made in Paris, told me
his brother had saved rupees II years
that be might visit Basdad. He had
changed his mind at last, however.
and bought a moving picture show.
Hero In Colombo, Baedad seemed
fully NJ far away as 1t had In New
York. But l owned a ticket-which
said I might ride all the way-and
three days out OF Colombo ! landed In
reeking. widowed Bombay. the mar
ket-place of the East.
was glad when the red-faced
clark" of the British-India Steamship