The herald., 1922-05-25


Toward noon they disappear for theil
Siestas, but again at four or five
o'clock they are out in force and re
main far into the night. Among then
circulateS stream of peddlers offer
ing for sale almost every conceivable
ware from SweetmeatS to mouse
traps and underwear.
The dweller in Cairo who has not
his servant or his group of servants
| Is low indeed in the economic scale.
! These serving men carry tiny bundles
! for their employers or masters. They
run ahead of carriages to clear the
way; they fan away the flies: and one
after another they come in troops
into the presence of the prosperous
to bring smoking materials or to offer
a bewildering succession of drinks
ana foods. Life is hard and a few
cents day satisfies them. Even the
porters who carry heavy bundles and
the bOatmen who labOriOusly pole the
Nile craft against the current work
u or 10 hours for little more than as
many cents.
In Cairo is the Oxford of the
MOhammedan world, the University of
El-Azhar. 1t seems a queer "univer-
sity" TO those familiar with the higher
institutions Of learning of the West.
Its claSsroOms are the halls and
inches of a mosque. Its professors
receive no salaries but are primarily
religious officials, government en-
ployeeS, lawyers and the like who
teach in addition TO performing their
regular duties. The pupils, who at
times number more than 5000. SQUAT
on mats while their instructors lee
ture. This premier college of the
Moslem world has been in existence
for $50 years and hundreds of thou
sands of students have passed
through it's doors. 1t has been the
center OF the nationalist propaganda
which has sought entire freedom for
Egypt. More, it is the hOtbed Of Pan
Islamism, which, like its companion
movement In the past-Pan-Ger1na
ism-wOuld combine it's own culture
with militarism TO dominate the world.
But Pan-Islamism would go further,
and would bring the world, as well,
under the religion of Mohammed.
Glimpse at Esypt's Past.
The Egypt that emerges now again
as kingdom has had a checkered |
history, but that is reasonable enough |
when one recalls that it had one of |
the earliest of starts. Here is one or
the first places in which man lived
an ordered life and left records of
his activities. Some anthropOlogists,
in fact, look upon central Africa as
the place of origin of man, and upOn
Egypt as one Of the first way-stations
in his diffusion over the other con-
tinents.
After the long reign of the Pharaohs
Egypt had its Grecian and Roman
regimes which brought but few
changes. Then in 641 A. D. came the
Invasion of the Saracens, from which
line began Egypt's MOhammedan
history. For a time the country was
province of the Arabian caliphs;
ater it was independent, though still
under the Mamelukes:
md finally, in 1916, it became a PROV
nee of Turkey, which controlled II
irst through a governor and later
through sort of hereditary viceroy
r khedive.
For the third time Europe took a
and in the affairs Of Egypt in 1913
'hen Napoleon won his battle of the |
'yramids. The British drove the {
'rench out in 1901 and turned the
ountry back to Turkey. In 1869 came I
he building of the Suez canal by De I
'esSepS, which has given Europe an I
ver-growing interest in Egyptian af-
airs. To protect European bond :
olders France and Great Britain r
lade joint Intervention in 1879 and "
Or while controlled finances. The r
prlsing in 1882 against the khedive :,
as suppressed by the British alone. =,
nd after that they controlled finances
lthOit assistance. The government
as in effect Egyptian with British :,
sslstance and with the nominal =.
lzerainty of Turkey acknowledged. =
When the World war began Great :"
ritain established protectorate =
polished Turkeys suzerainty. deposed u
e Germanophile khedive, and an -,
'inted another prince of the family -
be sultan. The British protectorate :,
now being withdrawn. bat instead :,
the former Turkish interest being
stored, Egypt is set up as an indie =
ndent kingdom.