The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-04-15
LETTERS DRIFT i'm
FROM EUROPE WITH
NEWS OF VOYAGERS
Mrs. Robert c. JEFF
ferds Writes from
Cairo, Egypt

turning their faces homeward,
especially those who toured the
Mediterranean. and they are
scores in number,
Most of them will be in Wash
ington before the end of the
month. They will add to the
tales of travel and interesting ex-
periences which we are hearing
on all sides right now. Mean
while letters from them indicate
the fine time they have been
having. Here's one which seems
interesting enough to pass on.
THIS was written from the
semiramis Hotel, in Cairo, by
Mrs. Robert C. Jefferds. of Charles
ton, w. Va, and Washington:
1--WE received our first mail
this morning, March IL. The let
tiers to Jerusalem followed US
here and ones to Constantinople
haven't arrived yet. We have
been to Luxor and back. 1t GER
fainly was a trip worth while.
The Egyptians idea of temple
was to have many columns Of two
varieties-the lotus and papyrus-
one stand for upper and other for
lower Egypt. Here we saw a huge
statue of Rameses II and his favor
tie wife. that of the wife looked
like a dot beside the one Of Ra-
meses. In the afternoon rode a
donkey to Karnak. am getting
to be quite good on a donkey! The
temple there was built by three
kings, Rameses II, his son Seti and
Rameses III. The most notable
was a huge obelisk Of red granite,
oil in one piece-75 feet high. 1t
made me wonder and wonder how
such stones were moved. There
had been an avenue of Sphinxes
from Luxor to Karnak, some still
remain. Next day we went to
Thebes-right through the heart
of the desert. Oh, the way the
people lived! Some in mud huts,
some in tumbled down rough brick
structures with grass on the roofs,
the whole roof would be matched
with grass or corn stalks. The
children played around without
any clothes on and the women sat
right out in the broiling sun to
watch them or do their sewing.
I nearly died Of the heat in COW
cred carriage. At last we reached
the tombs. / would love to have
gone down into Tut-Ankh-An1en's,
but it had been closed. It does
seem strange the things they
think so necessary to leave in a
tomb.
Eve did go into the tomb of
Amenophis. It was a revelation.
We went down about thirty steps,
turned, went down about thirty
more, where there was a bridge
over deep well. This well was
to stop all robbers, there being
no bridge in the olden times.
Then more steps down into the
room where the sarcophagus was.
This room was plastered and
beautifully colored. The king and
his servants were perfectly pre-
served, some with long flowing
hair.
1.-THE Temples of Luxor and Kar-
max are marvels of size and splen.
dor. 1t is almost impossible to be.
lieve that such huge pillars could
have been erected without the aid
OF machinery. saw how some Of
the excavations were done and
realized that these people haven't
progressed very far. Dozens Of
little children, around the age Of
five, in long white nightgowns,.
dirt into basins and car
ried 1t to carts that took it away.
In the midst of the children stood
q man with a long whip which he
used freely to spur them on. BY
his side was a little fellow chant
ing song and clapping his hands
to urge the workers on. He was
hoarse from his yelling, but IL he
stopped he had a touch of the
whip. All their faces were white
from the sand and the dust. You
may know how furious we all
were. noticed at Thebes the
same method of excavating was
employed.
S0T'HE flies are simply terrific
up the Nile; little fiery ones
that come and stay. We could
never go out without a veil or n
fly swish. The natives don't
seem to mind them at all, their
faces are always covered. The
babies are carried on their
mothers shoulders and no effort
is made to keep the flies off the
babies. Consequently their faces
and especially their eyes are fine
camping places for those nasty
insects. In consequence nearly all
OF the children have sore eyes
and great many are blind in
one. eye.
Coming down on the train
from Luxor got a good idea
OF the way the natives live. Some
live in mud villages right out in