Evening star., 1923-08-09

Following is the third Of Mr. Mowrer' $
articles the Franco British rivalry for CON
troll "f the Mediterranean.l
FARIS, France. August 9.-Tangiers,
control of which is at present contested
between France. Great Britain and
Spain. is perhaps the most picturesque
African town on the Medterranean. 1t
has never been EuropeaniZed. 1t wears
today much the same aspect, both as
regards architecture and as regards
population. which it must have had in
the middle ages. There are no famous
works Of art to be visited. but from
The purely human standpoint it offers
Il wonderful opportunity for the tour
ist. and. as il lies on the straits. one
may we'll marvel that it has never been
better advertised by the travellers agen-
cieS
The town covers a steep hillside over
looking a well-sheItered bay. but there
is no port. and even the smallest steam
:r' have to send ashore their freight
cr passengers by small boats. amid
tn" wild shouts and joStIings of the
Notwithstanding Moorish boatmen.
scenes i'm Streets.
To step up from the little pier
through the Old gateway. into the
main street of TangierS is to leave all
familiar custom behind. There are ii
few thousand European residents.
chiefly spanish. but European clothes
:r" SO IaIe there as to be Immediately
conspicuous. over the sharp CobbleS
"t the narrow thoroughfare throngs
4 procession of exotic garments and
faces suCh as few Americans can
readily imagine; Gignifivd Moslem:; in
haRgy. C"lorcd brsecheS and yellow
clippers, wearing red feZZeS or white
iurbans. or both; bearded jews in cap
nd Cattan; Moslem women. shrouded
i'll white: Jewish women with gaudy
"hawls; trcusered Arab women with
hIu" lines tattooed on lips and fore
head, bent double under loads of hay
and with perhaps a baby Slung across
1T their breasts; crazy holy men in
Yellow. bawling prayers" at the top
"f their voices: relocated soldiers OF
tic sultan; tall negroes, half naked
ar rohcd in white; water carriers.
with their water supply slurg from
their shoulders in hairy wild boar
"kinH. children of every size and
color SWarmiug under foot and every
Wh"re-siHCe the streets are too mar
row tor wheeled tratiic-pack mules
ana donkcya noSing at your back or
"ISputing the crowded passage with
YOU.
Merchants In Doors.
In the open doorways OF tn. low
white buildings sit the turbanrd mer-
chants. Here is ii mosque with rag
god beESars lying in its shadow
there the astonishing clamor of a
native school. the children seated in
circle on the floor. SWaying vigor-
ously To and fro as they bawl forth
in unison the verses of the Koran.
indicated by vigilant master armed
with Il long stick At an occasional
cafe groups Of MoorS sit gravely con-
Nersing, piping glasses Of tea. in
each of which is thrust a sprig Of
mint, and smoking pills OF hashish in
a pipe they pass from hand to hand.
Most Of the streets, after twisting
and climbing intricately, end nowhere
IN II blind alley. one or TWO rise
Stceply TO the caSbah, or government
building, inside of which is the high
court, while outside, under an arch
way, judge sitting in the gate"
as III biblical times. hears petty COM
plants from the numerous and het-
erOgeneOuS SupplicantS who stand
waiting their turns
The main street leads across the town
and out the gate to the big mark I
places" where the camels and dom
keys daily deposit their loads of gar
den truck. fish and meat.
] have seen few more curious sights
than this same market place of an
evening, when most of the buying and
selling is ended. Accompanied ap-
propriately at dramatic or sentimen-
tai moments by q reedy flute and a
tam-t tam drum. the professional story
age-old tales to the never-tiring cir
Gle of SWarthy faces. l heard a Moor,
with much geStiCulation and solemn
Erimacing, embrOidering the 2.OO0-
year-Old story of the three SheCkels.
Nearby was Il droli old negro pantO-
mining funny stories But most pop
ular of all was the young, queer-eyed
magician. To each of the negroes,
who composed most of his numerous
audience. he would give three or four
nh laY0 nflt h a
around the magician'S neck and Whis-
per close in his ear his hearts de-
sire. The magician, on receipt of
penny. would whisper back. after
consulting the beans. whether the
Wishcr's wish would be gratifled or
not. And so on. all around the dense
ring.
Sunset furnishing the calm bay.
dust of shufIling feet in the market
place. the monotonouS rhythm of the
tam tam, distant shouts of donkey
drivers, the muezzins clear invita-
tion to prayer floating from the tow
~ of the great mosque. the swish of
the garments of a veiled woman.
brown faces, closed souls-Tangier
-Africa-another world.
Diplomatic Center.
For years. prior to the French
protectorate at Fez, this town of
$4,000 inhabitants was almost the
sole point of contact between Mo-
rocco and the outside world 1t was,
and is, the residence of the foreign
diplomatic corps. The climate is
mild, healthful and agreeable. If the
port were properly developed, if the
projected railway into the interior
We're to be completed, it ought once
more to become Morocco's chief com
mercial city ard the chief port of call
and fuel station in the neighborhood
"f the straits. Theoretically it's fu-
Mnrnpnn c
climate and its potential agricultural
and mineral wealth, is n white
mans country" Practically. how
ever, It has fallen upon evil days. and
caravans which arrive from the
south, the ships which put into the
hay, are ever less numerous. Its
commerce is dwindling, it's popula.
tion Stagnates
The causes of this decline are OBJ
vious. The conference of Algeciras
in 1906, supplemented by the Franco.
Spanish treaty of 1912, and the treaty
of Versailles. have given most of Mo-
rocco to France as a protectorate
the straits and the Mediterranean
became the Spanish zone" and with
in this Spanish zone, Tangier and
140 square miles of the surrounding
territory, while left nominally under
the sovereignty of the sultan. were
placed actually under. the admins
tration of the foreign diplomatic
corps.
The French, by a rema rkable effort
have pacified nearly all of Morocco
and are rapidly developing it's COM
merce. But as they have not a free
hand In Tangier. and as this zone
moreover, is cut off by the unpacified
and disorderly Spanish zone, they
merce to the Atlantic port of Casa
Blanca. AS for the diplomatic" gov.