The Meeker herald., 1923-01-20

tPrsparsa BY the National ososraphi- So
ciety, washlnEton. D. c)
Morocco, one Of the latest OF terri
tories to be added TO the vast French
colonial system. and the region out.
side Europe to which France IL now
perhaps .devoting greatest attention.
constitutes one Of the worlds queer
ct mixtures Of the ancient and the
modem, the East and the West. But
~ yet the things Of the modern world
= are chieny physical and superficial.
In distance Morocco II a. close to
Western Europe ~ sny Aohammedan
/. country, and il alone among important
Moslem communities In touching the
Atlantic. the great ocean highway
which has spread the ideas Of the
West. But in customs and institutions
Morocco Is more Eastern than Turkey
or Egypt. and as Aoslem ~ the He'd
JAZZ.
Up to ten years ago when France
assumed her protectorate Morocco was
less affected by modern ideas and In.
tluences than any other civilized c0un-
try In the world: 1t was to the West
in 1912 what Japan was In 1850: u
hermit land living according to Its
own traditions and rigidly excluding
both the people md the ideas Of the
rest Of the world.
The ten years OF French control
have brought marked external
changes, chief Of which are the exten-
sion Of means Of transportation and
Communication. Before the French
cnme there were no roads. Not
wheeled vehicle existed In the country
outside few coast cities. Now there
II a network Of wonderful highwaya
rivaling those in France itself. and
over them automobiles rush bearing
men and mail and freight. Railroads,
TOO. have been built. but the rail sys-
tenn 10 still In its Infancy and 10 not
marked for Its efficiency. Wireless
towers have been erected and air
planes now carry French onicials be-
tween the cities Of the country.
To much Of Morocco's extensive
territory-it is close to Texas in size
the French have brought order and 4
better government than It has ever
had before. But to q great extent It
has been necessary to leave local and
regional authority in the hands Of ma
tive administrators. Affairs are not
conducted, Of course. according to
European or American standards. Life
10 cheap TO the Moroccan. Turbulence
has always been the rule. As In
medieval Europe II IL still necessary
to lock the kates of the cities ut night
and the Westerner who Ventures
abroad nfter nishtfall does 10 at his
peril. In some Of the more remote
towns foreign visitors are even locked
in block-houses at nightts ts"for safe
keeping"
The Troublesome AN.
The region close to the Spanish zone
In the north has given the French
great trouble. The Spanish have
never really controlled an appreciable
pnrt of this theoretical sphere of their
influence-the Rif. 1t has been In
Tested by bandits, and to 1t have re-
paired the tribesmen unfriendly to
France. 1t hus been impossible to
maintain railroads In French Morocco
oNuuuuiys Duhuo VI uIul-
contents have made night sortles from
the Rif. tearing up the rails and de-
stroying bridges.
Until the French took control
Christians had been rigidly excluded
from Morocco since the Fifteenth cen.
tury. Jews Ind been admitted all
alcng. but they were compelled to live
in separate quarters, and though not
the objects OF hatred and contempt to
such an extent as were Christians,
they were looked down upon by fol-
lowers Of the Prophet. In Fec, the
inland capital. is a mosque looked up
on by MOrOccans us more sacred than
any shrine outside Mecca. Even after
the French protectorate was set up
Christians were not supposed to 60
within two blocks Of this sacred edl.
dce. In late years this rigorous rule
has been changed and Christians may
now paAs In the street beside the
mosque, but they are still supposed
not 10 look at 1t.
The western traveller to this coun.
try, which only yesterday was "for
hidden land" to the Christian, run.
across amazing incongruities. Bsass
hedsteads and grandfather clocks are
set up against walls Of exquisite mo.
sale ard Intricate arabesQue patterns
Arabs pitch their tents at the foot OF
great wireless stations. Yelled women
OF the harem ride through new.made
streets In automobiles. The. streets
themselves are Indicative Of rapid
change; for few years ago no road.
ran Into Fez, and even yet some Of
che thoroughfarss ars 10 narrow that