Evening star., 1929-11-03
BY CoRINNE FRAZIER.

-
Pen Women, one OF the mos
interesting stories of the romantic Nil'
which has ever found its way from
the Orient was told by Mahmoud Samy
Pasha. minister from Egypt, one of the
several speakers whose remarks added
color and wit to the occasion.
His excellency was introduced x
and members of the writing-craf'
group by Mrs. Bonnie Busch, presi-
dent of the national league. whose in
troductory remarks paraphraSe or
the game of bridge-sparkled with her
usual originality.
Having observed that in inauguratine
che second series of celebrity break
fasts. the league was going to con-
tinue to play for the high stakes OF
Its guests approval" and would promise
TO give our audience a good deal" she
then asserted that she would now
lead from strength and introduce
the Egyptian minister, who knows how
to play the diplomatic game"
Speaking to you weavers of romance
and poetry, I feel that must tell a
tale" said the minister, "and so I'm
going to tell story about Egypt-s
subject of which should know little.
Il shall tell you the story of the
bride of the Nile-a tale as old as the
ancient river about which its tragic
romance is woven. So far as I know,
this custom is the oldest known to
antiquity. No one knows of its begin
nings. But since the Egyptian nation
FIRST fiourished, apparently, the cere-
mony Of marrying the Nile has been
observed annually.
In its earliest known form this
custom had certain barbarity about
It,. for 1t entailed human sacrifice. To-
day 1t is wholly symbolic. According
TO the ancient belief. Father Nile would
visit the land with devastating droughts
II he was not married each Summer
to beautiful young bride So on the
twentieth day of August the most beau
tiful girl of the land supposedly was
parents to know that their daughter
had been named Bride of the Nile
But small comfort for the poor girl,
fear, in this knowledge. She was
decked in jewels and fine silks and
borne in a triumphant procession on
q barge of flowers to the waiting
bridegroom Then, amid an impressive
ceremony, she was given literally to the
Niie-dumped into the swirling waters,
never to rise again.
With the invasion of the Arabs, the
custom of providing a living bride for
the King of Rivers was abandoned, it
being pointed out that, If a model of
SUFFICIENT beauty and grace were pro-
Vided, and bedecked with equally bril-
liant jewels, the spirit of the ritual
would be carried out without the neces-
sity of sacrificing a living human being
with all life before her.
Who knows with what fear and
erepidation the natives tried out this
substitute bride upon the first year
of the changed order? Suppose Old
Father Nile should be dissatisfied with
this mock wedding Suppose he should
dry up in angry fury? What then?
But he didn't. And since that day,
each Summer, a dummy bride gor-
insure q contented flow Of the famous
blue-green waters for another round
Of the seasons.
"If any of you should chance to ven-
Ealre into Egypt during this particular
month'' added his excellency, "as few
people do who are not forced by busi-
ness, as it is a bit warm, to say the
least-but If you should, let me ex'eno
to you now an invitation to witness our
most ancient of ceremonies, the mar
yiage Of the Nile ;"
X # +
THE Woman's National Democratic
Club will give the first of the Win
ter's series of forum luncheons tomor-
row at 1890 O'Clock, when DR.. Mildred
Wertheimer of the Foreign Policy As
sociation of New York will be the guest
of honor and speaker. She will talk on
"What Happened at The Hague Confer
ence and Geneva This Year"
DR.. Wertheimer has spent the last
six months IN Central Europe, Where
she had interviews with many OF the
ministers of foreign affairs, later at
tending The Hague conference as spe-
ciaI press correspondent, as well as the
League Assembly.
The democratic clubwomen will en-
tertain at a reception THURSDAY evening
at the clubhouse on New Hampshire
avenue from $50 to IL o'clock IN honor
of ,Jouett ShouSe chairman OF the ex-
ecutive committee of the Democratic
national committee, and Mrs. Snouse
An Democrats have been invited to at
tend. - 49,,
hoard of governors of the club, heaoec
bv the club president, Mrs. j. 6orosI
Hartman. The others are MRS. Emu!
Newell Blair, Mrs. j. Harry CoVlneVon
Mrs. Alvin Dodd, MRS: George IN. M
Eckels, Mrs. Rose Yates FORESTER, MIS-
charles S. Hamlin, Mrs. Wilbur w
Hubbard, Mrs. Corden Hull, Repre-
sentative Ruth Bryan Owen, Ex-Gov
ernor Nellie Tayloe Ross, Mrs. A. a
Jones, Mrs. John B. Kendrick, MRS
Robert Lansing. Mrs. John Allal
Dougherty, Mrs. Edward B. Melgs, Mrs
Harry N. Hickey, Mrs. Huston Inomp
son, Mrs. Charles Warren and MIS-
Mary Archer.
guests Thursday evening at the Ha!
loween dinner given by the Woman
National Democratic Club. The CUES
of honor was Desmond Fitzgerald, min
lister of defense of the Irish Free StaUe
Others who had guests for dime
we're Mrs. Lester J. Pollock, MRS: HoS
Yates Forester, Mrs. Imogene HoWeL
Miss Caroline Reilly and number @
Others.
IAN unusually large sttendanc
"A marked the first board meeting to
the ls29-3o year, at the Willard Hote
of the National Society, Daughters c
the American Colonists, with Mrs. LlV
ansston Hunter of Tidiote, Pennsyl
vania, national president, presiding; !
attendance were the honorary natlons
president, Mrs. George Thatcher Guern
sew; national recording secretary, MI
Harry Colfax Grove; national treasure
Miss Emma Crowell; national reglstrs
Mrs. John F. Little, and the folloWln
State regents: Mrs. James Branch ga
bell Of Richmond, Va. Mrs. Hem
Zoller, jr., of Baltimore, Md; Mrs. &c
ward Huling of Bennington, Vt; MI
Marshall of Rhode Island, Mrs. WI
liam H. Hardy of Arkansas, Mr.
Guernsey of Kansas, Mrs. Joseph
Caffee, st. Louis, Mo-; Mrs. Euger
Darrach of Indianapolis, Ind, and Mr
Katherine Nagle Of the District
Columbia.
The national president, Mrs. Hunte
spoke Of the many chapters BEN
-.zn,.;1ad fbroY,ohout fhe country ar