The Coolidge examiner., 1934-09-21

wsssiarfos. y c-wSU ssssies
HNuBEE cities OF Asa that
have nEured prominently In
former England 70 Australia
flights win BE- on the route o. the
London Melbourne race which viii
take place In October. They are
BAghdad. Allahabad and Singapore.
Haghdad n near the Persian from.
ter. hard By the traditional site OF
Old Eden. mans birthplace Here on
the classic soil of Babylon. NIneveh,
and oDls once aourished the pick OF
the human race: here was the cen
ter OF the worlds wealth. power.
and civilization. And back 10 this
ancient region modern men are turn
fnx. 70 reclaim It's lost areas. open
fts mines and oil deposlts-to re
store the Garden OF Eden,
From the deck os a Tlgris steam
o. BHghdai looms up boldly. its
splsudld skyline OF domes and min.
srets reminding one OF some mid
way" of worlds fair memory. An
odd poutoon bridge connects the two
parts % the city. separated by the
yellow Tlgrls on the west bank
IN the old town. enclosed by date
and orange groves. From here the
new Baghdad Mosul railway starts
on Its long run across the trzckless
desert East os the river. on the
Persian side. is new" Baghdad;
with It's government Offices bar.
racks. consulaies. prisons. etc.
Beyond. as far as the eye can
reach In every direction. stretches
tie vast. Cat. treeless. empty plain
OF MeSopotamia-a region once
more populous than Belgium.
To go native" one must paddle
ashore from the steamer In
~goofah." q queer. eoraelelike craft
In use here since Jonah's day. A
goofah Is woven from willows about
9 feet In diameter. Is perfectly cir
eular and baskei-shaped. and Is
coated outside with bltumen. Some
cay Moses was cut adrlft IN one OF
these roofahS
Another strange craft at Baghdad
Is the -kelek." Kurdish invention.
The -kelek" Is 4 raft made OF Ia
caied goatskins. held together By
poles and covered with a platform
OF straw mats. These keleks come
down to the city In hundreds. from
hosnL bringing wool. grain and
skins
Net the 8aehcad Of All Baba.
A great wall enclrcles Baghdad.
Flat-r0ofed, huddled Moorish houses.
many almost wlndowless and each
surrounding It's own open court. are
q distinct feature OF the older parts
OF the city. on these hat roofs
Arabs spend the summer nights with
ton-toms. flutes. water-pIpes. and
dancing women. Facing the river,
removed from the Arab town. are
built the imposing foreign consul
ntes. mercantile Offices. and the
sumptuous homes OF rich Jews. Ar
nenians. Greeks and Syrians. the
men who made New Baghdad.
But me Baghdad OF All Baha's
Gay. with the splendor OF Aladdln's
sochan,ed age. Is gone forever. The
palaces. the mosques. and minaress
are mostly In ruins Even the tomb
OF lovely Lady Zobeido, favorite
wife of Harun-al- Rashid. is tum-
eled down and decaying. II IL into
modern monuments to New Baghdad
Into roads. bridges. public build
fngs. Irrigation works. army organ.
ira,lon. dredging the TIgris. etc
that the prominent citizens put their
money.
Modern Baghdad Is In safe hands
now; no dissIpated royalty guards
its gates Sober. clear-headed men.
drilled In the hest schools OF mod
ern Europe. able 10 hold their own
anywhere. administer It's affairs. AS
late as 1870 TIE Tigris oyerfiowed its
banks, swept through Raghdad. and
drowned 1900 people In one night
AlIshasad Attracts Millions.
Normally. Allahabad. India. Is a
city OF iT5OoO PEOPLE. IL lies IN
the v-shaped Region between the
Junnna and GaDres rivers, at the
meeting place OF the two streams.
n In this location mat draws huge
crowds 10 the town annually: and.
az tweive-year intervals. tremen.
eous hordes. Both the Jumna and
the Ganges are sacred streams, and