The Coolidge examiner., 1937-02-11
Prepared by National Geographic Society.
Washington, D. C.-WNU Service.


Washington, D. C.-WNU Service.
x you may stroll through the
narrow lanes of Canton, the
broad streets of Peiping, the
bazaars of Cairo and Stam-
boul, the climbing alleys of Algiers,
and the vaulted souks of Tunis; but
Fez, Morocco. so near to the At
lantic ocean, no doubt will seem to
you the most oriental city of them
all.
A few years ago, it would sur
prise a visitor to see any but Moor,
Jew, or Negro in the crowded souks
of Fee. To discover a French officer
was novelty. And it was stranger
still to behold a well-dressed Eu-
ropean girl standing before q silk
merchants booth calmly feeling a
length Of shining material between
finger and thumb.
But now, sightseers are not so
rare. Alien women wander safely
through the dim and crowded al
leys of Fez, where, two dozen years
ago, Frances sons - officers, SOL
diers, and civilians were cruelty
massacred. Yet this change has
been achieved without harshneSs or
injustice to the native inhabitants.
Their prejudices are deferred to,
their religion and customs not in
terfered with. No Christians may
enter their mosques. No sightseeing
European is allowed to visit their
beautiful theological colleges, by the
resident generals orders, because
of some visitors irreverent behav-
ior.
There are the shops of the sellers
of gold-embroidered belts for wom-
en-beautiful girdles, two or three
inches broad, of padded velvet heav-
lily worked in gold wire. There are
the venders of leather articles
large, square, red bags with rings
by which tney are slung like satch-
els over the shoulders; long fringed
bags stamped in quaint designs or
worked with colored thread; purses,
triple-folding and adorned
with cut-out designs on a colored
background. Most of these leather
articles smell like polecats!
Buying Heelless Slippers.
In the Street of the Slipper Sellers
are stacked columns of heelless ba-
bouches, some with fronts beauti-
fully ornamented with gold, silver,
or silk embroidery; others just
plain yellow leather downat-heel
slippers. This Eastern footgear is so
speedily worn out that the trade in
it should be lucrative. You may
chance upon a wild rush OF men
crowding about some shops, clam
orous and holding out eager hands
to snatch at long lengths of ba-
boushes thrust one within another.
Then you will see them scurrying
from these wholesale establish
n.ents, for such these booths are, to
the shops of the retail merchants.
One ruShes up to the grave,
bearded vender sitting cross-legged
on his counter-shop floor, and thrusts
a yard of yellow slippers at him.
The retail man looks at them lam
guidly, shakes his head, and the
hurries on to the next,
to be succeeded by another and
another until the squatting figure
in the square pigeonhole makes his
purchase to replenish his stock.
Such a scene, and an excited
mob of women at an open-air auc-
ton of wool mattresses screaming
out offers, are the two most animat-
ed glimpSes of native life that the
Souks can give.
The Street of the Coppersmiths
resounds with the musical clang of
their hammers on the rounded pots.
The Street of the Silk Sellers glows
with color. The Street of the Brass
w VI hCA . oiAAASo Win tiiS 6Ol0CIA
of the artistically shaped
vessels, huge kettles, the stemmed
banqueting dishes with their tall
conical covers, and the hanging
lamps with colored glass sides.
Then there is the Street of the
Dyers. Half naked figures, faces,
arms, and bodies stained all colors,
stir big earthenware pots of bright
hued liquids, uip into them or haul
out cloths, masses of silk thread,
Or lengths of flimsy material.
The camera rarely can help the
pen in depicting the quaint native
life in the souks, SO gloomy are they
under the shading mattingS over
head, so inceSSant the coming and
going of the passing throngs that
will not halt their hurrying steps.
Beautiful Mosque
There are things of greater mo-
ment in Fez than the varied crowds
and the fascinating souks. A sudden
turn in a narrow covered lane, and
you see a wide-open arched door
that gives view into a marvellous
mosque, the Karouiine. A vestibule
glowing with bright-tiled walls and
floor broad cpptrol tilo1