The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-09-14

comes in. am very thinkful that
have been as many places as have,
all of which come TO my mind be-
cause of the Cairo headlines. 1t
brings the war very cloSe-not so
close as Paris or even some lovely
parts of Italy, but close because my
memories of the desert are dis
turbed by the conflict and Slaught-
er that have replaced the feeling
Of it's immensely and the wonder
full calm Of the Sahara.
Or the life and gaiety OF Cairo
itself, or the marble majesty OF
Alexandria with its white palaces
looking out to sea.
I am glad l have seen these
places and for time have been a
part of the panorama / wonder
whether the MohammedanS. anSW-
err. or can even hear the call to
PRAYER from the mosque and
whether the women veil their faces
and are clustered as Of yore. 1
wonder whether the citadel is
manned with ladies from hell
the killed Highlanders from Scot
visit-and whether the desert pa
troll still keeps track OF those whose
tents are pitched there. as in the
DAYS when for weeks my tent stood
in the shadow Of the Pyramids.
Scornful Beasts
wonder, in fact. whether there
are any foreigners, such as myself,
living there; whether the camelS
are still scornfully carrying terrified
tourists TO the various points of in
terest-the Pyramids, the Sphinx
and the good vantage points for
viewing the sunset, or sunrise. as
the case may be.
It was all so wonderful! II is all
so wonderful still, to look back
upon, only it hurts to think that
the Interchangeable even has chang
ed 1t would be bad enough were
the change for the better, but to
murder the peace Of the place
the beauty and the healing peace
with ear-splitting bombs and
death-dealing weapons Of war Is
sacrilege indeed.
The feeling that remains with
me Of my time in the desert is OF
having lived in the Old Testament.
very close to the tree that sheltered
Mary, Joseph and their Son on
their flight into Egypt; very close
to the Star in the East indeed TO all
the stars in the heavens and the
dome of heaven itself.
Men and women riding side
saddle or with their backs turned
to the heads of the little donkeys,
who patiently carry them. are &C
Qualities, not stage props in that
vast setting. Swift Arab steeds rid
den by robed figures, whose tur-
bans are the inspiration and des-
pair of those who have tried to
copy them. rush by at breakneck
speed, perhaps on no more lmpor-
tant GRAND than to reach a higher
point wherein may be a better
view of the sky.
Sky Over Egypt
During the peaceful days OF
which I write the sky provided the
entertainment and d e ! G h t for
those who, for little while. had
left a more familiar world
Our boys who are now in Egypt
may be fortunate enough to see the
valley of the Nile in all its world
old beauty, but it's not likely
They can, ! hope. feel something
of the ageless, changeless atmos-
phere even now when it is threat
ened by the forces of evil. And
Cairo was such an Arabian Nights
dream of a'place in which anything
might happen and frequently did
One wonders what goes on now
on the world-famed terraces and
in the crowded bazaars with their
terrible smells and wonderful. as
we'll as junky. merchandise.
One wonders what will become OF
the terribly old and horribly blind
and the beggars with their eternal
~ whining cry OF Danish" or
whether the statesque dragomans
with their gorgeous flowing silken
robes are now in khaki and what
they have done about their white
turbanS. always long enough TO
serve as winding sheet for the'~
hOdipc