The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-11-30
Inside
Washington
BY HELEN FSSApv

might find some pleasant bo,n, J,
relaxation from too steady oI..
nlng OF the course of World w. p.% III
Inc heavenly spot is the Won w.
House hotel, not far from Ca 'e.'a
Mena House and its environc Ill., "
Egypt at its story book best wiz a., :
pyramids, camel caravans and WI" +sl
Nile as decorations, and anoi. .Ie
history St, in the same stage settrr
The name of the hotel. Men, sr'''s''
is an echo of old Egypt. @Mar a.
was the name of the probably WIZ ia,.
endary first pharaoh of Eev ny
'Mena' means port op p'
the flood waters Ct tbo 0 me
came up close to the foot If 't ,.s
pyramids, The then fertile W n 'De
Ferrous area was the port Of f- w.
Nile. Today, all that is lo ~ OIg If
that active time is a rlerorv ,,' vi
the name "Mena. ''''
You see no hint Of rooro4
the past in the look or bf en-. ~.
of the big hotel. There is 1arioF
Gen spilling with flowers eI,.r., gar
ing the building which NAV ,, 'S stan.
one OF the mos important me ss'
'ngs in the history of the wo VICE.
There is terrace on wbicb t'4 A.
gentlemen prima donnas Pao VIC
welt, Stain d Churcbill ''V n'
lunch or dine or merely y4 'Da 4.
night, the lights of Cairo -" ris AZ
miles away, viii stir the i,nsg l1,,V
ton of the three visitors. By dsS
there is a big white marble sw Ip3'
ming pool to ease fatigue '
Within sight Of the botsi r;.
are the pyramids only a ogar fs~
CT a mile over the hill. At moot
any hour, camels from the cs ,,,Yo'
parking lot beside the hotel naT
start a trek across the desert 70,
wards the pyramids. Far over
southern ridge, an endless caray.H
OF motor lorries carries munitions
Ct war.
Mena House is bounded on me
north by the Nile valley green all
TIE year. At the south, the desert
stretches out-forever maybe
Only the poetic atmosphere Of
Egypt reaches Mena House. II is
tco far from Cairo for the beggars
The two small towns within sjgbt
CT the hotel are too far away to
show their shabbiness. Nor are
the farms of the fellahin close
enough to reveal their poverty 10
conference guests and their en-.
tourages. If the fellahin have as
much as four dollars a month on
which to support themselves and
their large families, they know
they are successful. 1t is not un-
usual for an Egyptian farm wo.
man to have Is or 20 children.
-Four out of five usually die before
reaching II years of age. Girl chill
dren, who are regarded as liabil-
tiles, are married off conveniently
al II or IA.
But Mena House, as have been
saying, is distant in spirit from
tnis primitive Egypt 1t is a luxuri-
Gus, red-plush hang hosiery, trim
med on the outside with minarets
and half-moonS. It was built for
Queen Victoria when her Brittanic
majesty came 10 survey the far
reaches of her empire. The cause
way, down which Messers. Rose
welt, Stain and Churchill may
drive, was also balt for Queer
Victoria so that her carriage might
roll grandly across the desert,
The furnishing of Mena House
are as Victorian as a Currier and
Ives print, and as the plump queen
herself. The chairs and sofas are
heavily carved and deeply upho.'
stored. The dining eooln has STAN
ed glass windows The bedrooms
are large and plentiful. The PLUMB
ing is small and scarce.
All of the servants of the hos
staff, except the dragomen, wear
white robes flowing to the ankles
sandals, and wide red sashes' o.
commerbunds. On their hea O.
they wear the native taroooSA o.
fez. q hope President RooSeVs.
may bring home some ne" loe@
for dressing up the White HoNI
Staff. There are several people d.
1860 Pennsylvania avenue W."
might look very well lndeeu "
fczzes and cummerbundsJ
I'm afraid that the glowing SER
ice of Mena House will spoil LAX
visitors. Each hotel room is eqgg
ped with covey Of buttons "
the femme de chambre. the 'as'
the water and d native seI'aJ
It's barely possible, however n.
Mr.. Roosevelt Mr.. Stain ana W
Churchill have d coVey Of p
buttons in Washington, Mosco" Or
London. A.
The food at Mena House IS e.
cellent, so l understand MoAu,
Tuesday and Wednesday are n S,,.
less days, but there IS an avn ,r.
dance of chicken eggs, tufAey @ 81,
ctuck always. The beetsteahs "A
very thick and butter Is pIeI s,r.
at Mena House The rates ~
been five dollars day Tor d l0'
bath and three meals cIsa
No wonder Anthony anu
patra liked the neighborhooo'
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