The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-11-27

Cairo Has Ideal
Place For Big
Conference
BY Helen essary

Africa some time before Christ
mas. there is a heavenly spot IN
Egypt where they might find some
pleasant hours Of relaxation from
a too steady planning Of the course
OF World War IL.
The heavenly spot Is the Mena
House hotel. not far from Cairo.
Mena House and its euvirons arc
Egypt at It's story book best with
pyramids, camel caravans aud the
Nile as decorations. aud ancient
history in the same stage setting.
The name OF the hotel "Mena ,
is an echo OF old Egy pt. "Mena'
was the name Of the probably les
ondary first pharaoh OF EGypt
"Meua' means port Once the
flood waters Of the Nile came w
close 10 the foot Of the pyramids.
The then fertile prosperous area
was the port Of the Nile. Today.
all that is left OF that active time
is memory and the name 'Mena
You sec no hint Of regret for
The past in the look or behavior o.
the big hotel There Is garden
smiling with flowers surrounding
the building. "a hich may stage one
Of the most important meetings Ill
the history Of the world.
There is a terrace on which the
gentlemen prims donnas Roosc-
welt, Stain aud Churchill, may
lunch or dine or merely SIT. Al
night. the lights Of Cairo, nine rll!e7
away. will stir the imagination OF
the three visitors By day. tnero
is big white marble swimming
pool TO case fatigue.
Within sight Of the hotel piazza
are the pyramids ouly a quarter Of
a mile over tho bill At most any
hour. camels from tho camel park
ing lot beside the hotel may start
a trek across the desert towards
The pyramids Far over a south
erp ridge an endless caravan OF
motor lorries carries murl'lons ..
war
Meua House V bounded on the
north by the Nile valley Sreeu al
the wear A. the south the desert
stretches oQt--forever maybe.
Only the poetic atmosphere oil
Egypt reaches Mena House II Is
too far from Cairo for the hesSsrs.
The two small topns within sight
Of the hotel are too far away TO
show their shabbiuess Nor are
the farms Of the fellahln close
enough TO reveal their poverty to
conference guests and their entour'
axes II he fellshlu have as mncn
as four dollars 2 month on which
TO support themselves aud their
lsrKe families. they know they are
successful II Is not unusual for
an Egyptian farm woman 70 have
Is or 70 children -Four out Of five
usually die before reaching i
years of age Girl children, who
are regarded as liabilities, are mar
ried off conveniently at l2 or "a
But Media House, as ! have been
saying. is distant in spirit from
this primitive Egypt. Il IS a lux
urious. red-plusb hung hosiery,
trimmed on the outside with minar-
cts and hslf.moous II vas built
for Queen Victoria, when her Brit
tanic majesty came 10 survey tho
far reaches OF her empire. The
causeFay, down which Messrs.
Roosevelt. Stain and Churchill
may drive, vas also built for Queen
Victoria SO that her carriage might
roll grandly across The desert.
The furnishings OF Mens House
are as Victorian as Currier and
Ives print and as the plump queen
herself. The chairs and sofas are
heavily carved and deeply uphols-
tered. The dining room has stain
ed glass windows. The bedrooms
are large and plentiful Tho
plumbing is small and scarce
All OF the servants of the hotel
staff. except the dragomen. wear
white robes flowing 10 the ankles,
sandals. and vide red sashes. or
cummerbuuds On their head,
they wear the native tarboosh or
fez. Il hope President Roosevelt
may bring home some new ideas
for dressing UP the White House
staff There are several people
at 1900 Pennsylvania avenue who
might look very well ipdeed in fez-
yes and cummerbundEl
I'm afraid that thefsloplng sery-
ice OF Mena House will spoil the
visitors. Each hotel room is equip.
ped with covey Of buttons for The
femme de chsmbre the valet. the
waiter and a-,natiye servant It's
barely possible, however. that Mr.
Roosevelt. Mr.. Stain and Mr..
Churchill have a covey NJ push but.
tons in Washington, Moscow and
London
The food al Mena House is OK.
cellent. so | understand. Monday