The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-06-24
Walter WirlcI1eu
In NezO York

to give guy brush-off she tells
him her name is Miss Trout and
gives him the phone number OF the
Aquarium as hers. In Cairo and
Alexandria, under similar circum-
stances, she gives him the phone
number of the Egyptian Army Bar
racks and tells him to ask for va
menick Talata lin Arabic, right-by-
threes, or squads rightD.
The Arab in the cities Of North
Africa is dirty beyond civilized be-
lief. The Bedouin of the desert,
however, is meticulously clean, al
though he may die of old age with
out ever having had bath in water
The desert Arab scrubs himself many
times daily with fine, dry sand; at
least seven times daily, as he must
cleanse himself thoroughly before
each of the seven required daily
prayers to Allah.
Desert geography is hopeleSsly
mixed up to the American or Eu-
ropean, as each section of the wastes
will contain, for example, a Wadi
Chebir (Big Rivercourse), Jebel
Akdar Green Hills, an Ain ell Ga
zala (Gazelle Springs. But to the
Bedouin this is quite simple as he's
concerned, when you speak of Wadi
Chebir, he takes it to mean his own
Big Rivercourse.
The desert grapevine is one of the
most amazing phenomenon in North
Africa. 1 was at the Eighth Army
battlefront and completely out OF
touch with communications when
President Roosevelt and Winston
Churchill met at Casablanca. first
heard of the historic conference
from two Taureg camel drivers. Sew
eral days later Chester Morrison OF
the Chicago Sun came out into the
blue from Cairo and confirmed every
word the Arabs had reported. dis
covered that I heard of the meet
ing by Word-of mouth at just about
the same time our newspapers at
home were permitted to publish de-
tails of the event, which had been
held up several days for reasons of
military security.
Throughout North Africa the COM
mon tongue is Arabic. But dialects
differ SO widely that natives of one
region can't understand the speech
of other regions. But written
dialects differ SO widely that
natives of one region can't under
stand the speech of other regions
But written Arabic is the same
throughout, as all literate Arabs
learn to write from the Koran. So
while an Arab can't always talk to
stranger, if both can write they
can get along fine by scratching
tracings in the sand.
A Moslem is taught by his re-
ligion never to refuse aims when
asked. Beggars abound throughout
Islamic Africa with their pleading
cries of "backsheeSh," and most
Arabs carry small almost value
less coins to hand out so as not to
ignore these pleas. But "back-
sheesh" to an Englishman Austria
liam or Yank means in Egypt at
least one piastre (4c), in Libya and
Tripolitania at least Ira (4c) or in
Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco a min
imum of one franc ca. The beg
CARS are getting rich. In normal
peace times many Arabs never owned
Csc at one time.
The Arabs throughout North
Africa are firmly on the side of the
United Nations. But not because
of any belief in democracy or in our
ideals. They want us to win be-
cause of their hatred for the
Italians. An Arab sheik told me:
I'VE admire the German as SOL
der, Just as we admire the English
man or the American for his fight
ing qualities. But for many years
the Italian has been slaughtering
our people in his conquest of our
homeland. We have blood feul
with the italian and must have the
same hatred for his ally. You can
depend upon the Arab to be on the
side that fights against anyone who
helps the Italian"
When the Winchell column was
running in the London Express (be-
fore they trimmed newspapers down
to few pages, helped out every
day by preparing the glossary of its
Americanese One day, however,
I was suddenly taken with over
sleeping and the Winchell column
had to get along without me -.
All of us in the Yankee set the next
day were amused no little to find
that the word "shellacking' in the
glossary hurriedly prepared by the
British editor was defined as "the
unvarnished truth"
RTTY WAR R0NnS STAMPS