West Side High School - Legenda Yearbook (Saginaw, MI)

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mention of Heliopolis is made in The Bible. Moses received his education here, and Joseph married Asenath the daughter of a priest of the temple. Only insignificant ruins remain. In front two great obelisks were erected about 2,100 B. C. by rsertesen I. The larger of the two, the oldest in existence, still stands almost uninjured. It extends partway into the ground, but the base may be reached by a stair-wav. The same hieroglyphics on the four sides record its erection by the king. Beggars were swarming around us crying: “bakshish,” the Arabic for gift. This is the first word that babies learn. From the time that he arrives until he is safely beyond the confines of Egypt it resounds continually in the traveller ' s ears, “Ma fish,” I have nothing for you. is usually answered. “Bokra” to-morrow, is also affective. Should everything else fail, “ruh,” or “imshi,” get away, are used. A stick is fre¬ quently convenient. Together with “neharah said,” good morning, and about a dozen words used in bargaining or in giving directions to the donkey boys, this constitutes the limit of my knowledge of Arabic. We proceeded to visit the Virgin ' s Tree, a sycamore tig, under which the infant Jesus is said to have slept on the flight to Egypt. The present tree was, however planted after 1672. Its predecessor may quite probably have shaded the Holy Family. It was presented to the Empress Eugenie of France by Ismail, the ex-Khedive, but, when Napoolean III lost his throne, it was confiscated by the government. Another interesting excursion was that to the island of Koda and Old Cairo. On the former we saw the place where, according to the Bible, Moses was found in the marshes by Pharaoh ' s daughter. An inscribed stone has been found here, giving absolute proof that this island belonged to the daughter of Pharaoh, at the time when Moses was born. Old Cairo is the quarter largely inhabited by Capts. These are the real unmixed descendants of tin ancient Egyptians. They were converted to Christianity in the first century A. I). For many centuries they were oppressed but religious freedom is now enjoyed. With their much adulterated religion, they

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large as an ordinary doll, beside him. The men in bloomers remind one of the ‘‘new woman,” who is causing so much a citation in America. Turbans are worn by many. W bite shows descent from the prophet, while green is an indication that the wearer has made three pilgrimages to Mecca. A tur¬ ban should be seven times as long as the head so that it may be used after death for a winding-sheet. Women of the lower classes wear only the blue gown and a veil. Those of the upper classes have a silk cloak and a kind of mantle. A white gauze, after the fashion in Constatinople veils the face up to the eyes. If they are wealthy one or more runners, called eunuchs, pre¬ cede their carriages. It is a universal custom to color the eyelashes black and the finger nails a light brown. As a rule, babies are carried by the women astride on their shoulders. Here, as in Italy, burdens are balanced on the head. Water carriers with goat skins on their backs are also frequently encountered. A visit to Heliopolis and the Virgin ' s Tree, to the north¬ east of Cairo, was very attractive. A drive through an avenue of tamarisks, acacias, and eucalyptus—trees brought us to the gardens and blue palace of Abbas II. Hilmi, the present Khedive of Egypt. Every morning at nine o ' clock his High¬ ness drives to his Cairo palace to transact public business, returning late in the afternoon. He does not care to stay in town, as he is very superstitious. His grandfather was a victim of a mutiny and his father died there. An old-fashioned well, with an ox going blind folded round and round was next passed. The energy is communicated by a shaft to a large wheel with jars, which, when down, are filled with w T ater. Half a revolution turns them upside down, thus allowing the water to flow into the trough. In this way, the whole of an ex¬ tensive field of barley is irrigated. A short ride on the edge of the Arabian Desert took us to the site of Heliopolis, the city of the sun. This was one of the most ancient Egyptian cities. During the reign of one of the early Pharaohs, a famous temple was built here. Later, the most learned and celebrated college of priests in all Egypt was established. Frequent

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are little better, morally, than the Mohammedans. The old Captic Church of Mari Girgis was first visited. We descended to the crypt below where Mary and Jesus reposed. The baptis¬ mal font in which the virgin is said to have wa shed the child’s clothes was also pointed out to us. The bronze reliefs, inlaid- work and old paintings are deserving of mention. The drive to the oldest Mosque in Cairo was well repaid. It is built in the style of the Roman temple, chiefly with stolen columns. A gray column in particular is very wonder¬ ful. One of the early Khalifs wished to make it fly from Mecca to Egypt, and, when it was reluctant hit it with his whip. Hereupon it did fly. The marks of the severe beating are still visible. On this column there is nevertheless a true freak of nature. Within a layer of thick, transparent marble, appear in lighter veins the Arabic names of Allah, Mohammed and Solomon. On the rear wall to the left is a niche con¬ structed of stone, where there is a deep impression worn by the tongue of the sick who have licked here. They rub lemon juice on their tongue and lick until blood comes. Then they go away with the satisfaction that their malady, however • severe, will be cured by Allah. The idea that people are healed by miracle is prevalent both among the Capts and Muslims. At our guide ' s request, some children licked for us. Before we left, a priest gave me the assurance that, should Islamism prevail, I would still go to heaven. A pair of columns is placed together and whoever manages to go through is booked for a place in heaven. I accomplished the feat with the great¬ est ease and prided myself on my Mohammedan salvation (?). The priest, a stout specimen of humanity, succeeded only after repeated efforts. The climax of our stay at Cairo was reached on the day that we visited the museum and ilie pyramids of Gizeli. Cross¬ ing the river by the Great Nile Bridge, we drove to the museum, which contains the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world. On our first visit we spent nearly three hours in the roomy edifice. Especially interesting were the mummies of the kings, among which are those of Sethosi