THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 10

THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE

v - CAN'WE HOLD THEM?

- [I-'ob The Dominion.]. CBr Eev. F. StubbsJ • Tho population, as I have is composed of many nationalities, although the Egj-ptiau' predominates. Abput quartcrs of a. million are Bedouins, who have wandered from - Syria and Arabia, but now -live largely in'tho towns. Then there are Bisliareen, Copts, Syrians, and various.Europeans. The Copts probably represent , the-, ancient inhabitants of Egypt. They'embraced Christianity very, early, but in-the sixth century fierce religious. . disputes arose, ~ and thousands sacrifiosd their lives rather than embrace the dogmas of the Catholic Church. As. a relief from, the persecution of their fellow. : they' 'gladly welcomed even the».armies "of, Islam;, and were at first treated -well by;-them, but Subsequently,'persecuted and. oppressed.' At i the present day the Copts are a degenerate. race.. I visited their quarter, and have never seen a dirtier.; Their priests ore ignorant men, unable even to understand what;they-read.: Still,*-the prayers are read daily, in church, arid that i 6 '-regarded, as-the main, thing.. There are many services, biit; they arc followed with little interest,, and do' not appear to do the worshippers any good.' '

■ ; i'ho , feii&aeon,or:, peasants,;, are very, poor. Their dwellings are composed of; four mud walls,' thatchod with straw, I aild'furnished with a dirty mat or two, a j kettle, and a few native pots and dishesThere iis absolutely no., comfort. The house-is wanted only as a shelter for the night. The inhabitants live out of doors during the day, and .'frequently sleep out of doors also.. Tho male peasant has a large, bony frame,, never.' fat;-has little 'hair-on; his face, 6havw. lusi.head;: and ■wears a, skull r cap. The skull• is said. to be vety.thick, r and I.can well believe it. •It is a. useful, thing to have a thick skull in ;a country. where' the sun is ; hot and knocks are many. -Eye: diseases are: lamentably- common. ' Nearly all Egyptians seem to be. short-sighted. One does not wonder at 'this when one sees the poor children, ' their eyes covered .with dirt and flies. ..: ■ •• - :■ The Harem.. ■ . ■ Every Egyptian, however poor,.' has his harem. If <a man possesses ■ but two rooms; 0110' constitutes the; harem, into which. no •male',but' himself may-enter. -.The.poorer .mciuhave. usually but ono wife,', but those it havo.-*ilir.ee or.' four: £jpfop6s' l of. this cu&onv there'is, an. English .gentleman; an old. bachelor,, who has four sisters,, with whoni :. ho used .. ..to travel,-•until one- day a. donkey, boy at Assouan said '.to - him: ."Three of you? wives have just gone out, but I have not 6een. the fourth'!". I believe that since then he has preferred to , travel in Egypt alone.- There are- many divorces amongst tho Sudanese. Both men and women lovo changej -. arid. Sudanese' women -hire themselves out.'to the Governriient as labourers iii order to cam enough money to'-purchase, a-divoree. I -believe many white-women-would-,do. the. same if .fhey had. the. chance. 1 By, tbe way, the popula--1 tion-.'"of ' the'.-Sudan-' used' to be, 20 mill.'lions,,; but during'; the.', last . ,16 years lias -been .reduced by . the Mahdi and his sric'cjessbrs, to"2,000;000.' .The Sudanese are.i ,a','fine - race,'' 'stranger ' and'*" braver than ®nd': despise'. .When Egypt governed the '.Sudan,JAe.'natives, were..treated very/badly. : It is. the British that have •■liberated' them aiid scoured fofithem.- fair• treatment;, hnd-; any future oonfiict. .Iv prophesy that- the Sudanese' .jivill;;'be frl'oiind fighting ...on -the : side - ot-'the.'-'British; They can. live on : little and are,^artless;of.life•; as; the'followiug' story.j.will-show. 'When a Euro- . pean -jtp; - close 'a conversation, or trarisictipniwiili a.'native, he utters.with emphasis' tho.joife.''word'"finish.'' -I heard the, oth'eiv.day'tbf: lan officer who Shot a , larsQ;;'Mrd .JijWoK ell into •; the river. One - of' who 'swam ; out to'-fetch it'<was .devoured: iby. a.' crocodile,': whereupon the other, broke ■ into : a smilo -arid exclaimed: "That boy .finished!" .x "■ ; --VV "Tho British aro not Popular.". • In;.'ail.:'natiyo\'wbmeri (of ; course I :.this does. not. apply to .the .white, races) ;tliere. is an inborn,loye of finery. : -Their, woolly ,hair may; be seen elaborately their.,.lips -and t nails stained, ..theirchins tattqpe.dj ; .n,,jsppr6. of ,necklaces, jwill hang from their necks, rings' .'from.'their ears, bracelets., icoveiv their;: arms;, and a'nldes. At 'Helouan. the/ other; day I saw a .girl ..frequently-, lift-her.' frock in the; .public street,'t'hat she arid.pthers..might admire- her -silver anlclets!:'-i But 1 am jotting-'on- to dangerous' ground, and will therefore „ proceed to 'speak, finally, :■ of •tho present Apolitical:, situation. Tour readers will bo ;a\varo that for some time ' past' there. has : been an agitation in ■Egypt-fora-Constitution similar, to that bbtained'by. thevYbung Turks. A Young Egyptian party has- been Jformed,, com-, posed mainly of. educated Egyptians, and a'-'congress' was , held a. few months ago :at Geneva ,at which a number, of -violent'speeches were made. Tho party also spends, money, in 'England 'for purposes of propagation, and ' has . secured tho assist-, arice. of, the-Irish Nationalists in ■ Parliament. > : *lt really aims at complete self-' government -and the withdrawal or expulsion- ofthe British;; though ' tlio demands formulated at present fell"short of. this;' ' That : ft will -succeed in 'attaining its "objects':! do .not'-for : a'-moment be-: lieve', for'reasons' which will appear; At tho same:' time: the" : movement ': is a trbublesbme'one to the Government," and is likely;"to. give • rise :to' individual' out-, rages.-' Even .'duririg 'my.'brief- sojourn-sovcral-'mtirders' and assaults on officials have occurred; r and British officers, and ' soldiers have ;to bo - particularly" careful' not to offend-nativo. susceptibilities. The position' is briefly this: Buring;the last 15 'or "'lO years,', the • British have established/law- arid order, -won back the Su-: dan,'-. liberated -the fellaheen, : almost doubled : by ■■ means of irrigation tho area of : laild, : reduced taxation, saved the: Stato v from .bankruptcy,; and introduced ;a; period rof . unprecedented commercial .'.prosperity. ■; -All this is: ad--mitted.:-:-'-Nevertheless the . British, are not I .popular; : : Tho twoyraces. are 1 too dissimilar.-: Uven tho;French.would bo-pre-ferred. Though ho is . compelled to treat hiin: with: respect, tho . lloslem really despises the Englishman • as an infidel, ignorant of the true Faith ;and shut out of '- paradise.: - Then 1 his' mental ■ habits and:mbralT6entiments aro quite difforent. He' abhors' accuracy, pays littlo regard to. truth,.-is 'untrustworthy,;- illogical, superstitious,/ fond of intrique. ;. The blunt ness :.and: straightforwardness • of . the! Englishman' ho cannot understand, nor his objection. ,to 1 corruption. In Egypt every native pays and revives bribes. Tho. consequence, is that whilst tho Egyptian admits'. .and .'admires tho good work done by the. Briton, he does not like him, and. would' gladly get rid of him.; This'.is, specially: true of tho professional -and.mercantile classes.

Attitudeof the Fellaheon.-.-: As for';'tho fellahoon, ••• they aro aw;qie : ' ; that ' they bnjoy unwontedliberty: . .andprosperity ';' under' ' ;British'.. "Tiile,';biit. : • do.. riot-" : interest' themselves; in . in ;'the case ,of 'an ;upfisin'g they would''probablyfollow, .their, co-religionists/ . In regard to tho .Sndniiose, it' is .different. The ' Sudan' is really occupied/and governed .by. the' British. At Khartoum there is. a British Governor.. with, nearly 2000 British troops. The Sudanese' hato tho Egyptians, admire .the fighting qualities of the British, and' are themselves fond of soldiering. In fact, - the drill of the Sudanese is even moro • perfect than that of tho British. So keen aro the-men for- perfection that they constantly drill ono anothor in private, and not long ago, in order to moderate their z6al; an order was issued forbidding them.-'to drill ono another in the "bar.racks.' Tho strength, then, of .tho'British: position is this: that by.their good work for the country they have won . the consent'of'Europe and the admiration of a large 'section of tho people.'-; ;'-Th'e*iV tlieV: are ; in occupation of the. Sndan,V. where they "have trained- a large'body' of-re': liable native troops. Tho' Sudanese are good fighters—the Egyptians... aro not. Most of tho. foreign residents. are, also favourable to- Britain,'; for it is ' Swing to British protection that . thoy flourish.

And last,-but not-least,- they occupy tho Citadel of Cairo, from.which in. a couple of hours they could, if need be, reduce the city to ashes. There are at present .n tho whole country 8000 British troops, and instead .of being diminished as some propose these should, ill my judgment, lie immediately raised to ; 10,000. The lesson would not be. lost on Egypt, and the troops .would bo very, handy in. cast) of trouble in the Mediterranean or. the East. My sympathies are with the British'occupation. Though tho Egyptians are unfriendly to it (gratitude is almost an unknown virtue amongst Oriental peoples), it has conferred immense benefits on the . people, and its cessation would simply, bring about a .state .of •\narchy that would' invite tho' interference and occupation of some'other Power. The more distinctly it is "understood that the' British.mean to stay, the better-it will be,.for all parties., ,7 ,