My Trip to the Land of the Pharaohs
By L. R. Conradi
The distance from Hamburg to Egypt by sea is almost as great as is the distance from Hamburg to New York; but the shorter route is overland to Triest, Austria, or Genoa or Naples or Brindisi, Italy, by rail, and then by ship to Port Said, or Alexandria, taking from five to five and one-half days. As the cholera had been raging in Egypt all summer, we did not expect so much travel in that direction; but to our great surprise, we found that all the steamers going to Egypt or to Australia and Asia via the Suez Canal, were overcrowded. We had just secured second-cabin passage on a North German Lloyd steamer from Genoa to Port Said; but later on, we were informed that while we had bargained for the last cabins, another agent had a short time before given these cabins to another party. So on my return from Scandinavia and Finland, my first work was to visit the steamship company, to find out what way we could go. They kindly offered us a place in the North German Lloyd steamer “Bayern,” from Genoa to Port Said, giving us twenty per cent reduction, third cabin. En route to Genoa, Elder Wakeham and his family had preceded me to Friedensau, where we met, and spent Friday and Sabbath, and attended the dedication of the new dormitory building, which took place at that time. I was also glad to meet Elder H. F. Schuberth here, who had just returned from his visit in Russia. On our way south we spent three hours in Heidelberg, and visited the famous castle there. We reached Basel, Sunday afternoon, in time to have a meeting that evening. Here, Sister A. Weidmann, a German-Swiss trained nurse, formerly of Basel, joined our party, intending to assist in our medical missionary work in Palestine. Early Monday we left Basel, and had a most pleasant trip via Lucerne and St. Gothard, reaching Milan that evening. When we arrived at the Italian border, one of our fellow passengers, an English gentleman, had considerable difficulty with the tickets for himself and his wife. He had called for third-class passage to Milan, and they had sold him first-class, and taken the money. In vain did I attempt to help the gentleman get his tickets exchanged; it was very evident that the officials only tried to get the better of him because he could not speak their language. Later on we met at the Pyramids, and from his card I noticed that he was from Melbourne, Australia. October 28 we left Milan, and reached Genoa at noon, and there we completed the arrangements for the passage on the steamer, which was already in port. Early the 29th we went on board, and found the third cabin overcrowded. But, after seeing the purser, we learned that the company had kept their word, and written for us to be given the best quarters possible. Accordingly, two cabins of the subofficers, located on the foredeck, were cleared for our use. On board with us was the Crown Prince of Siam, whose flag was unfurled along with the German colors, as the steamer left port. The larger number of our fellow passengers were Germans and Swiss, going to Egypt to act as hotel maids and waiters, or young merchants en route to China and Japan. Next day at noon we entered the beautiful Bay of Naples. Vesuvius, that ever-present menace to the safety of the surrounding regions, was quiet, only a little smoke issuing from its ancient crater. As our steamer lay here until night, Elder Wakeham and I went ashore. Naples is the most populous city in Italy. A number of years11ago several Sabbath keepers lived here. If one considers the many thickly inhabited cities of Italy, he cannot but exclaim, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few.” The following morning we sighted the island of Stromboli; its volcano emitting steam and smoke, then passed the straits of Sicily, and by evening we left European soil far behind us. Early November 3 we caught the first glimpses of the low-lying coast of Egypt, where, now and then, a sand pile or a light tower arose against the horizon. By nine o’clock we were in Port Said, at the entrance of the Suez Canal, where we all landed upon the shores of Africa. Port Said is a city of about forty thousand inhabitants. It is now becoming quite a rival to Alexandria, as all the large steamers passing through the canal stop here instead of at Alexandria. The traffic passing through the canal is steadily on the increase, but there will soon be several great rivals. That nearest completion, is the Trans-Siberian Railroad, connecting Europe with China and Japan. Another rival will be the German railway from Constantinople through Asia Minor down to Bagdad on the Persian Gulf, which will probably connect with the Indian railroads. A third rival will be the Panama Canal. While in Finland, I saw the snow flying: In Africa we were fairly stunned by the heat, and for the first few days one had to be careful until one became accustomed to the change. The hottest summer day on the Continent could not compare with the heat I found here in November. From Port Said we took the narrow-gauge railroad to Ismailia, where we changed to the broad-gauge for Cairo, arriving at the latter place at eleven o’clock. Brethren Passebois and Awada, and others of the mission family, awaited us at the depot, and all were cheered to see the long-promised help. The weather in Egypt was extra hot last summer, and some of our people had suffered more or less from the excessive heat. Brother Zerr, one of our German brethren who accepted the truth in Palestine, had been overcome by the heat, and the state of his health was such that we did not think it advisable for him to remain there longer, so he took passage for Germany, where he will spend some time at our Friedensau school, further fitting himself for the work. The cholera had also worked many hardships. There were about forty thousand cases during the summer, thirty-three thousand of which proved fatal—a very large percentage, indeed. This year the Nile was also lower than it had been for decades, and there would certainly have been a terrible famine, had it not been for the newly constructed dams, of which we shall speak later. Brother Passebois had had considerable difficulty in keeping the present building for our restaurant, and in vain had he spent a great deal of time trying to find another suitable place. Once he had bargained for a house, but when the day came for them to move in, the landlady was ill, and she refused to receive them, and had not the present landlord granted them another three months, they would have been entirely without a dwelling. This uncertainty naturally did not have the best effect upon the boarders, and they as well as we felt it one of the most important matters to secure permanent quarters for this work. Although Brother Passebois had been unable to give his whole attention to the Health Home, yet its income had been about twenty-two hundred dollars during the year, the most of which was received on board and lodging. The workers already on the ground met with us in consultation daily, and Elder Wakeham thus became quite fully acquainted with the situation, and with the present needs of the field. We decided to continue the Vegetarian Restaurant, and, if possible, secure better quarters for it. Before we separated, suitable apartments were found in a much nicer part of the city, just opposite the British army headquarters. Each evening we had public meetings, one hour for the Armenians, and the other for the Arabs. Among our hearers were several Mohammedans who had attended our meetings before; one of these was a teacher in the great Mohammedan university there, and they seemed to appreciate the truths presented. As Elder Awada, our Arabic minister, and the two Armenian brethren now working in Egypt, had had but little experience in public labor thus far, we arranged for Elder Wakeham to hold meetings with them in the city of Cairo for the present, rendering them whatever assistance and advice he can. On Sabbath, the 8th, we celebrated the ordinances in Cairo. We also spent some time in considering the advisability of issuing more publications in the Arabic. A printer, who is very much interested in our work, attended the meetings, and he has kindly consented to give us just as good rates as we could secure on the Continent; and as Elder Awada and others are well acquainted with the Arabic, we shall soon have more literature in that language. For the present, we shall print a few tracts on the prophecies, and a number of Bible readings, thus really laying the foundation of our publishing work in Egypt. This publishing will be done by the International Tract Society of Egypt.