The greatest blot upon the Egyptian character is the position accorded
to their women, who, as in all Mohammedan countries, are considered to
be soulless. From infancy employed in the most menial occupations,
they are not even permitted to enter the mosques at prayer-time, and
until recently the scanty education which the boys enjoyed was denied
to their sisters. It is no wonder, therefore, that these often
beautiful girls grow up much like graceful animals, ignorant of the
higher duties of life, and exercising none of that refining and
ennobling influence which have made the Western races what they are.




CHAPTER X

THE DESERT


When so much of geographical Egypt consists of desert, it would be
interesting if I were to tell you something about it before closing
this little book. Probably the first question my readers would ask
would be, "What use is it?" Why does Nature create such vast wastes of
land and rock which can be of little or no use to anybody?

We cannot always follow the intentions of Nature, or see what may
ultimately result, but so far as the desert is concerned we know of at
least _one_ useful purpose it serves, and that is the making of
_climate_.