he marriages for their sons; and they rule
their daughters-in-law. They keep many a man from acting up to his
religious convictions, and drag many a one back to the denial of his
faith. They submit in many things; they are weaker, but it is true that
work for women lies at the very foundation of mission work. An Egyptian
once said in answer to a statement that the primary object of Mission
schools for girls was to lead them to Christ, "If you get the girls for
Christ, you get Egypt for Christ."

IV

THE WOMEN OF EGYPT ONCE MORE

"Hasten the redemption of woman ... by restoring her to her mission of
inspiration, prayer, and pity."

--MAZZINI.

What are the women like? Are they pretty? How do they bring up their
children? How do they keep their homes? Do you like them? Are they
lovable?

Such are a few of the many questions which are put to the traveller and
resident in Egypt, by those interested, for various reasons, in the land
and its people.

How differently these questions can be answered. The ordinary tourist
sees the black-robed figures (with features invisible except for two
eyes peering over a black crape veil) walking in the streets of the
cities, or driving sitting huddled together on karros,[A] and he remarks
on the discomfort of the costume and the cleverness with which they
succeed in balancing themselves on the jolting springless carts. Or
again he sees ladies of the upper class driving in their carriages and
motor broughams, wearing indeed the inevitable "habarah" and veil,[B]
but the former cut so as to well expose the upper part of the person
which is clothed in rich satins and adorned with sparkling jewels, and
the latter made in such fine white chiffon and hung so loosely over the
lower part of the face only, that the features are distinctly visible;
and he marks with a smile the effort made by woman to emancipate herself
from customs which deny her the prerogative of attracting admiration to
herself.

[A] Long narrow carts, the sides of which are only very slightly
raised.

[B] The former is the black covering worn by all classes. The poorer
women make it of two lengths of material two metres long, joined
together on the selvedge. The ends of one breadth are sewn up and
form the skirt, while the upper breadth is left to pass over the
head and fold over the upper part of the person like a shawl. The
richer, from the middle class upwards, sew th