Letter from Dora Giffen to her family, April 4, 1921
MLA Citation
Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982. “Letter from Dora Giffen to her family, April 4, 1921.” Digital Gallery. BGSU University Libraries, 31 Mar. 2023, digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/41461. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025.
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Title | Letter from Dora Giffen to her family, April 4, 1921 |
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Subject | Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982 |
Women missionaries--Correspondence | |
Egypt--Social conditions | |
Egypt--Politics and government--1919-1952 | |
Missions--Egypt | |
Protestant churches--Missions--Egypt | |
Presbyterians--Egypt--Correspondence | |
Egypt--Church history | |
Christianity--Egypt | |
Missions to Muslims--Egypt | |
Protest movements--Egypt | |
Egypt--Description and travel | |
Anti-imperialist movements--Egypt | |
Description | Letter from Dora Giffen to her family in Ohio about her missionary life in Cairo, the health and activities of her peers, and about the political demonstrations and changes going on in the country, including the arrival of and reception for Saʻd Zaghlūl in Egypt. |
Creator | Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982 |
Source | Dora E. Giffen papers; MS-0309; Center for Archival Collections; University Libraries; Bowling Green State University |
Date | 1921-04-04 |
Rights | |
Format | Correspondence |
application/pdf | |
Language | eng |
Identifier | ms00309_b001_f002_i00005.pdf |
https://digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/41461 | |
Is Referenced By | https://lib.bgsu.edu/findingaids/repositories/4/resources/1425 |
Spatial Coverage | Cairo (Egypt) |
Type | Text |
1) Fowler Orphanage, Abbassia Mon., April 4, 1921 Dear Home Folks: Here I am sitting in Uncle John’s drawing writing to you. Mrs. Coventry had to come out here today for an Orphanage Committee meeting and since she did not want to come alone I came with her and brought my writing materials along. There has been quite a little stir in Cairo the past few days and today it is not best to be out alone. Tomorrow we are going to shut ourselves up in our houses and stay there. The excitement is caused by the arrival from Europe of Zaghul Pasha, an Egyptian, who has been in England and France pleading Egypt’s cause for two years. He was to arrive in Alexandria today and they were planning quite a large demonstration for him down there. Cairo sent over a thousand delegates down to Alexandria today. Tomorrow, Tuesday, he is to arrive here. People have been getting ready for him for over a week. Streets, stores, houses, - everything is decorated with flags, colored glass balls, and “fantasia” of very description. There are so many different kinds of flags – I don’t think that the Egyptians know what their flag is. There are flags with one crescent and three stars, others with three crescents and three stars, some with a cross, crescent, and three stars, and some have as many crescents and stars on as the red background will allow. The one that seems to be most in favor is the flag with one crescent and three stars. Sheikh Mustapha was telling me this afternoon that material for making flags was three times as expensive now as it was a week ago. We have no classes tomorrow on account of it being a national holiday. And now I suppose you are wondering what effect all this excitement is having and will have on the Egyptians themselves. The name of Zaghul Pasha is on every lip. The school-boys and girls of all ages have been mobbing the trams and boarding them en masse on their ways to and from the Gov’t schools. Even the street-waifs have banded together as the school-children. They all have what you might call their cheer-leaders and they make life perfectly miserable for us on Faggala Street, where so many cars go past, with the yelling that they do. (You see a good many of the Gov’t Schools are out in the direction of Abbassia and the cars out to Abbassia all run past our house.) It seems that everyone expects Zaghul Pasha will make Egypt independent. I have heard that he is not as radical as a good many of the nationalists and that for this reason he has not been as 2) popular as he might be with them. But he certainly seems to be popular enough with everyone now. All the street-venders have his picture to sell. The things that the people are yelling these days are “Egypt for the Egyptians,” “Independence Forever,” etc. Today the noise passing (?) our house has been something terrific. A good many of the students in the schools have struck and have been making use of their holiday. This afternoon Ezbikiyeh schools dismissed quite early and some-one phoned over that Mrs. Coventry had perhaps better dismiss her Faggala school, for some of the people on the streets were becoming rather rowdy and rough, and it might become quite unsafe for the children out on the streets if they were to let the schools out a little later. The Egyptian military authorities have sent out warnings that if the people do anything they will suffer for it; and a good many of the people here in Cairo have the proper view of things it seems to me, as I have come in contact with them. But of course I have met the best and most sane of the Egyptians. One of the Egyptian teachers in the Faggala School said to Mrs. Coventry today, “So many of the people of Cairo are trash.” If this “trash” once gets starting to doing things there is no telling where they will stop so for that reason we think it best to keep pretty close to our houses tomorrow and perhaps for a few days after. Because all the stores are closed tomorrow, our cook bought enough stuff today to last for two or three days. I hope my telling you all this has not worried you. We are none of us at all afraid. An Egyptian mob is just as likely to turn on itself and defeat itself. I only wish I could get over to the Ezbakiya Building and watch proceedings from there when the Pasha arrives. He is going straight from the station to his house which means that he will pass the Ezbakiya Mission but will not pass our house. It may be that some of us early in the morning will take our lunches and, with the escort of some of our mission-men, go to Ezbakiya to spend the day. We will see how settled things are in the morning, however, before we do anything rash. In my last letter I forgot to mention that I had gotten my teeth fixed week before last by Shafeek (Moussad) Hanna. He seemed to do a very good job; put in two fillings for four dollars, which is not at all expensive here. I think now that what made me feel as I did the week before was probably a touch of the “flu.” Miss Hosack had to go to bed again last week with it and is still in bed, running a slight temperature. Avis Hoyman has not been well, either, for a week past with something like “flu” but is better now, as also is Earla Hoyman, who has been having quite a bad attack of adenitis. All of Uncle Johns are well. Mr. Boyd left them this morning & Mr. McClanahan came. They say that they have been having splendid meetings out at the Girls College and that the response has been very gratifying. On last Fri., I think it was, 3) they had a sort of memorial service for Miss Lee and a splendid bookcase was given to the College by the students who were her friends. R.G. Is sick, I don’t know what with. Sickness is quite general in Cairo now and there are a good many deaths, judging from the funerals which pass our house. Lois Galt stopped in my room for a few minutes last Sat. morning and gave me a few items of Muskingum news that I had not known. The Dylers of the Sudan passed thru Cairo last week on their way home. Uncle Kellys are in Assiut and we hope to see them soon. I don’t know when they sail. When Mr. Reed sails I have a little package that I want to send with him; just a little something for Martin’s commencement and Willard’s birthday. Also something for the McKeowns and a little something for Gladys – don’t tell them about it. I sometimes wish I had more money, - I see so many nice pretty things but they are all beyond my pocket-book. I am also sending a little table doily that took my eye for Father and Mother. Mother, I am sorry to say that I have not yet sent home that money, but hope to get it sent off soon after exam. I wonder if you won’t please take from what I send enough to pay Mr. Reed for the package he takes, customs, etc. I think that would be better than to send money thru these Egyptian mails to Mr. Reed at Alexandria. Mrs. Kate Cowan Lorimer and Dr. Whitcomb, who both live in the same house, received word by lettres in the same mail last week of the death of both of their Fathers. Miss Duncan got word in the same mail that her only brother was quite sick. She goes home in June of this year, if not before, on account of her brother. I received my quilt last week from the Anti Can’t S.S. class of Valencia U.P. I think that the girls in that class are all about sixteen years of age. The quilt is very nice. The A.M.S. of the church helped the girls make it. Last week I bought my-self a pitcher, basin, bucket, and a little wash-stand for two pounds. I needed them very badly for our bathroom accommodations are very poor. In Mrs. Coventry’s flat there is a bath-tub but none in our. Before I forget it I must tell you that I was told two weeks ago that that little hunch-back, who has been at Assiut Hospital for so long, is dead. Have heard no particulars as to his death. Last Saturday morning and part of the afternoon I spent in sunning and airing my winter-clothes and putting them away in bags. It is a job that I dislike and I am glad that it is done before the millers get a chance at them. It has gotten quite a good deal warmer but I am wearing my little green sweater most of the time, inside and out. I have gotten quite fond of my little sweater. Last Friday night the Egyptian Young Men’s Christian Endeavor had another social and wanted some music, so Clarice and I went over to Mrs. Harveys after summer and gave them a piano duet from my duet-book. Later they asked for some readings, so I gave them two of yours, Mother – “D.F.” and “Ruby.” Their social hour was carried on very creditably to themselves. Most, if not all of those young men attend our English Service at Esbikiyeh. Dr. Zwener who has been in charge of most of the services there this winter leaves for Syria in another week, and from there he is going to America. Sara Adair was saying that her Father and Mother are moving to a church in Weiser, Idaho. Now Mrs. Coventry says she is ready to go home. I have not had time to read this over and see what mistakes I have made, so you correct them. Just lots of love from Dora |