Mentone, Cairo and Corfu . ong its people, and made ones self familiar withtheir traditions, their temperament, their history, and,above all, with the language which they speak. Anythingless than this is observation from the outside alone,which is sure to be founded upon misapprehension. TheFrench and the English are separated by merely thefew miles of the Channel, and they have, to a certain ex-tent, a common language ; for though the French donot often understand English, the English very generallyunderstand something of French. Yet it is said thatthese two nations have never thoroughly comp
Mentone, Cairo and Corfu . ong its people, and made ones self familiar withtheir traditions, their temperament, their history, and,above all, with the language which they speak. Anythingless than this is observation from the outside alone,which is sure to be founded upon misapprehension. TheFrench and the English are separated by merely thefew miles of the Channel, and they have, to a certain ex-tent, a common language ; for though the French donot often understand English, the English very generallyunderstand something of French. Yet it is said thatthese two nations have never thoroughly comprehendedeach other either as nations or individuals; and it iseven added that, owing to their differing tempera-ments, they will never reach a clear appreciation of eachothers merits; demerits, of course, are easier. Ourown country has a language which is, on the whole,nearer the English tongue perhaps than is the speechof France; yet have we not felt now and then thatEnglish travellers have misunderstood us? If this is if. SOUVENIRS OF CAIRO the case among people who are all Occidentals together,how much more difficult must be a thorough compre-hension by us of those ancient nations who were oldbefore we were born ? The East is the land of mystery. If one cares for itat all, one loves it; there is no half-way. If one doesnot love it, one really (though perhaps not avowedly)hates it—hates it and all its ways. But for those wholove it the charm is so strong that no surprise is felt inreading or hearing of Europeans who have left all totake up a wandering existence there for long years orfor life—the spirit of Brownings Whats become ofWaring ? All of us cannot be Warings, however, and the timecomes at last when we must take leave. The streets ofCairo have been for some time adorned with placards 280 whose announcements begin, in large type, Travellersreturning to Europe. We are indeed far away whenreturning to Europe is a step towards home. We waitfor the last festival—the
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