Hoogstraal, Harry 
October 20, 1955 
Air Letter 
Dr. Harry Hoogstraal 
c/o American Bsbas^ 
Cairo, Egypt 
Dear lie, Hoogstraal j 
Mo, I am not dead b«t I might as well be for the time 
that I can give to the things I want to do and to my friends. 
I am gradually lining up our movies for a final editing at 
the National Geographic Society, but Mttout any promise 
that thay will accept the result for-e«a lecture series 
when the editing is complete. 
In tte course of my browsing around for information 
ceacenjing the Sudan I quite naturally have ome upon 
your article in the February '53 Geographic. You did 
get some very wonderful pictures and among those accompa- 
nying your article is one of a aide-walk merchant with 
ablution jars (p. 261) . You will laugh^en I tell you 
that I saw them also in the market at gSlhirffian and bought 
a dozen with the idea of using thai as individual coffee 
carafes on the table. But, even with water the taste is 
a little bit too earthy. I wit# to ask more about these 
little jars. Yh^ make cloth rings to hold them upright. 
Are the two cups , more or l«ss , contained in them all that 
the native uses for washing his hands and feet before going 
into the mosque? Is the water taken from the fountain in 
the center of the outer courtyard and is the little jar 
just a measure so that the native does not use too much 
or get too little? I know water is an exceedingly scarce 
article in most of the Nile country* 
More timn this information I would rather have an 
opportunity to sit down and talk with you. Was there not 
SOTse iiwiication that you would be back here this fall? 
If so, let me know when you can the time you expect to 
be here and how long. MY best to you and your wife, idiom 
I look forward to meeting one of these d^s. 
Sincerely, 
Waldo L. Schmitt 
Head Curator 
Department of Zoology 
WLStvb 
