The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-02-23
For the Wyandot Pioneer.
Extracts from Mr.. Dement'S Lectures.

III could we have stood, about four thous-
and years ago, on some summit of the
Mocatam hills, east Of Cairo, we might
have seen the old patriarch Ham, on a
!, camel attended by his wife and his son,
Miser, with some Of his grandchildren, is
!. suing out of the wilderness of Shur, in
to the pelusium Of Egypt; avoiding the
morass which covered all the delta, even il
it were not gulf of the sea, he keeps
near the verge of the desert and bearing
the emigration some four hundred and
fifty miles up the river, to the beautiful
plain of Thebes. Here he encamps and
commences permanent settlement, where
his increasing posterity built city. In
honor of the old patriarch, it was called
No Ammon. The true Interpretation ol
this name is, Ham of Noah. What sol
emn reflection must have rested upon the
mind of this early adv.nturer. He had
seen the old world full of inhabitants
Now, in lonely solitude, he and his fami-
ly, have before them wide, unoccupied
world. His two brothers and their fami-
lies are far off in the east; two of his own
sons still remain in Asia; third is gone
farther south to plant a colony in dark
Ethiopia. Except these, the broad earth
is one unoccupied wilderness, where the
wild beasts will be the first settlers. 1t
is not surprising, that monsterous supersti-
ton should impress its hazard image upon
the mind of the infant colony Soon their
posterity swell into a multitude. Ham
had brought with him knowledge of the
arts, possessed before the deluge; re
ceiving instruction from him, his children
commencing the practice of those arts,
building cities and cultivating the soil
Ham may be presumed to have lived un-
til his Egyptian posterity numbered some
millions. Over this posterity, Miser, call
ed by the Greeks, Menes, presided as
patriarchal king, and after him a number
of successors, until four dynasties of pet
ty rulers had born regal authority, and
passed away to the shades of eternity
during this time settlements and cities
had increased, both above and below the
original family home. Cotemporaneously
with these events, Cush, another son of
Ham, had begun the building of Babylon
and had founded the empire of Assyria.
Canaan''with his children had spread oyer
the mountains and wales of western Asia,
and had become divided into the several
confederate tribes of Canaanites, while
Sidon had planted colonies along the north
eastern shore of the Mediterranean sea,
from whom sprang the enterprising nation
Of Phoenicians.
Distinguished writers of great ability
have labored to collect from the hero
fglyphics and fragments of history,,a a con-
sistant genealogy of the ancient Kings Of
Egypt-the length of their reign and the
period of their existence, up to the present
time; however, no very great certainty
on these points has been attained. The
substance Of what is known of Egypt,
previous to the time Of Joseph, the He
brew captive, may be comprised in a few
| lines.
There were thirty dynasties of rulers,
before Egypt became subject to the Mace
domains, 332 B. c., of these the history of
some of the first are mere legends of the
state of the chaotic universe, before
Adams day, other dynasties were mani
festly traditions, of men and things be-
fore the flood; of those who ruled after
that event, Menese or Miser, was the first.
There is no evidence, whatever, either
from history or from the famous tablet of
stone, at Abydos or Thebes, Or any where
else, that these kings or dynasties of kings
were successive, or that they ruled over
all Egypt, but positive testimony, that
they were cotemperaneous, reigning over
different districts of Egypt at the same
time. When all the facts, as yet known,
are fairly brought together, they in no
manner, whatever, prove the existence
of either king or people in Egypt at an
earlier date, than would be perfectly
compatible with the Mosaic record of the
creation and the deluge, on the other hand
there are multitudes of facts gathered
from the tombs and tablets of stone in
Egypt, and from the ruins of Assyria,
demonstrating the existence and the deeds
of men of distinction referred to in the
sacred record.
While the sons of Ham and Miser were
extending their settlements, cultivating
the ground, building cities, and perfect
ing Giving government, they were invaded
by a foreign race called Hycksos or Shep
herd kings. These men seemed to have
come from the far east, beyond the Eu-
pirates, were probably a colony of Shep-
herds, with all their focks and herds, arm
ed by the Assyrians of Ninevah, forming
prehaps part of the mighty army Of
Queen Semerimus, and were sent against
II