Litchfield enquirer., 1867-01-10
Eeypk


 In speaking, sometime since, of the rise and fall of difsreat nations in the scale of cyilizaton we remarked that the Egyptisnef to-dsy was . less intelligent, less useful mernbor of the human race than the American negro, For this statement the Sentinel undertakes to say there no foundation. The point at issue it is to be observed, is whether race, once the foremost in civilization, has not been reduced by centuries on centuries of oppres- sion, to aiexei below lint of Ensgroes@fnre refu- tation of our statement, which we made from gen. era report of the state of the Egyptian peasantry the editor of the Sentinel with his usual air of pro- found research, publishes half a column of such statistics as nasty examination of his Cyclopeda would enable him to collect, and which bear but slightly on the real question in dispute. ....e.s
 There is, undoubtedly, ruling class of foreign descent which has reached, perhaps, as high stage of civilization as Mahometanisn1, polygany, and slavery will permit, How high a point of re- fnement that is, we shall by and by show. The Fellahs or peasantry who constitute the bulk of the population are, on the other hand represented to be ignorant, indolent, iceEtious, lying; their agriculture is of the clumsiest description. water being drawn up by hand for the purposes of irriga- tion; their manufactures are inferior to those of other eastern nations. The Copts, or Christian Egyptians, who are chiefly descended from the an- cient Egyptians to whom their features bear stri- king resemblance, are in still more degraded condition. Alison says of them, ''By one of those wonderful revolutions which mark the lapse of ages the greater part of the slaves in tho country were to bc found among the descendants of the followers of Sesostrisn aas sf '3fs- ... y r.f We nowipropose to show not only the .irrelevan- cy but the fragrant inaccuracy of the sentinels ar tcle. It begins by stating that, 'i,'.' >''''-1 :
 ''Snce the expulsion of the iMameiukes, in 1911, Egypt has been gradually advancing, under the humane and wise government of Mehemet Ali and his successors, toward that position to which her unriyalled geographical position entities her." l The Mamalukess were not expelled; they were massacred in cold blood. Expulsion" is much pleasanter word than murder" built does not convey the true idea. [. | @7d ] -. : i -.
 That a practically absolute ruler of such popu- aton that of Egypt can, by forcing them to till his land and labor on his public works, raise much cotton, and build many miles of railroad, is unde- niable; but that the peasantry of Egypt have failed to accomplish anything like as much as our South ern negroes accomplished under system not dis inilar, is equally undeniable. That the people have not been advancing" is evident from the following extracts from the article on Egypt in the Encyclopedia Britanniea:- l..t.la.. i-s-.z~
 'sIt may be truly said that the agriculture of the country is in the hands of the governm ent, unless Said Pasha, has made very extensive aite- rations in the system carved out by his fathor By the seizure of almost all private lands, by enor- nous government monopoies and by heavy taxa ten on the fruit of their labor Moham1asd Aee beyond the mere desire for daily bread; and the cruelty and oppression of subordinate officers rem dered his condition more wretched than these ex- actions alone would have done"
 "In fact, the condition of the Egyptian Fellah has rarely been ds aoretched as is df he present day.'" mont in Egypt is usually swayed by bribes, and a poor mans case is generally hopeless, when his ad versary is rich" -.t--..t ...As. <.
 The Sentiaeps estimate of the population of Egypt, 5000, ,ooo is probably greatly exaggerated. The estimate of Mir. Lane, tho best authority which we copy from the Encyclopedia, was as fol. iows: -.s ress1 1-@@i@ ~~@ -~t