The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-06-03

vein Of independent aud original
thought made many an Instructive sus'
gcstion, and moreover in these tl'ncs'
neither leisure NOR opportunity make
these books accessible to most Of U.s.
Mr.. S. too, is IN admirable Rnconteur
and gives charm to such scenes which
pen or pencil would fail to produce; but
it Was the second lecture of Mr.. Starkr,
which, confessedl y, gave more pleasure
and instruction tu his audience than
they had ever similarly derived. He
opened before them his stores of East
crn lore and gave an insight into Egyp'
tian art and kuowled ge, which all our
bucks have failed to do, and the hour
devoted to Judaism, gave us more rev.
crence for the Hebrew than the Mosaic
law itself had ever inspired, or the ex-
ample of Abram, Isaac and Jacob, or
association with their Descendants had
fus,ercd-but the most remarkable fea:
ture of thi, lecture, was the full aud conf
plcte exposition of Egyptian hero
slyphics. Most of US have regarded
these us an irrcdccmably deai ip'gnnge.
Mystic symbols, with no concurrent in
formation to enable their rlucidatlon, a
dark and tangled labyrinth with no
thread to guide through its intricate
passages Current literature and trav-
cl had given US no key to these long
rusted doors, but while we had busted
ourselves with practical life and lad let
the "dcad past be moro deeply buried,
his acute observation and study of rare
authors furnished us not only thetransla-
tion to many an interesting hieroglyph-
ic. but gave the beautiful symbolic al-
phabet by which even to US, unframed
as We are, many dark passage is made
clear; all known alphabets are probably
symbolic in their origin, but brevity,
condensation, the expression of abb
s,ract thoughts &C.. require a rapid
change to arbitrary representations, and
thu, in cultivated language, in modern
times, symbolic features are lost n"t
only in the alphabet bnt in the Ian
guagr, but in the the beautiful Ian.
gnagcs of the East and the wonderful
hicroglyphie art of the Egyptians the
symbol and the parable impressive as
beautiful, make knowledge of the al
plIubct almost knowledge Of the lam
guenbNc are '". %nssillcd in these
things adequately t" cz press the c'."r.r>
these decipAercd mysteries wovc a
round Us, We cannot more furcibly con-
vcy IN idea Of it, than by saying, that
while We were more than ever Impressed
with wonder at the varied kn 'wl dge Of
our friend, we learned enough to cease to
wonder at the enthusiasm which has
devoted life and mind to oriental and
Biblical lure
Lie is very short, most Of US discover
that just as wc begin to work, our day
is gone-crc We are conscious of the me-
ridian, the heightened shades "f eve
ming arc stretched over departed past,
aud vt this rare man, while We Swcre
busted with the small affairs of life, has
been gathering all the wisdom Of the
sagcs, prophets and s"crs Of the past.
\ storm prevented the lecture On his
loved theme, Palestine, but under the
pressure Of earnest solicitation he has
promised to remain day or two longer,
and to crafty US with it; and, if posi-
BILE, he will at an early day, repeat the
lecture on Iliroglyphics. in response
to many friends who were prevented
from hearing it.
REUOROAN