The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-07
Is the World Growing Wiser !.


OF nation, is record OF the advance OF
man from the first dawn of knowledge, by q
rather unsteady progression, to modern phil
osophy and arts and sciences, and that an
examination OF any considerable period OF
time is sure to show us mankind more ir-
structed and more capable at the end OF it
than at the beginning. Even to-day, any
other belief may be counted heretical, but
what are ne to think when the antiquary,
cropping in the dust OF five thousand years
ago for some rude specimens of the days of
Magog and Mizraim, breaks his shins against
an article q" perfect that it equals, if it does
not excel, e supreme stretch of modern
ability? How shall we support the theory,
if, before Noah was cold in his grave, his de-
scendants were adopts in construction and
in the fine arts, aud their achievements
were, for magnitude, such as We never at
tempt to emulate 1t is not intended to
answer these questions here. Our object is
rather to recapltulate some of the things
which one very old nation knew in early
days. This IS the subject OF apaper "About
What the Oh Egyptians Knew, III the Au
gust number OF BtackUooa. Every one of
US who knows anything ut all has pretty
correct implicit knowledge of Egypt, can
talk OF the PharaohS and Sesostris, OF the
pyramids, the sphinx, the obeliSks. But
when it comes to measuring, or defining, the
antiquity, the knowledge and the power, the
utterance is not soprompt 1t is good, then,
to talk over the things which have been es-
tablished regarding ancient Egypt and her
character, avoiding the discussions and con-
troversies which Time will probably deter
mine.
No trace OF the rude, savage Egypt has yet
been discovered. Our deepest researches
show her to us as only the mother OF most
accomplished race. How they came by their
knowledge is matter OF speculation-that
they possessed it is a matter OF fact. The
dyke BY which Menes diverted the stream Of
the Nile in the first historical reign, was
doubtless shown to Abraham, in whose day
the diversion of the river was as old story
as the account OF Joan of Arc, or Jack Cude,
is to U.s. Aud in the reign OF Meris was
formed an artificial lake four hundred and
fifty miles in circumference aud three hun
dred feet iu depth. 1t was owing TO old
Meris that once dry Egypt had corn enough
to spare when Syria aud Arabia tainted from
lack OF sustenance.
The mass OF masonry in the pyramids
would weigh s,3l5. 600 tons, anu the Joints
between the casing stones are not wider
than the thickness OF silver paper. O5elisks
ninety and statues forty feet high, each
fashioned out of one stone, were not uncom-
mon things. The blocks were clean slices
separated FROM the ndtive rock, not BY
wedges, by chiselliug and saving. The old
Egyptians knew better. A small groove
was cut, say one hundred feet long, and in
this number OF dry wooden wedges were
inserted then water was poured into the
groove, and the wedges expanding simulia-
neously, broke away the huge fragment US
neatly as 4 strip of glass is taken off by q
diamond And these stones We're wrought
and set with consummate skill. The famous
Labyrinth had 5000 chambers, and Herodo-
tus found the upper chambers 'to excel all
''other human productions" The ground
covered by the Temple OF Karnac is nearly
square, AMI the sides measured about one
thousand eight hundred English feet. Courts,
pillars, monolithic figures, sculptures, rows
OF sphinxes, are massed in such profusion,
that the sight is too much for modern COM
prehension. In one of its halls the Cathe-
dral of Notre Dame might stand and not
touch its walls. The whole valley and delta
OF the Nile was covered with temples, palaces,
toombs, pyramids and pillars. These works
were executed before the Exodus of Israel;
some of them before the visit OF Abraham.
The Egyptians were adepts in paper-lnak-
ing. Papyrus rolls, written in the days Of
the early Pharaohs, are yet in existence.
They had passion for writing. and every
surface that would receive hieroglyphics
was covered with inscriptions We did not
know, till fifty years ago, that papyri, as
well as rocks. co!fins, tombs and walls, had
any tale to tell.
Tie armies of Sesostris had war chariots
of a magnificent construction. Heavy arnl-
! ed warriors wore coats of mail. The SOL
diers used the bow, darts and slings, jave-
iins, spears and pixies. Scaling ladders and
battering-rams were well understood. While
Greece was at his horn book, Egypt was al
ready at her meridian: in wisdom, pre-eml-
rent; il. works, giant.
i Land surveying was well understood. The
Egyptians were observant astronomers, and
1.-THE rotundity Of the earth, the suns place in
1.-THE solar system, the ohliquity Of the eclip-
l.tic,. the starry composition OF the Milky Way,
land the borrowed light of the moon, are
Iithougtt by Wilkinson to have been no
lseccets TO them. They knew The true lcngth
;of the year Records were made every day
:of the RISING and setting OF the stars. The
true meridian had been ascertained before
ithe, ffst pyramid was built. They had the
decimal and sauodecimal modes Of arithme-