The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-04-09
COLUNTBIsA. s. G.
Saturday morning. April 8, 1870.
Thd Ph~nls.
A correspondence the Marion

and learning, smadesher the glory of the
world, the garden spot OF the earth;
when her yerdant' valleys, watered by
her seven riversgg CLEANED forth, emerald
hued from the brown Nubian sands, pre-
Henting beautiful and changing pano.
rama OF
Gardens and pillared streets, and porphyry
And hiyh bull. temple, at to be the home.
OF mighty gods; and pyramids, whose hour
Outlasts all time;
When the youthaof all nations eagerly
sought shrines to, quaff from her full cup,
the wine Of knogledge;. numerous and
profound were the mysteries taught by
powerful and subtle priesthood.
Superficial inquirers have supposed
that the religion of this ancient kingdom
was of the grossest character, being a
species Of idolatry, having for it's objects
various animals; sncl, as the OK, the dog,
the serpent, the beetle, the frog. But
though the common people paid adora-
ton to these, they were regarded by the
educated upper classes only as symbols
of the attributes of their deities. Against
these gross external objects of worship,
the Almighty, BY the instrumentality Of
Moses, directeds the ten plagnes. each OF
which was calculated to destroy some
one of Interpretations Of Egypt. Among
the many legends Of figurative charac-
ter, with which their sacred books
abound, none is more striking than the
fable of the Phoenix. According to it,
there was but one Phoenix in tho whole
world, and ut the season of the vernal
equinox. this beautiful sole representa-
tive of its species, came flying from the
East, Westward to On, the great city of
Lo
of Osiris, on the apex of whose summit
sun, the tutelar god of the city. Having
reached this blazing image or shield OF
gold, the PhoeniA lighted thereon, and
was consumed in the fiery radiance. In
stautly, an egg appeared in the funeral
pyre, which was presently warmed into
life by the heat, which has destroyed it's
parent. The new bird, then spreading
its bright wings, flew away, to return no
more for 651 years. Beneath this poetic
legend is hid len an actual astronomical
truth; as under the names of Apis and
Mnevis, the priests of that ancient land
typified the irresistible omnipotence of
their presiding deity, Osiris; and under
numberless symbols, taught pantheistic
religion, wholly different from the poly
theism of the Greeks and Romans.
The Phoenix is the emblem of the
planet Mercury, as Osiris is of the Sun !;
and it's consuming itself on the fiery
shield typifies the transit of Mercury
across the disc of the sun, during which
the planet appears to be swallowed up,
being lost in the superior glory of the
sun, after emerging from which it is
again visible-an event which occurs
once in 651 years. The course of the
planet is from East to West, as that of
the Phoenix was said to be; and as the
devoted bird was attended by glittering
train, 30 the planet in thu approach Of
the SUM accom- panied by many small,
scintillating stars. This fable of the
Phoenix has been recalled to our m EN- ory,
vague rs the connection may seem. by
the accounts that have reached us OF the
recent disastrous fire in oar dear, native
village. Many of our friends there are
probably now in u situation similar, per
haps worse, than numbers of Southern
ers at the conclusion of the lnte war.
Burned out of house and home," in
want of all things. business brought to
q sudden and terrible stand-still; the
very tools of the workman wrested from
him by the devouring flames. What shall
be done IN this extremity? Who shall
ooSaoo Iuo ShueIcES ny tulS Culu nifty!
We know the character OF onr towns
people; we know their charity to the
destitute, their tenderness for the
afflicted. In the night of sorrow they
give tear for tear; Us they also rejoice
with those that DO rejoice. Those Of
our people, therefore, upon whom this
calamity has fallen most heavily, cheered
by such sympathy, will not give way to
despair. The harp shall not be taken
from the willow; the desolute shall vet
be made glad.
We remember how, after the Soap
ture," sack and destruction of our beau
tifnl capital, Columbia, in the spring of
1865, there was brought to Marion a
thrilling account of the whole, in tiny
bit of a newspaper, about third a.
large as one of our present locals. It
was called the PHOENIX! 1t had risen
from the ashes of that most brilliant
spicy, war journal, the Curolnian.
through the enterprise of its able aud
indefatigable editor, Julian A. Selby,
who Was burned out in the great con-
fagration.
We believe the PHOENIX, precious sou-
venir of our lost cause, still hourishcs
in well-developed proportions.
The morale is encouraging, and We
4.