Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-03-05
The Fam.
From the RaRal CaFolinlan
rae dignity Of AgrisultaTO.

South Carolina, was covered In the
DAYS Of DiOdOrus SiGulus, with
fifteen thousand cities aud towns,
containing q population OF per-
hans seven millions. The stupen-
dous ruins which remain bear Wit
ness 10 the science, wealth and
grandeur-of that land Of wonder,
al a very early period and for many
centuries. The capitol building At
Morris, for the accommodation Of
the government, consisted, accord
ing TO Heroditus, Of twelve vast
halls, surrounded by three thou
sand chambers. The Egyptians
had little, If any, commerce with
nations in early times, and all this
amazing wealth and grandeur were
due 70 agriculture alone. To reg
u!ate this first Of arts, 10 stimulate
industry, to cultivate The homeiy
virtues, were the main ends OF
government and religion. Indeed
to the ancient Egyptians a%gricult-
ure was religion. In that> far.of
backward and abyss of time-the
prehistoric age OF maR-this wise
people had beyond all manner Of
question a knowledge Of the true
God. Him they symbolized, even
as we do, under three aspects, per-
sonal persons, /. G., masks, or APP
pearances &; and their Phthar, Meth
and Guelph, the most ancient trini-
ty of oneness, corresponds to ours.
Their wise priesthood long had a
knowledge of symbolism, since
lost to the world, and understood
the true Specification of all natural
objects and operations. The sun
in his heat teppifed Gods love /; in
his light Gods wisdom, and in his
active, productive energy, the spirit
of goodness. They beheld, in the
universal cosmos, marriage as the
primal principal underlying all
things here and hereafter. The suA
was masculine, as it is with Us the
moon feminine. Descending into
lower degrees, the water was mas.
c%uline, the earth feminine. They
spoke, >as we do, Of Mother
ElrtA," but with inf ute difference.
We use the word poetically the
Egyptians and the early Greeks,
religiously and devoutly. Ceres,
\ from which we derive our word
cereal., was with the Greeks Demo
ter or Gemeter, that is, "MothcT
Earth. Isis came finally TO be
wOrshipped as the chief deity OF
Egypt, and the name is from l. 81,
signifying fertility in the language
OF that country. To one people
Gods power was the most impress
sive quality, and they would SYM
bolize Him as a lion; 10 another,
His providence or ar-seeingness,
aud they would give to Jove an
eagle. But the goodness. benefi-
cenee and usefulness of the deity
most profoundly impressed the
devout minds OF the ancient Egyp-
tian priesthood, and they SYM
bolized this Qnality or appear
ance or person Of God under the
form Of that animal which is of all
the most perfect form of charity or
~benefcence 10 man. With tie bull
they plowed their land and trod ont
the grain aud there is nothing of
the COW in body or in operation
which Is not II use 70 man. The
people, soon losing sigh, ofthe beau
titui living parable, ieIl to worship
ping the animal itself. Hence the
worship Of the cali by the children
Of Israel, which they had been
taught in Egypt. Osiris was the
masculine principle ofuse Isis the
feminine. Osiris was Father Nile /;
Isis, Mother Earth, Mother Egypt.
All their greater gods were but
phases Of the sun. When be touch
ed the ecliptic, entering our hemis.
phere, the sun was Ammon, and q
ram Was sacrificed 20 him. Hence
our sign of Aries at tia: point. As
he assembled TO the highest point,
and exhibited his power, be was
Horus aud the lion.
AT the 2uiumnal equinox he be-
came Scraps and died at the WIN
ter soistice. Then about Christmas
the young god Harpocrales was
born. II when the sun passed out
Of our hemisphere Isis wept for the
death OF Osiris, SO, too, did Ceres
or Demeter bewail the loss of her
Proserpine, the terminating and
tructifying principle. When Pro-
serpine in spring came from the
arms Of Pluto and kissed his
mnther-when Osiris embraced her
wife-the genial earth teemed with
kindly iruitage. Still the earth
had 10 be TILED by the hand of la
Dor, and the wise priesthood made
agriculture u WORKSHOP Of God. In
all the Operations Of nature and oil
Man, the great secret was revealed
that they were but sy mbolical OF
parabolical of the mind and of the
soul. The Kingdom of Heaven il
as If a man should cast seed into
the earth which brings forth first
the blade, then the stalk lastly, the
full ear; and Divine Wisdom has
likened the truths Of His Word Il
seed planted In various soils, yield.
ing sometimes no product, some,
times again producing an hundred
fold Of grain. The tillAge Of thC
soil in eli its operations, is but {
series Of beautiful parallels Of the
tillage Of the mind and soul Of man
So full Of dignity and sanctity wal
agriculture to the wisest Of people
that the King Of ancient Egypt
himself q priest, went forth IRON
his palace after the annual subsi.
dence Of the Nile, accompanied BY
the priests, and laying his hand "a