Middletown transcript., 1871-06-03
popular Blisttllann.
THE WISDOM or THE EGYPTIANS.


The moderns arc accustomed to pooh
pool, good deal at people so unfortunate
as to live before this nineteenth century
but just to think what some of these re-
mote people and times did manage to find
out and accomplish for themselves. There
was Egyp.-oldcst aud wiscst Of nations
what a record for her is dcciphercd, in
the last fifty years, Of her past.
What did tho old Egyptian know about
the oldest Of the arts, about farming? lie
knew how to manage his great rivcr---thc
one source Of moisture and fertility in that
clmatc--so as TO turn the desert beyond
its banks into garden and mako Egypt
storchousc and granary for the surround
ing cations. lie built reservoirs so huge
as to retain sufficient water from the over
flowing river TO feed it when it subsided--
a lake four hundred and fifty miles around
and three hundred feet dcep-and this fit
ted up with n sLillful system OF foodgntcs
dams and locks These were water works
on -iupcndous scale. truly.
As to what he knew about building who
has ret heard Of his pyramids, those vast
/ masses. some OF which were old in the time
Of Abraham, aud We, built with such faith
funcss and skill tha, the masonry is still
perfect? He knew how to quarry and
move huge blocks Of stone. ninety feet in
length, aud then cover them with accu-
rate and beautiful chiscling The whole
land was full Of these wonderful statues.
obelisks, tonlbs. and temples.
About manufacturing, he knew how to
weave linen so fine TINT each separate
thread was composed of thrcc hundred and
,ixty-iivc small threads twisted together
He knew how to dye it purple, and blue,
and scarlet. and how TO cmbroilcr it lie
knew how TO get iron and copper from
mines nj Sinai. anl how to make useful
tools Of them when obtained
But what did he know about science
llc understood geometry well enough, at
least, & r land surveying Ilr understood
The rotunlity of the earth. the suns con-
iral place in the solnr system. tho obliqni.
" Of the cclirtc lie could farctcll cclip.
scs, the position of the planets. the true
length # the year. lie had found ont n
method Of notation two of them, in Iced
the decimal and the duoIccmal As for
chemistry, its very name (frpm Chemi,
which means Egypt . tells us where il was
rlrst studied No wonder that the Ecyp-
iians 20, the reputation among their more
ignorant nci"hh0rs, Of 1pine mneeans.
As for books. the old EgyF'iaus made pa.
n1r and wrote ou II. nnd We havo now pa
pYrus rolls ual" in the time of the carly
Phareahs; hat hc went on further to turn
his buildings. his ohel.ka. even his collins
into books, inscrhing them with histories
and biographies. by representing on them.
through paintings and sculpture, all his
occupations and bclief., his hopes and
fuars
One asks in wonder where he 90, NIL
this knowledge Ancient Greece went to
him for it Just ms the American goes ta
Germany. We can trace the germs, Mt
least. Of our science and ar, to nations r. :
moved from us By agPs hut whom did
, the Egyptians learn from: Were these
sons Of Ham the first to develop 10 such a
marvellous degree the arts Of life? bid
they find on, hy original observation what
has been transmitted 10 us; And through
what remote antiquity were they slowly
| wv - Ittta ''N NH''H
fed them to establish such stable inslitu.
tions. such settled tra litions, such attain
mcnts in science aud art
r No one can tell. II point bHyond
: our fatthcst traditions her records show
, her to us rich; powerful. cultivated, skill
ful Of the long ages before she was abl,
. to record her changes time has long oblitc
rated all traces The world had long for
r gotten all about her. till the researches ol
4, the las, hnlf-ccnturv brought to light be-
long g-buricd life. Strange enough it is Il
he brought face to face with the mnnn
men,s of civilization compared to whicl
all European history is but Of Yesterday
i, which was old in the days Of Abraham
and to find there 50 much in common will
\ our own. Scientific lmcrican