Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-29
BOOKS ON EGYPT.

Whose imagination has not been fred
by the hope of visiting the cradle of civ
iiization, of sailing up the mysterious
river, OF exploring the pyramids, of be-
holding the magnifcence of great al
Cairo: Egypt is to-day what she has so
often been since the days of
Pythagoras, the mark of the
universal eye. A catalogue of the W orks
On the great mother of civilization would
itself fill large volume; we propose merely
to speak of q few books suitable to the
general reader. George Ebers' novels,
kingsley's Hypatia. Paigrave's Herman
Agha, and e. W. Lanes work, The Modern
Egyptians, give one with little labor some
insight into the Egypt of the Pharoahs,
the Ptolemies, the Caesars, and the caliphs.
"Uarca,' which paints the period of Egypt's
glory, is the most interesting of Ebers'
novels. Is owes its interest, however, to
the clear information it gives Us of that
dim period, when the muEnmies that are
now pulling the custom house keepers,
walked about imperial Thebes, in all their
glory, the envy Of the world OF the art
of novel writing, Ebers possesses, we are
sorry TO say, as little as most Germans. of
genius. There is something sadly pathetic
in The hope expressed by that ablest of
Psychologists. that his last work will prove
e work of art. A historical novel is in
deed of all subjects the most difficult to
make artistic. The difficulty increases
with the knowledge of the writer. Kings
ley and Bulwer owe in great
measure;their success in Hypatia and the
Last Days of Pompeii to their ignorance.
g. source Of knowledge from which Profess
sor Ebers is debarred. In "Uarda" Ebers
depicts the time of Egypt's glory,when her
kings were the most powerful sovereigns in
the world. The Egyptian Princes treats
Of the Persian conquest. In the SISTERS"
of the reign Of the Greek Ptoiemies (of
whom the famous Cleopatra was one,
though supposed by Story the sculptor and
by Hawthorne to have been an Egyp-
tian). In the Emperor who is no
other than Hadrian, the story describes the
state of Egypt under the Roman donin-
ion. Kdngsiey's Hypatia treats of the some
what later time of the Neo-platoniste,
when the religions OF the world we're en-
gagged in fight for supremacy at Alexan-
dria-renewing in a spiritual way that war
for universal empire, which in a grosser
form had been ended blythe Roman arms.
In the East the manners and customs of
the people change slowly, and singularly
enough. the little novel of Palgrave. and
Lanes wonderful work though written but
a few years ago, probably give Us correct
pictures of the centuries of that Arab life
which will soon pass away.
The old romantic East is indeed fast
yielding to railroads, telegraphs and free
trade, and we are fortunate to have had
so faithful painter as Lane seize the pic
ture before It faded.
Palgrave's novel has its domicil, it is
true, not in Egypt but in Anatolia. 1t,
however, emphasizes the distinction be-
tween the ARAB children of the town, and
of the desert, and above all the antago-
nism between the Arab and the
Turk, want of accurate knowledge of
which has so confused all accounts and all
understanding of the late Egyptian war.
Lanes book is, however, the standard
work on this subject, and if studied in
connection with the Thousand and One
Nights, would almost exhaust the subject
of Arab manners.
The central city Of the Arabic race is
Cairo. It was here Mr.. Lane spent so
many years preparing his work on modern
Egyptians.
He gives humorous account Of one of
his teachers, Sheykh Ahmad. This worthy
was bookseller by trade and of sect of
dervishes whose business it was to eat live
serpents. Ahmad with the fervent hunger
of youth not content with so facile diet
on one occasion deveured a large piece of
glass. For this act of supererogation he
was at once ''fsed OUT by the conservative
deryishes. It was only after repeated pun
ishments by the sfeyks that his abnormal
eepTeda.ions.
Egypt, Lane thinks. if all the the soil is
utilized, is capable of supporting about
eight millions of people. This was prob
ably about its population in the time of
the Pharoahs, which was diminished by at
least one-half under the Greek rule.
After its conquest by AMIR its first Arab
governor, Egypt was settled by Arab
tribes and families from the de sert. Like
the conquerors of France and England the
Arabs intermarried freely with the con-
quered race. This union with the Copts
produced a race with Caucasian traits in
Ginning somewhat towards the negro. and
made the great division Of the Arabs into
Arabs of the town and Bedawees. or Arabs
of the desert. Their purer blood is mat
ter of great pride with the latter.
The common people of Egypt are called
Fellaheen singular Fellah), and are
addressed CONTEMPORARY by the Turks as
Ahl-Far'oon, or people of Pharoah; to
which the feilah retorts, if he dare, with
the epithet Ahs-Nemrood or people of
Nimrod.
The Nile, which is the father and feeder
of Egypt, begins to rise about the summer
solstice, and reaches its greatest height by
the autnmnal equinox. There is no rain
except near the sea, and the peasants can
lay their plans without that uncertainty
which turns orr own farming country into