The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-07-27
ALEXANDRIA,

eyes OF the world, some focal centre where
the interests, sympathies and speculations of
the great heart of humanity should find q
common meeting ground-ever since the
time when the generations of Noah went
forth and bu ded cities, "Nineveh and Erech,
Rehoboth and Calah," the cities of the plain
foredoomed to swift destruction In their i'm
pious pride OF wealth and power; communi-
ties, nations, tribes whose sole history is en-
braced in name upon the pages of scripture
or inscribed in mystic characters upon the
scrolls of Talmud.
That history repeats itself, and that events
of great moment recur with almost mathe-
NAUTICAL precision as to time and circumstance,
has become trusm of philosophy. Some
small, halt-forgottcn principally rises now
and then to assert her right to a vote in the
parliament of nations, or to remind us by
| high-sounding pronunciamento that she must
not be counted out when the balance of power
| is to be readusted just now the focal point
| to which the eyes of the Universe are drawn
is city, which, to the greater half of the
world, has long been name only-whose
:,
and grandeur of mighty past, has to later
generations been practically dead letter.
The fallen columns of Thebes and Palmyra,
central in the desert; the pyramids tracing
sharp outlines against burning eastern skies !;
the weird yisage of the Sphinx gazing right
on with calm eternal eyes," sleep-haunted
realm lotos land whose heroes
olive and lie reclned
ON hills ike Gods together, careless of mankind;
-Nilus, a sluggish tide, crawling sleepily
among overhanging palms and through arid
sand fields. Pictures like these are familiar to
the Imagination as associated with the name
of Egypt. The boom of cannon, the sharp
rattle of musketry, all the hideous parapher-
MALTA of modern warfare. break dscordantly
upon the sumbrous scene. "War in Egypt"
as public announcement, can lay no claim
to novelty. Time and again the selfsame cry
has startled the centuries ever since the -four
kings against five" joined battle in the vale Of
Siddim. To trace in brief outline even the
story of these battles would be to summarize
the history of the world 1t is with the Egypt
OF to day, the Egypt of Turkish rule and of
Anglo-French domination that we have chiefly
to do.
Long before Alexander, of Macedon, by the
inspiration of the military strategst, discern
ed the Importance of the locality as key to
all the Nile country. the island of Pharos was
renowned and fought for by wandering sea
tribes of the Greek and Phenican coasts.
The city of Alexandria proper was founded
332 B. G. Its architect, Dinocrates, and its
site the Cunopic delta of the Nile. Few cities
in the worlds history can number so MANY
years of existence or such strange vicissitudes
of fortune. In the zenith of her power and
splendor she numbered over 100000 OF free
inhabitants. Schools of science, art and phi
losophy were founded and flourished; the
trade of all nations filled her ports scholars of
every nationality sought access to her marvel
lous library; poets of all tongues sang the
paons of her grandeur. Here the prosecuted
Church of Christ early found an asylum,
and here through the Septuagint version the
Scriptures were first given to the heathen.-
The reconcile learning of the Egyptian phi
losophers. whose tastes had always led them
to investigate the mysterious workings of
natural laws, laid the foundation for scientists
of all succeeding generations. To this intel
lectual mart the versatile Greek the dogmatic
Jew, the dev0tee of Buddh and Brahma all
brought their stores of knowledge and learn
ing. Alexandria rapidly became polyglot
and cosmopolitan centre The enlightened
sovereignty of the earlier Ptolemies favored
the highest culture of intellect and the ad
yancement of art. In 48 B. c. the city was
first besieged by Julius Caesar and in less than
q score of years it fell permanently under
Roman supremacy. Many of its costly treas
ures of art and learning were carried off to
Rome, and its magnificent public structures
defaced by successive attacks of the Roman
army. 1t retained its position as CONNER
cal power, however, until the establishment
of the seat of empire at Constantinople, when
It's prestige began rapidly to decline. In 1897
the opening of the Cape route to India and
the tar East completed its decay. Its many
famous monuments are either laid in ruins br
transferred to other lands. POmpey's pillar
lies crumbling and mutilated, while of the two
famous obelisks which bore the name and
commemOrated the wtchery of Egypts dark
proved Queen, one everlooks the tranquil
Thames and:the other rears its mystic head
Park. Strange stories they might tell, these
mysterious visitors to our newworld shores
of their life in Egypt,-"the dalliance and the
wit, the flattery and the strife" while they
drank the Libyan sun for centuries and
dreamed not Of any seas beyond the tideless
waters of the Nile, or of other lands beside
the palm-shaded vistas of Campus.
The modern city OF Alexandra is built upon
the cause-way which formed a natural bridge
between the island of Pharos and the main
land. OF late years and under Anglo-Freneh
protection and patronage it has regained much
Of its former importance and prosperity
The existing system of government was in
stituted by Mehemet Ali in 1906 The old
system of misgovernment or no-government,
every man fighting for his own and winning
or losing according to his proves, had gone
on since Egypt, in 1917 had lost her indie
pendence and become Turkish dependency
or Pashalik. The Mamelukes were the virtual |
masters of the situation and OF the people, |
though the visible ruler was the nominee of |
the Sultan. The Mameluke hordes, by their
system of terrorism, saved him the trouble of |
exerting such minimum of administrative |
energy rs the average Turkish deputy is pos
sessed Of SO long as he could live sumptu- |
ously in the midst of his harem, with liberal |
allowance of wives and hasheesh, it was mat
ter of sublime Indifference to him how public |
affairs prospered or how many of his humber
subjects suffered torture or rapine, that the
Mameluke noble might vie with him in luxu-
rious living. The Revolution of 1880, how
ever, had shed some new light upon such
theories of government, and Republican
France assumed another view of the Pasha's
duties in the matter and of the prerogatives
of the Mameluke feudal estate, The battle of
the Pyramids fought July 21st, 1899, and the
wholesale slaughter of Murad Bey's army,
gave the death blow to this rapacious organi-
cation, and new order OF things was begun
for the peasantry of the Nile lands In 1905
the French were compelled to surrender their
costly and troublesome acquisition to the
EnOliSh The noliov Of tho LOT or u,o,,lJ To-. |