Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-07-17
The War in Egypt Viewed in the Light of Pro-
pheoY,

New YORK, July 1.-THE Rev. DR.. F. S.
DE Haas, who was for two years the Amer
lean Consul at Jerusalem and is IN Oriental
traveller of considerable experience, preach
ed sermon last night in the Central Meth
odist Episcopal Church of Williamsburg, of
which he is pastor, on Egypt in the Light of
Prophecy" taking as his text the words
And will set the Egyptians against the
Egyptians. " And the Egyptians will |
give oyer into the hand of a cruel lord, and
fierce king shall rule over them" One
would almost suppose, the preacher said, that
these words had been written within the last
year, il not within the last week. The burn
ing of Alexandria had created II fresh inter-
est III the many prophecies concerning
egypt, and il Was likely TO set all Europe
allame before the final issue. The history of
Egypt covered the history of the world :;
bloody conflicts had been fought on Egypt
IAN soil from the earliest days till the valley
Of the Nile was now II vast cemetery. con-
tanning buried cities and races. The preach
er briefly reviewed the history of Egypt
For tWenty-four centuries no native had fill-
ed the throne, thus fulfilling the prophecy {:
The sceptre of Egypt shall depart She
shall be the basest of the Kingdoms, and
there shall be no more prince of the land
| OF Egypt" The descent of the Arabs from
lslmael was referred to as an evidence of
the iuliilment Of the prophecy that Ishmacl
would be wild man, his hand against every
man and every mans hand against him.
The Arabs were the same savages that they
were over three thousand wears ago.
Five millions of the basest, poorest, most
cowardly, most trcacherUus and most cruel
OF the Arabian race were settled in Egypt.
They were mostly Of the Fellahecn or Agr.
cultural class. They ploughed, sowed and
reaped as their ancestors did 1000 years ago
They adored Mohammed, who himself was
an Arab camel driver, and regarded the
Shereef of Mecca with superstitious rever-
ence, placing him far above the Sultan or
the Khedive. This was the religious ele-
ment in the Egyptian question The Egyp-
tan Arabs under Arab Bey were religious
fanatics and fatalists. If they succeeded in
provoking holy war it would yet spread
over Europe, Asia and Africa. 1t was just
such desperate men, fired by fanatcsm
who had once placed the Crescent ut the
very gates of Vienna, and on the walls of
Granada in Spain. The green flag Of the
prophet was the same symbol of faith that
was used by the Mohammedans during their
wars against the crusaders. The only thing
that could prevent holy war was the posi-
bility of internal discussions between the
seventy-three different factions of Moham-
medans
Dr. De Hass in closing said that Mohammed Es
Senoussi, who claims to be the long prophesied
Moslem Messiah who was to appear about this
time. was drawing to himself vast numbers of dis
ciples, chilly because of the fact that he was forty
years old, and that one of his arms was longer
than the other, thus answering the description of
the long promised Moslem Messiah 1t was be.
lieved by many that he and his hosts would Join
Arab Bey. If this belief was true, and if Arab
Bey Was also in league with the Shereef of Mecca,
he would have 100000 of fierce, determined
men at his back, and the battle of Cog and Magoe
might soon be fought on the banks of the Nile.
If the war should be made holy war against
Europe the result would be the Christian occu- |