Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-04-17
4 ln0d PaleI's Inconsistency.


The Ne,o York Observer has a
correspondent in Egypt who gives
to it an excellent letter from Cairo
which appears in the last number.
Those parts of the letter which are
devoted 10 accounts Of the Nahdi,
Gordon and Missionary work we
must omit as requiring too much
space and, besides, much Of it is
news transmitted here from day to
day for more than a month past.
The conclusion Of the letter treats
only of tho condition Of the Egyp-
tan people, and country, and pre-
sent3 a picture of their burdens and
sunerings which should shock the
humanities and shake civilization
and Christianity to their centres.
1t reads as follows:
81 ought not TO omit a few words
about the bearings Of these troubles
upon the material condition of
Egypt. In that direction the out.
look il as sad and dark as anything
can be. The poor Fellaheen are
bowed down to the earth by their
burdens, and the English occu-
patton has made their lot worse
than before. Look at these facts
The debt Of Egypt is now one
hundred and twenty milllOas Of
p0unds-six hundred millions OF
dollars bearing interest at four,
four and one .halfand five per cent;
say a charge of twenty-five millions
of dollars per amman. Now, re-
member that there are five millions
of inhabitants in Egypt and five
millions Of arabic acres. Agri-
culture is all that the country can
depend upon, ~ there are almost
no manufactures and no mines. 1t
follows that erery acre of ground
has TO support one person and to
pay a tax to the debt Of five dol
lars a year, and besides this has to
pay for artificial irrigation and for
all the running expenses Of govern.
ment. Egyptian land is very fer
tile, but is there any soil on earth
that can sustain such demands
The consequences is the squalor,
the misery, the unutterable wretch
edness OF these FIVE millions OF
people. But all the officials are
living in clover, and the English
officials, who now ill almost every
prominent position, arr drawing
salaries ont Of all proportion TO
the pay rendered for similar ser
vices ID England or India. For
example, General Stone, the Amerl-
can who was Chief of Staff here
for many years, received 81 900.
Sir Evelyn Wood, who succeeded
him, gets GlOO0 for the Same ser
vice. And this is au instance, not
an exception"
An acre to the soul and a tax of
five dollars on each acre per year,
for interest on debt alOne-debt
coerced and held by England who
makes Egyptians her soil workers
and compels purchases Of her
manufactures. At the same time
the Egyptians must pay for the
maintenance Of an Eaglish mill
tary government to keep them in
slavery.
All tins is done in the name of
British civilization and Church of
England Christianity.
We have carefully read the
"Observcr" for a long time
altogether several years. We can
not understand how it can edi-
torialIy take sides with England in
her enslavement and murder policy,
and call such burdened people as
the Egyptians "rebels." England
can have no right in Egypt except
that Of might. Gordon believed
in good treatment and kindly
government. He dieda martyr to
English tyranny over Egypt rather
than the victim of Egyptian cruelty.
Even those who had loved him
betrayed him to death because he
was an Englishman and England
had become hated. May the day
soon come when greater charity will
abound in the religious press.
"Reslstance to tyranny is obedi-
ence to God"