The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-04
ANCIENT AND MODERN.
Amelia Il. Edwards on the Liberty OF the
Women of Ancient Egypt.

Amelia Il. Edwards on the Liberty of the
Women of Ancient Egypt.
Editor IF0md1'S Column, Morning Call:
Miss Edwards holds a rather unique place
in the world, for she is bright, attractive
woman who has chosen to forsake the So
ciaI realm in which she was born to cover
herself with archaeological dust As girl
she preferred Egyptian antiquities in the
British Museum TO Accomplishments"
She left society to go off to Philfe and
Luxor, to crawl through t0mbs and de-
cipher dead language, and her reward is
membership in many of the learned So
cieties, a string of initials to her name more
numerous than the sections of the moral
law, all given by admiring Swans, and
medals and badges conferred by royalty
enough to start museum. She Is acknOwl-
edged authority on archaeology and helps to
prove that men and women have the same
tastes and ability. Not many care TO grope
in caves and pyramids; not many enjoy
dealing with Arab Telic-dealerS; not many
can manage an eXcavating party not many
can see the beauties OF a nud-encrusted
scarabeuS; but among the few Is one
woman greatly honored by her brethren of
like taste. This woman has spent several
months in America and her soJourn was
one long ovation, but though her depart
ment is very popular because ancient in
situations are safe subject OF thought, not
hitting any ones preJudices, Miss Edwards
managed to brush off the dust and show the
real people who lived in those far-away
days, and to demonstrate that AL flesh is
grass" and very much alike. She is
woman sutfragSt and has made special
study OF the woman question in ancient
Egypt, and done the world service by
giving added testimony to what we already
know. During q lecture she delivered re-
comfy Slsp p1St fresh and startling liplt
upon the power and authority IF woman,
legally and otherwise, upon the early and
middle dynasties in Egypt From the time
of the pyramids TO the reign of the PtOemys
woman was, legally and socially, mans
equal in every way, and at times, she be-
lieyed, his superior. Women carried on
business in their own names, entirely dis
tinct from their husbands. Many legal doc
uments have been discovered which throw
interesting light on these subjects. Deeds =,
and mortgages we're made in those days as
tley are now, and their legal squaObleS did
not differ IN many essential characteristics
from those reported by the daily press to-
day. Marriage contracts which have been
discovered show that state of affairs pre-
vailed contrary TO present customs. Then
the man promised TO serve the wife in all
things, and many other curious things are
revealed by the national matrimonial law Of
that day. Several betrOthal and marriage
contracts, translated from papyrus found by
Tue tA piOTeIc, were Tea0 Dy MISS tSuWaFuS 10
cOrroborate and illustrate her remarks. The
man accepted the woman to be his wife and
she became possessed of not only her own
property but all Of her husbands. 1t was
hers absolutely. On the other hand the
wife engaged to provide the husband with
food ana clothing and to see that his body
was properly embalmed alter death. But
in the course OF years this condition OF
affairs changed, and in the time of Darius !,
when the Persians occupied Egypt and
HerodOtus made his visit to the Nile, the
.betrothal contracts were addressed by the
woman to the man, and she promised TO pay
damages if she despised him or took another
man in his place as husband. The man
when he married took the name of
his vile, and the sons that were born
to them adopted their mothers name.
Gradually, however, the status of woman
changed. In the time of the Romans the
Egyptian man and woman executed deeds
jointly, until the time of the Arabian
descent and the coming of the Moham-
medaDs, when woman lost her position and
rights and became an AFFECT slave.
From the testimony presented it appears
that the women Of ancient times were not
all slaves; they were more nearly on an
equality with men than are women to-day.
In those days few men, or women either,
had political liberty; to-day in our country
all men are s0verelgnS, all women serfs.
and if a man chooses to be as mean as the
law permits. his wife is a slave, and the
contrast between her position and that of
her husband is greater than that between
the ancient Egyptian husband and his wife.
For man there has been evolution. In our
country-not in most cOuntTieS-it comes
from political liberty. But woman still
lives in the feudal ages, and the children
of the free man and the vassal wife lack
the spirit and courage which can alone be
inherited from free mothers. S. S.
GilrOy July. 1890.