The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-10-28

l
the tyrant took It for granted that was
a sign TO stop the massacre and hence
the commemorative pillar to his mercy.
This is the city to which Omar came
after building fourteen hundred
mosques and destroying four thousand
temples and thirty-6ve Thousand VIII
lagos and castles, yet riding in on a
camel with sack OF corn, a sack OF figs
and wooden plate, all that he had kept
for himself, and the diet to which he
had limited himself for most Of the time
was bread and water. Was there ever
In any other man commingling OF ele-
ments so strange, so weird, SO generous,
30 cruel, SO mighty, so weak, SO religl-
GUS, so fanatical? In this city was
the greatest female lecturer the
world ever saw-Hypatia. But the
lessons Of v.s:.ce that she taught ~ere
obnoxious and so they dragged her
through the streets and scraped her
flesh from her bones with sharp oyster
shells and then burned the fragments
of the massacred body. And here dwelt
/ Cleopatra, pronounced to be the beauty
of all time-although II her pictures are
correct have seen thousand women
in Brooklyn more attractive, and she
was as bad as she was said to be hand
some Queen, conqueress and spoke
seven languages, although it would
have been better for the world If she
had never been able to speak any.
Julius Cesar conquered the world, yet
she conquered Julius Caesar.
But Alexandria, fascinating for this
or that thing, according to the taste OF
the visitor, was to me most entertaining
because it had been the site of the
greatest library that the world ever
saw, considering the fact that the art OF
printing had not been invented. Seven
hundred thousand volumes and all me
work Of slow pen. But down it all
went under the torch of the besiegers.
Built again and destroyed again. Built
again but the Arabs came along for its
final demolition and the 1000 baths OF
the city were heated with those vol
umes, the fuel lasting six months, and
were ever fires kindled at such
fearful costP What holocausts OF the
worlds literature! What martyrdom
of books! How many Of them have
gone down under the rage OF nations
Only one book has been able to with
stand the bombardment and that has
gone through without smell OF fire on
its lids. No sword or spear or musket
for It's defense. An unarmed New Tes-
lament. An unSrmed Old Testament.
Yet invulnerable and triumphant.
There must be something supernatural
about il. Conquerer OF books! Monarch
of books! All the books OF all the ages
in NIL the libraries outshone by this one
book which you and can carry to
church in pocket. So methought amid
the ashes Of Alexandrian libraries
But all aboard the Egyptian rail train
going up the banks OF the Nilel Look
out of the window and see those camel'
kneeling for the imposition Of then
load. And think we might take from
them lesson, and instead of trying Il
stand upright in our own strength, be
come conscious of our weakness ant
need Of divine help before we take upoi
!, us the heavy duties OF the year or tn
|. week or the day. and so .kneel for tn
burden. We meet professions of mel
and beasts on the way from their day
, work, but alas, for the homes to whicl
: the poor inhabitants are going. Forth
most part novels of mud. But there
:, something in the scene that thorough
. enlists us tits the novelty Of wretched
ness and scene Of picturesque rags
: For thousands Of years this land ha
|. been under very damnation OF taxes
Nothing but Christian civilization wi
: roll back the influences which ar
= "spoiling the Egyptians" There ar
! gardens and palaces, but they belong
!. the rulers.
= About here, under the valiant Mura
. Rev, the Mamelukes, who'are the fine'
- horsemen in all the world, came like
= hurricane upon Napolean's army, b'
~ they were beaten back by the Frenc
~ IN one OF the fiercest battles of all tim
~ Then the Mamelukes turned the
20 horses heads the other way, and in de
- peration backed them against Il
~ :. French troops, hoping the horses wou
!, kick the life out OF the French reg
- ments The Mamelukes, failing agai
~ plunged into this Nile and we
!" drowned, the French for days fishir
~ out the dead bodies Of the Mameluk
- TO get the valuables upon their bodiC
Napoleon, at the daring Of these Nam
lukes, exclaimed, "oould have unit
M =. the Mameluke horse with the Fren
-. infantry would have reckoned mys,
"a master Of the world" b.
~ This ride along the Nile Is one OF I
~ most solemn and impressive rides Of
ics my lifetime, and otif emotions deep
Ia as the curtains Of the night fall up
~ all surroundings. Bat we shall not
;n satisfied until we'can take ship a
vsr pass right out tpon these wondrc
a. waters aud between the banks crowd
he with the story Of empires.
row According 10 the lead pencil mark
md my Bible IL was Thanksgiving d
. - morning, November 9s, 1889, that W
hnt nv family and friends we stepI
20 aboard the steamer on the Nile. 4
we Mohammedan call 10 prayers had bt
ian sounded by the priests Of that religi
all the Muezzins, from the four humid
uch mosques Of Cairo as the cry went Q
the 'God is great bear witness that tn
one 10 no God but God / bear witness Z
the Mohammed is the apostle Of @
"A Come 10 prayers Come to salyati
by God is great There is no OF
was but God Prayers ar" better u
iris, sleep" The sky city
| ..-.wo. and rix ,fn0 xp