The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-10-30

the largest river of all the earth will
one exception.
But before we board the train WI
must take a look at Alexandria. L
was founded by Alexander the Great
and was once the New York, the Paris
the London Of the world. Temples
palaces, fountains, gardens, pillared
and efilorescent with all architecture
and Edenic grandeur and sweetness
Apollos, the eloquent, whom In New
Testament times some people tried tc
make rival to Paul, lived here Here
Mark, the author OF the second book OF
the New Testament, expired under
Nero's anathema. From here the ship
sailed that left Paul and the crew
struggling in the breakers of Melita.
Pompey's pillar is here, about one
hundred feet high, its base surrounded
by 80 much filth and squalor ! was glad
to escape into an air that was breath
able. This tower was built in honor OF
Diocletian for sparing the rebellious
citizens. After having declared that
he would make the blood run to his
horses knees, and his horse fell with
him into the blood and his knees red
dened, the tyrant took it for granted
that was sign he should stop the
massacre, and hence this comlnemora'
tive pillar to his mercy.
This is the city to which Omar came
after building fourteen hundred
mosques and destroying four thousand
temples and thirty-fve thousand vii.
lagos and castles, yet riding in on a
camel with a sack of corn, sack OF
figs and a wooden plate, all that he had
kept for himself, and the diet to which
he had limited himself for most OF tie
time was bread and water. Was there
ever in any other man a commingling
of elements so strange, so weird, SO
generous, SO cruel, so mighty, so weak,
so religious, SO fanatical9
In this city was the greatest female
lecturer the world ever saw-Hypatia
But the lesson of virtue that she taught
was obnoxious, and SO they dragged
her through the streets and scraped
her flesh from her bones with sharp
oyster shells and then burned the frag.
ments of the massacred body. And
here dwelt Cleopatra, pronounced to
be the beauty of all time-although if
her pictures are correct I have seen
thousand women in Brooklyn more at
she was as bad as she
was said to be handsome. Queen, con-
lueress, and spoke seven languages, al
though it would have been better for
the world if she had not been able to
speak any. Julius Cesar conquered
the world. yet she conquered Julius
Cesar.
CONQUEROR OF BOOKS.
But Alexandria, fascinating for this
or that thing. according to the taste Of
the visitor, was to me most entertain
ing 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 the work of slow pen. But down
it all went under the torch of besiegers.
Built again and destroyed again. Built
again, but the Arabs came along for
It's final demolition, and the four thou
'and baths of the city were heated
with those volumes, the fuel lasting six
and were ever fires kindled at
such fearful cost9 What holocausts of
The worlds literature9 What martyr.
lom of booksl How many of them
nave gone down under the rage of ma
ions.
Only one book has been able to with
stand the bombardment, and that has
gone through without smell of fire on
It's lids. No sword or spear or musket
Tor it's defense. An unarmed New Tes-
An unarmed Old Testament.
Yet invulnerable and triumphant
There must be something supernatural
about it. Conqueror of books! Mon
arch of books! All the books of the
ages in all the libraries outshone by
his one book which you and l can
carry to church in pocket. So me-
thought 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 cam
lis kneeling for the imposition of their
Dad. And think we might take from
hem lesson, and, instead of trying to
stand upright in our own strength, be-
come conscious of our weakness and
need of divine help before we take
upon us the heavy duties of the year
or the week or the day, and so kneel
or the burden. We meet professions
If men and beasts on the way from
heir days work, but alas for the
ZONES to which the poor inhabitants
ire going, for the most part novels OF
mud. But there is something in the
'cene that thoroughly enlists us. 1t is
he novelty of wretchedness, and a
'cene of picturesque rags. For thou
'ands of years this land has been under
! very damnation of taxes. Nothing
ont Christian civilization will roll back