The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-10-29

and was once the New York, the Paris
the London of the world Ten,.o.
palaces, fountains canicn. rlllarssl
and enloreeoent with a.. architectural
and Edenio grandeur and sweetness
Apollos, the eloquent whom In New
1e-tanent times some people tried to
make a rival to Paul, lived here Here
Mark, the author of the second book Of
the Ssw Testament expired under
Nero's anatheIna From here the shlp
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
10 escape into an mir that was breath
able. This tower Was built In homer Of
Dioclethn for sparinS the rcheIlious
citizens After having declared that
he would make the blood run e. IDS
horses knees, and his horse fell with
him into the blood and. his knees red.
dened, the tyrant took 1t for granted
that was a sign he should stop the
massacre, and hence this commemora-
tive pillar to his mercy.
This Is the city 10 which Omar cano
after building fourteen hundred
mosques and destroying four thousand
temples and thirty-fv thousand vii
lagos and castles, yet riding la on IA
camel with n sack OF corn, Il sack Of
figs and a wooden plate, all that he had
kept for himself, and the diet 10 which
he had limited himself for most of tho
time was bread and water Was there
ever in any other man Il commingling
OF elemepts 50 strange, 20 weird, -
generous, so cruel, 80 mighty, 50 weak,
SO religious, SO fanaticali
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 frog
ments of the massacred body. And
here dwclt Cleopatra, pronounced to
be the beauty of all time although II
her pictures are correct l have seen q
thousand women I'm Brooklyn more at
tractive-and she was rs bad as she
was said to be handsome. Queen, con
queress, and spoke seven languages, al
though It would have been better for
the world II she had not been able 30
speak any. Julius Cnsar conquered
the world, yet she conquered Julius
Cesar
OONQUEBok OF BOOKS.
But Alexandria, fascinating for this
or that thing, according to the taste of
the visitor, was to me most entertain
ing because 1t 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 a 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
sand baths of the city were heated
with those volumes, the fuel lasting six
months, and were ever fires kindled at
such fearful cost What holocauzts Of
the worlds literaturei What martyr
dom of booksl How many of them
have gone down under the rage of ma
tions
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 its defense. An unarmed New Tes-
lament An unarmed Old Testament.
Yet invulnerable and triumphant.
There must be something supernatural
about it. Conqueror Of booksl Mon
arch of books All the books OF the
ages in all the libraries outshone by
this one book which you and ! can
carry to church in a pocket. So Inc
thought amid the ashes of Aexandrian
1 libraries
Bot all aboard the Egyptian rail train
going up the banks of the Nile. Look
out of the window and see those CAM
els kneeiing for the imposition of their
load. And think we might take from
them 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
for the burden. We meet procession.
of men and beasts Oh the way from
their days work, but alas for the
homes to which the poor inhabitants
are going, for the most part novels oi
mud But there Is something in the
scene that thoroughly enlists us. 1t il
the novelty of wretchedness and a
scene of picturesque rags. For thou
sands of years this land has been under
. very damnation of taxes. NothiBs
but Christian civilization will roll back
the influences which are 'spoiling tlif
Egyptians There are gardens and
palaces, but they belong to the rulers
About here, under the valiant Murad
-Bey, the MsInelukes, who are the fines
Ihorse,nen In ali the world. came like &
hurricane upon Napoleon's army. but
they were beaten back by the French
In one of the fiercest battles of all time
Then the Mamelukes turned thei
horses heads the other way, and In des
Iperation backed them against th'
French troops, hoping the horses woulC
kick the life ont Of the French regi
mcnts. The Mamelukes failing again
. plunged into this Nile and were drown
ID, the French for days fishing out th'
dead bodies Of the Mamelukes 10 ge
, the valubles upon their bodies Ma
poieon, at the daring of these Name
iukes, exclaimed, Gould have unitet
, the Mameluke horse to the French in
iantry, would have reckoned mysel
master of the world
/ soLEMN AND IMPRESSIVE RIDE.
Il This ride along the Nile Is one OF tn
| most solemn and impressive rides Of a
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