Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-07-13
.oreT BOOK IN THE WORLD.
xot the Bible, as Many May
-" according To a Writer.

American: j. IL. M1tcBnler, In
baa~s a Cor June, gives an interesting ac-
hDNN he oldest book in the world. Many
Jul. that the Bible Is meant, but
sa sr ~ orthodox have never claimed that
DC ! 70 hooks of the Bible We're written
ns =" : tho exodus from Egypt, while the
W prisse'' was written at least
Tap's before Moses was born, and
ivy roars before the occurrence OF the
t1p deluse. The boob was discovered
@Seii sasanchman named Prisse ut Thebes,
asonted 10 The Biblictheque Rationale
paP II was taken from n tomb in
was found the mummy OF n OF the
~ ~ the eleventh, or first Theban,
ILL., which would prove that the man
VIa uas written at least pricT 10 900
VII I" nm, he book Itself furnishes Internal
y ~ ~ The date of its composition, ana
Hnep extracts from a work that was
HGlanIsa VA, n was complied by the prefect
wv Wy hn,an during the reign OF King ASA.
fAAT.aptotp was the last but one OF the
w tpvnasty SO that the book must have
w. vs!ritfen about 1850 IL. g., or consider
Y more than 5000 years ago.
iS2s Y nreeepts Of P~tah-hotep, which give the
le y he hook, are preceded by passages
wv !" 81 earlier work written by hakimna,
s.1set N King Seneferu, OF the third dy-
n IN which ruled before the pyramids were
lft about 800 Is -, Nhich NouII Lldhc
n n existence now $500 years old, ante
no = according 10 the old chronologlsts,
~ ss some still believe, the creation OF
w. In the Garden Of Eden, or at least
~ hl from grace. The book is written IN
nsystie anu has been translated into
irncA by NJ. Nirey u mo Engnsh ny
IN 0sgood. Its main value Is not as a
ttsrsry curiosity, but for the insight IL
srss intp The education and culture which
IFI been reached by nan at that early pc
s5 III the history of the human race. Its
vita, ptah.hotep,, was a gfeiect-a place
,ssspt EGYPTIAN kings. Ii was second only
I hal OF the king-the same office which
y, held by Joseph. the son OF Jacob, dur
n The latter portion Of his career, as told
ne Bible. The project was "a sort OF
E.h.nah. or treasurer, secretary OF state
IA chef Justice of the supreme court rolled
IA one s. that what IL said In the book
Al be accepted as authoritative, so far
al goes.
H. hook upsets some theories concerning
n, origin OF a number Of philosophic re-
yrhoDs. for they are found here, Invested
4 an rubbish. several thousands Of years
tyfwa the advent of the Greeks, who We're
bought to have originated them. Its whole
tae is lofty, not relatively but actually,
lt would be credit9bie 10 a moral writer
he Nineteenth cenIury 1t deals with In
gFaIal conduct and the government OF the
gMe. Persons holding public positions are
NED 10 labor at all times TO be true gen
bDen. lest from their own defects of char
shf they suffer the authority given them
Il sy0r Of the Supreme Being 10 be weak
@ad' Numerous: illusions are made 10 tie
Nepme Being, and they are always in the
sHgaar number, proving, what has been
FAMED By archaeologists, that the religion
fhe Egyptians was monotheistic, and that
ay among the Ignorant classes were birds
b aeasis and images-wh.@h were intended
toe religion as types of certain OF Gods
trEtNes-worshiped as gods. Moses, who
~ really a prince in Egypt SC far as his
basl Standing went, was educated by the
Nasts and Of course, well understood the
~knothelstic character Of the Egyptian re-
pM, but he saw hat the masses of the
yMle had so prostituted their religion that
y vas anxious 10 get the Hebrews as far
IVY from their pernicious example as pos
We But II Il reasonable To suppose that
te age OF Ptah-hOtep, the writer of this
vi, nearly 1000 years before Moses was
M there had been no such peryersion OF
Nf fehgion BY the Egyptians as disgusted
Y great lawgiver Of the Israelites.
IDS BOOK, II must be borne in mind, was
an Isolated example of culture and
N4lshlp. II was the perfectly natural
eoDe Of q civilization which was scarcely
ltfar 10 that OF a century ago. aud which
Md boast Of magnificent Libraries, "a peo-
hgaly Instructed in all the arts Of
~ state carefully organized, Il HE
1ry hrnly founded, infinitely divided, and
Eahled even 10 the smallest external
Asefs q universally diffused system Of
Alg and the common use of papyrus-in
w q civilization which in all essential
~ las already attained It's full matu-
and only by close investigation is fur
Z ee'eiopment In some directions discoy-
Ahd all this was many hundreds OF
~ gelOIe Abraham, under the guidance
y i1ru, became an exile from his coun-
nv seiued In the plain Of Mamre.