The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-05-11

Written from Assouan, Egypt, to his catheccti
cal class.
Today at $3.50 a. m. reached my farthest
uoont from home that was expected when
1efl Owusso--the island of Philae at the
opening OF the first cataract on the Nile,
somewhere about 765 miles up this river
sand is the first obstruction met by boats
looming IN from Alexandria or Cairo. The
r city from which this letter is dated Is the
ancient Syens In Coptic Souan. The Arabs
cput their Inevitable alef or "a" before the
word and il is what is on the map OF today
Here are the quarrles from which the stones
Wave been taken for the obelisks OF Egypt
sand for the many temples still standing III
Chs valley OF the human race. This nom
asng Immediately after breakfast, when the
early riser of Owosso was on the home
stretch Of his last hours of sleep, went out
to the quarry, selected an obelsk cut OIL
and split into size but still remaining by the
side of the original rock got Oh IFS broader
side say eleven feet and stepped of so much
of it as Is exposed, twenty-eight PAGES
This one remained undressed and naturally
still sleeps in the original bed and helps
solve the problem OF the massive ston' used
Dy the ancient people OF the Nile, also ey-
plainng in part the methods of work by
(which the great mass was was broken from
the bed OF the rock. -Four years OF my boy
mood were spent in quarry with from mr.
teen to twenty-five men, taking out at
times stone ten to fifteen feet in length and
Ewo and half to four and even five feet
chick and this recalled how we did 1t. But
Chow insignificant compared to this Still
can imagine how these rocky gulches
sswarmed with Nubian and Abyssinian slaves
4oiling under the old Egyptian masters two
Ehousand years before Christ. Then these
quarries were open; then the chained slaves
from the Soudan and central Ethiopia were
driven through these rocky gates. Turn TO
any era OF human history in which this
country is mentioned and this city was
center of interest, even when in our own
day, Chinese Gordon was facing his fate ct
Kartoom on a rocky height back of the
elotel where this is written. The British
soldiers occupied better barracks than our
own veterans saw any time from go to '65.
The Persian soldier, the Greek and Roman
and the always recurring Egyptian soldier
elave marched from the ends of the known
world and made this their objective; through
here passed the Egyptian horde of many
thousand deserters pursued by the lonians
and here Heroditus. Senaca, Strabo and
.Juvenal found material for their writings
and here early Christians gave themselves
up as martyrs. Epitaphs from the third
century appear commencing I'm the name
of Gods. and with Mohammedanism came
the other: '.And Mohammed is the servant
and apostle OF God" But city and coun-
try is just like an ndivdual-witEout char
;acter there is nothing to be looked for in the
end but ruins and here is ruin absolute and
sunrelieved-ruin spread over mountain and
valley for miles and miles.
All Egypt has its garden spots and for
iundreds OF miles most beautiful fields and
gardens with splendidy preserved palm
forests. Among the old Egyptians we find
Copts who are Christian; had ono for a
companion in my compartment in the cars
ON the railway, he was a married man %
years Of age, civil engineer for the govern
1nent railroad service, had Greek or Coptic
education. Noticing his fine appearance, l
asked If he could speak English. "a leetle'
was the reply and we spent two hours to-
-gether. He had made himself familiar with
che men of the American mission at Cairo
and in one way and another, got the i'm
pression that education made the man. He
Cor a short time teacher in the Coptic school.
Ills great regret was that he could not get
hold of books, nor could he find anyone from
whom to take lessons. He seemed most
delightful gentleman. We exchanged cards
aud promised to write him after i got
home.
But think meant to get back to Glib
ralter to open this second letter to you.
Whether ever get back there or not. this
morning had one of the experiences of my
life. Depending on guide book and donkey
boy, i started TO see the temple of Isis and
pharaoh's bed on the island Of Phlae some
eleven or twelve miles there apd back. l
got there and, thank the Lord, am back
while the fact that am writing this after l
got back is testimony enough as to my con-
dltion after it was all over. If Yankee,
Saving the spirit of prevaricaton peculiar
. TO an Arab, wished to put into rhetorical
syperbole, description of the animal or
thing on which / took transportation he
might say it was skeleton of the Noahic
age, discarded from that favored ship be-
cause it refused to articulate-this skeleton
was covered with hide taken from the
ancient river horse, and dried in the eternal
sun Of the Nubian frontiers. This hide was
decorated with hair from Rocky mountain
,ryoat of the age of the cliff jewellers. This
hide on this skeleton was then inflated with
wind from the Sahara and still further dis
~<ended with water from the sacred Nile.
On the ridgepoIe OF this animal-exhibited
ON Cairo street, Midway. as donkey--l
made the excursion to the renowned temple