The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-09
Nv.

Nothing, or all but nothing. has come down
TO US from the primitive races of Egypt. We
cannot even attribute to them with certainty
the majority of tho flint weapons and imple-
ments which have been discovered In various
places. The Egyptians continued to use stone.
though by no means exclusively. after other
nations had begun to use metal. They made
stone arrow heads. hammers. knives. and
scrapers not only In the time of the Phara-
obs. but under the Romans and during the
whole period of the middle ages. and the manu-
facture of them has not yet entirely died out.
Marietta has noted the fact that a Koptic reis in
charge Of certain excavations shaved his head
with q flint knife. according to the custom of
his youth. Prof. Maspero knew tho man
in 1887. and found him still faithful to his
flint instrument. Thu flint objects. therefore,
and the workshops where they were made
may be less ancient than the greater
parts OF the inscribed monuments. But
II We have no examples of any work
certainly belonging to the first ages, we meet in
historic times with certain customs which are out
OF harmony with the general civilization of the
period. A comparison OF these customs with
analogous practices OF barbarous nations throws
light upon the former, completes their mean
ing, and shows us at the same time the success
sive stages through which the Egyptian people
had to pass before reaching their highest civil
ization. We know. for example. that, even as late
as the CAESARS, girls belonging to noble families
at Thebes were consecrated to the service OF
Anon, and were thus licensed to a life OF Inn
morality, which. however. did not prevent them
from making rich marriages when age obliged
them to retire from ONCE. We are reminded
that the women OF Egyptian Thebes were not
the only people in the world to whom such IL
cense was granted or upon whom It was i'm
posed ty law. Wherever in a civilized coun-
try we see . similar practice we may recog-
nizs in it an ancient custom. which. In
the course OF centuries, has degenerated
into a religious observance. The institu-
tion OF the women OF Anon Is a legacy
from a time when the practice OF polyandry OBJ
tained and when marriage did not yet exist"
Age and maternity relieved them from this obli-
cation and preserved them from those incestu-
Gus connections of which We find examples in
other races. as. for instance. among the Modes
In the class Of the Magi. A union of father and
daughter, however, was perhaps not wholly for
hidden in ancient Egypt or three cases are
cited in a foot note-and that OF brother and
sister seems to have been regarded as perfectly
right and natural; the words brother and sister
possessed In Egyptian love songs the Same sig
nincance as lover and mistress with us. In a
community of this kind paternity was neces-
sarily doubtful. and hence the ties between
fathers and children were slight; there was no
AaAhiJ III tuo Schso III "hlcn NO UNDERSTAND the
word, except as 1t centred around the mother.
Maternal descent was therefore the only one
openly acknowledged, and the aniliation OF the
child was indicated by the name of the mother
alone. When the woman ceased 10 belong 10 all
men Unfortunately. and confined herself
IN one husband. the man reserved 10 himself the
privilege Of taking As many wives as he wished
or IS he WAS able to keep. All wives did not
enjoy identical rights; those born OF the same
parents As the man, or those Of equal rank with
himself, preserved their Independence. II tho
law pronounced him the master 10 whom they
owed obedience and fidelity, they. on their part
were mistresses Of the house as well as wives,
and the two words OF their title, NOT piuL,
express their condition. Each OF them occu-
pied. in fact her own house, pirlL which shs
had from her parents or her husband, and Of
which she was absolute mistress. nibu. She
lived In 1t. and performed In It without con-
strGint all = woman's duties. feeding the hre.
grinding the corn, occupying herself In cooking
and weaving, making clothing and perfumes.
nursing and keeping her children. When her
husband visited her, he was = guest whom she
received on an equal footing. 1t appears that at
the outset these various wives were placed I'M
der the authority Of an older woman, whom