Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-11-07
THAT ADDRESS ON EGYPT.
Prof Petrle Holds That Arabs Cannot
Become Englishmen.

Prof Petrle Holds That Arabs Cannot
Become Englishmen.
Prof. Flinders Petrie's paper before
the British association on the effects
Of modern civilization is one Of the most
remarkable contributions Of our day to
the literature Of education. According
to him, every civilization is the grow
ing product Of very complex set of
conditions" and Ito attempt to alter
such system apart from its conditions
is impossible. No change is legitimate
or beneficial to the real character Of a
people except what flows from convic-
ton and the natural growth Of the
mind" To force upon other races a
civilization developed in cold coun-
try, amid one of the hardest, least SYM
pathetic, and most self-denying and
calculating peoples of all the world, is
death; we make deadhouse and call 1t
civilization. Scarcely a single race can
bear the contact and the burden. And
then we talk complacently about the
vi hbNdbCo OOAOA y
white men," OF the modern Egyptian
under the influence Of Anglo-Saxon civ
ilization he says: "The Europeanized
Egyptian is in most cases the mere blot
ting paper of civilization. You
manufacture idiots. Some of the peas
antry are taught to read and write, and
the result OF this burden which their
fathers bore not is that they become
An Egyptian who has had reading and
Egyptian who has had reading and
writing thrust upon him is, in every
case that have met with, half-witted,
silly, or incapable of taking care of
himself. -" With the Copt this Is
quite different; his fathers have been
scribes for thousands Of years. I"
Observation Of these people leads to
the view that the average man cannot
receive much more knowledge than his
immediate ancestors. -" Our big
Oted belief in reading and writing is
not in the least justified when we look
at the mass of mankind" Concluding,
he said: ut is the business Of anthro-
pology to step in and make a knowl-
edge Of other civilizations part Of all
decent education. The origin and util-
ity Of the various customs and habits
need to be pointed out, and in what
way they are reasonable and needful to
the we'll being Of the community. And,
ahnUa oil mo Ouuhf to inonrauo nm auarv
boy that this civilization in which he
grows is only one of innumerable ex-
periments in life that have been tried;
that 1t is by no means the only success
full one, or, perhaps, not the most sue
cessful, that there has been, that there
are many other solutions Of the prob
lens Of community and culture which
are as good as our own, and that no
one solution will At different race,
climate, or set of conditions. a" The
books required for such reading should
cover the life of Greece, Rome, Baby
lon, Egypt and Mexico in ancient times;
and China, India, Persia, Russia, Spain,
and one or two low civilizations, such
as the Andamans and the Zulus, in
modern times. Neither histories nor
travels are wanted for this purpose, but
a selection of the literature which shall
most illustrate the social life and frame
Of the community, with full explana-
lions and illustrations. -" Where
no literature is available vivid study
Of the nature of the practical working
Of their civilization should take it,
place"