The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-08-26
The Discoveries of Extraor-
binary Interest.

In the August number of the Cen
tury there is short paper of extra
ordinary interest. 1t is by the cele-
brated Psychologist. Professor Pc
srie, who has possibly no superior
living. He has been excavating III
: the neighborhood of ancient Thebes,
or where Thebes stood, in Egypt,
and has made some "finds' of most
remarkable Importance TO historical
and Biblical students. In February
last he was digging over space
finding seven temples of Egyptian
Pharoahs or Kings The two dis
coveries of so much interest to the
educated part of the world were a
huge slab of granite and a stone
statue of sPharoah of the Hard
Heart"
The huge exqaisitely polished
Ike glass he says-stone has q long
hierog!yphical inscription that con
tains the history of the wars of the
sson of Rameses II. who was the
Pharoah who prosecuted the Israel
ties through so much of his long
reign, lasting for sixty-six years.
We are writing from memory after
reading the paper The sons name
was Mereuptah. He was probably
advanced in years when he came to
the throne, as his father lived to
aniaety or more. Rameses had many
wives, and hundred children He
married his own daughter who was
the mother, it is believed, Of
Merenptah. Rameses was cruel and
mean and voluptous, and dead fail
pre- as a ruler. The Inscriptions
show that his kingdom was over.run
again and again, and much OF his
territory seized, and the rich harvest
despoiled.
The son was of another sort, much
more warlike and able 1t was he
and not Rameses who let the Israel
ties go. Rameses. mummy is at
Cairo of Alexandria, but he is the
prosecutor. i, was Merenptah of
sIhe Hard Heart" who relaxed after
the miracles of Moses and let the
persecuted Israelites leave his king
dom. His mummy has not been
found, we believe Was he after all,
really drowned in the Red Sea ?
Since the mummy of Rameses was
discovered it has been held that
Pharoah of the Scriptures was not
drowned, but Rameses was dead and
mummy, when the departure oc
cured. 1t was the son who finally
surrendered to the Lord and gave
consent for the going out Of the
Israelites
That is striking. strong likeness
of Merenptah Professor Petrie dis
covered.
The Century gives both front and
side face. 1t is statue carved in
stone.
The great stone slab gives the first
mention ever found of the Israelites
in all of the monumental remains and
hieroglyphic writings that have been
discovered until now. Although the
Jewish scriptures contain so much
concerning Egypt, thare has not been
fonnd syllable before Of the Israel
ties in any connection in the dis
coveries. The mention on the slab
is in three or four words, recording
that among other victories of King
Merenptsh that he crushed the
Israelites," if we use the right word
given to describe the victory.
On the stone there are descriptive
words of condition of the kingdom
of Egypt in the time of Rameses II
and it was most woeful. The son
goes or to show how he found it
when he came to the throne 1t reads
quite modern in some respects, and
not un-American. We give two
samples The inscription says "The
people babbled" and, please attend,
1sthe police lie in slumbers on their
beats" That sounds like New York
or some other "Sleepy Hollow. The
paper in the Century is we'll worthy
Of close attention. Wilmington Mes