New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-22

text was edited Of Homer and Of all Greek
writer's down to Alexanders time. In Alexandria
Theocritus wrote his idyls and Apollonius his
poetic romance Of the Argonauts. There. also,
Maretho and Hecataeus did their best to trans
nit to future ages the mysteries and the history
of ancient Egypt That little OF their work
has been preserved IL a curious testimony to the
Indifference of the Greeks. A perfect copy OF
either Maretho or Hecataeus would be simply
priceless at the present day.
Professor Mahaffy speaks rather sightingly OF
the original literature Of the Ptolemaic PERIOD.
But his words are really in the form OF an apoi-
ogy Alexandria was all the world In miniature
Its scholars and literary men were. as ruie'
men who had been born anywhere except within
It's walls. They were overshadowed by the liter
airy tendency Of the age, which was critical. not
creative. Thus their writings came to be studies
In the antique. Apollonue meant to be ike
Homer. He ended by embodyng folklore more
ancient than anything In the liad or the
Odyssey Another significant fact was that
many Of the Alexandrian poets lived only py
court favor Professor Mahaffy picks out Colii-
machue as the foremost Of these. 1t Is. indeed,
a vivid witness OF the justice Of the ages that
the world has the nature-loving Theocritus al
most intact. and the artificial Callimachus only
In fragments But II has been Icing time since
Callimachus Where is the prophet to assure us
that any writer Of the nineteenth century VIII
be read, even in fragments. 1000 years hence?
In abiding to the Museum and the Library,
which were created by the first King OF the
dynasty and preserved and enriched by his sue
cessors down to the very last Professor Ma
hafry suggests that the former was very much
like college IN an English university. Learned
men under the patronage Of the King dwelt
there living in common They were subject to
q principal and. like fellows In Queens College.
or All Souls oxford. they were not required to
teach but to devote themselves to their own
studies He considers with some elaboration
the stories as to the responsibility of Caesar for
the burning Of the Library. His disposition Is TO
minimize the loss. for passage OF Seneca oc-
ours to him that characteriZes the collection as
more ornamental than useful. IF this were In
deed So" adds the author. ut would be COM
parable to such English libraries the Sunder
land and Spencer gathered by rich dilettanu In
the same way that they gather china and pict-
ures" But II Caesar burned a good library, Mr..
Mahafy wonders that no allusion is made to
the fact by Cicero. man who liked books and
did not like Caesar nor later by Strabo. Strabo.
in fact, did not mention the Library at all in his
description OF Alexandria. The only thing that
will insure a settlement Of this question In
which the apologists for the Saracens are also
interested will be another fire that shall destroy
q good part Of modern Alexandria, and leave the
ground bare for excavation Professor Mahaffy
thinks that the relics Of the Museum will be
found about twenty feet below the street level
Of the present city.