Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-10-29

ter Of Pharaoh of
the Hard Heart"
Pror. Petrie writes as follows: A mel
ancholy prospect he had seen as he
grew up. His father had been active
IN the earlier years of the reign: but
after about twenty years he ceased all
personal labor and seems to have sunk
IN his fatuous pride into a mere despot,
devoted to pepetuating his effigles on
the monuments and his family in the
harem. The kingdom went steadily
into decay year after year, and the old
man became more indolent and more
fatuous, while none of his sons seems
to have been allowed to take up the
reins and save the country. Egypt is
desolated and abandoned to invasion
from all lands; the barbarians overrun
its frontier. the revolters invade it
daily, every country is pillaging its
cities, raidlng its dwellings in the fields
and on the river. They abide and settle
there for days and months, seated in
the land; they reach the hills Of middle
Egypt. " They search for the
corn land, seeking to fill their bellies;
they come to Egypt to find provision for
their mouths"
Such Is the melancholy picture drawn
by Merenptah of the state Of the coun-
try on his accession--a striking con-
trast to the work of the really great
kings Of Egypt, Of the Amenhotep and
Thothmes line, who had handed on
the rule Of Syria from father to son
unbroken. The continuous record
that we have Of Thothmes III
shows that every year regularly he
went through Syria to receive tribute
young princesses to be educated in
and maintain his power, taking all the
Egypt before they came to act as vas
sails in their own country. Until he
was over so this annual outing was
kept up and his children to the third
and fourth generation received this do
minion in peaceful succession. But UNI
der Rameses all this stability had van
ished; few raids which did not cover
half the previous cenquests of Syria, a
treaty on equal terms with the foe
and the boastful king sunk into an in
glorious lethargy, in which even Egypt
itself was largely given up to the for
eigners.
And this decay was what had eaten
into the soul of Merenptah during all
his youth and vigor; until he was at
least 40 nothing could be done by him.
1t was not until the old king had come
to that condition which we can now
see before our eyes in the Cairo mu-
seum-a withered mummy, which
seems as II still dwelt in and half alive
with the spirit of insensate pride-it
was not until the evil genius Of the
land was in his tomb that stroke
could be struck for the freedom of the
country.
Then began careful preparation. For
four years Merenptah was consolidat-
ing his power, with apparently one ex-
petition to Syria, up the coast to the
plain Of Esdraelon and Tyre this re-
conquest we have learned of only since
finding the new tablet. But it did not
, do more than secure the principal fort
resses near the coast and command
the corn districts Of Philistia and Es-
draelon, which were cultivated by the
people Of Israel, among others. 1t is
evident that reorganization had been
going on, strengthening the resistance
of the country by the vigor with which
the great Libyan invasion was repealed
after the country had been long sub
hitting to minor attacks.
At the end Of March, in his fifth year,
Merenptah had dream. Ptah, the
great god of Memphis, appeared to him
and warned him to be ready fortnight
hence. This is, doubtless, priestly
wGy of putting some warnings from
spies or travellers who reported the
preparations In progress. Then, early In
April, the great tempest of foreign in
vasion burst in from the west, coming
just when all the harvests were gath
cred In, the fields stripped bare, the
whole land naked and open and canals
dried up; in short, just when the great
est facilities existed for invasion and
the full granaries tempted the desert
peoples.
The warning had not been in vain
Merenptah was prepared and attacked
the assembled host with his cavalry;
the gods fought with them and for one
long afternoon from midday till dark
they slew and slew and slew. for six
hours slaughtering the multitude. The
defeat was utter. The king, Maury, son
Of Dad, escaped, thanks to the dark
ness; but he did not even secure horse
or provisions and fled from the fight on
foot, completely terrified. His wives
and his rich equipage, his silver and
gold and bronze vessels, the ornaments
Of his wife, his thrones, his bows, his
weapons and all that he had were
prey to the Egyptians. Some 10000
bodies lay on the field of battle and
5000 prisoners were taken.