Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-05
EGYPT, THE ANCIENT
rnorrssom BREASTED LECTURES
on THE AGED LAND.
FAIR VALLEY OF THE NILE
r.om,. Course Begins Most
.,uu.,x Al Rscnmond corrcge.
Ymmcr,c Crowd and Deep IN
fercsf.


.nce assemble within its classic walls as
80 drawn there last night 20 hear the
A., ~ professor Breasted's lectures on
.Egyptology." and that was "heh ~
leurness. OF Philadelphia. read the MOT
chant OF Venice"
The vast throng Of cultured people last
nicht overfiCwed the chapel, the VesliDu'eu
entrance. and crowded UP the arched starr
WAY until the intervening ceiling smut ou'
,he view of speaker and audience. But IL
was a weli-behaved people, and at 'imeS
a hung on the speakers words WIN
hated breath. For two hours-untn the
closeup one left the hall, though NAM
ladies were forced to stand Throughout
the while. The lecture was superb one
,osular. vet on q plane that nits '"V
mind TO a nobler thirst.
PRESS THROUGH THE CROWD.
7, Was with some difficulty that PROBES
cor breasted and Professor Chafles H.
,v;osto, messed through the crowd 70
~ olatform. Here Professor winston III
,ro6ncad the lecturer gracetuilys ai9o'
.,ai,snO announcements of the succeeuins
1iscouTses. To the right OF the speanea
,yas stretched a large white canvas, anu
ot the door was an admiIaoie ISs,i
rrent for projecting scenes by s'9i''P'
con. - winston.
r,~ preasted's specific subject was inc
s.t,.o@irnines the historic opinion VI
t,s,,,nt announcement of Champoilioh, lhc
Niie and its valley. the people the uo ''i
20 ci,,iizotion." This order OF ulNlslon
VAS followed closely in the lecture. ~ ~
OF the most remarkable things aponl . -
country began he. was Its age: i'9 1870
s.as Inc cradle of humanity. Inc Peopi0
were OF the Semitic tongue, whose ian -
guage was complete, with It's twenty 10
svnabols OF sounds, before others couIu
harelv claim a beginning. Inc plctu.e
,hicb nc drew Of what that lana hlusl
bave heen once land when was Oh ~
decav when II became known 10 his'o,S'
~,as truly a realistic and slrkihg
one which goes far TO snow lhaI ~ co
,i-atlon of modern times may NOT De ~
,nodarn after all but II is possiDie '"os
,. are inst creeping up TO the apex upoi'
,,htch the Egyptian stood 600 years as,
cs oreot interest was the narrative anu
Illustrations OF how the mystery o. me- 49,,
oIvnhics became language peloIo ~
student's eve. The task OF declpneIihs 'ao
alleged picture writing was hrst 'ln sl ~
Ds ~ Then not until 1922 did more
succsssful student enter the hela' ne
60 a Trrenchuan 30 years olo-Ohain
stt,on previous TO that a huge stone hau
49, renoved TO the British Museum rum
Rosetta now heap OF ruins not 70
from Alexandria. This was known Do -.
Rosetta stone. and upon It's ooio race
inscriptions in hieroslyphics anu - the
creaJ< There were two names OH e
1870 each i'm Greek. and In the lang ua i
- pse,nt-Ptolemy and Cleopatra ny
.l, In cleopatra was representel III tno
h,eroglvnhic by a symbol. and In look,ns
a. Inc symbol representing the vi ~
PtoIerny Is was seen that the ~ MN 49,, -,
held good. This plan was carrleu ou ,.o,,,,
the Greek equivalents Wele IL rtcture
and a language soaring far apoNe Po'
.r,ting had dawned out of the chaos
THE NILE VALLEY.
P,,t the thing of beauty and OF exceeu, !,
mo interest was yet to come In the NNlu
description of the "Nile valley 9oen1S
that words do not adequately oescriDe
,,,ore shown of Philac the Beauu1ul, anu
tho Elephantine, with its heaps OF ruliie 81
tsmples To one who has traVeheu ~
t,I,d With soiourners In this land OF the
arcbantrnent of unnumbered years, .he
vivid presentation of these scenes WIZ i
the mind has drawn before to the Eis.oii'
lends thrill akin to the meeting Vi .
srIand after wears OF separation. A iIlp
nf the land is minutely described, ana III.
overAow of the river explained MANY
years ago the old Greek Herodotus' tne
Father of history, travelled throusn
Evvnt He found everything as IL -
found to-day This was centuries pSIo.
the birth of Christ. only then the uoSe
Grating hand of the excavator hau no. no.
been laid upon its ruins as gray as ~" nov,
He asked everybody he saw what ca y,
the annual overflow Of the Nue. ana ~
one could tell. Each sage haa MS me-, wy ~,
INT one said that II was causeu ny -
,,,a,t,ng SHOWS of the interior. This wa
- solution. All other theories
however had seemed plausible to the oi'
GroeL hnt he spent hours In showing
49, this had no foundation whatever l.
80 NOT until modern times that lhNes.i
,ratton has yindicated the saying OF IN
wise man. r.,,r
APPLAUD THE PICTURE.
number of the choicest scenes OF IN
MA we're shown, and one, the river .
moonlight, called forth spoh.aIeor
n,,,hnrst Of applause. 1t truly pegsar
desrription. The great orb OF gold Is Jus
above the horizon, and seems 10 sca.,s
a spray of the precious metal over ~
waters and a boat IN run "hite oal
when Il came with a flash upon the car
80 ,bera was a moment OF breathles
pause. the stiffness TO De proheh Wy
burst of enthusiasm. :,
DIR. Breasted then talked ABOUT -
nsonle of this land at present. OF u
natiyes there in the valley ITSELF ana
the Redouins upon the skirts OF u
desert A very striking scene was snow
of Bedouin encampment. The ARD
shs,ksmen are gathered about him IN u
desert while a little way TO the SIDE a.
,heir flocks. browsing the tall grass.
dIstinct is the boundary or THIS van,
mat one can stand with one foot on u
s,sa sands while the other Is hidden
yerdure. ,,,
ENTHUsED IN HIS SUBJECT.
The young lecturer explained ana 'ai
sd of these scenes as one VINO nae sa@'
admiringly upon them with the eye az
10 whom In four years OF dwelling aiho'
them they had grown dear
professor Breasted is pleasant spea
ar clear and deliberate In enunciatio
We also owes much to his full music
wo,ce He speaks entirely without man
script thus serving In great MEAS"
10 make his audience feel that nc
taking 10 them individually.
professor Breasted lectures again
night and three nights next week. y
.,btect this evening will be "Ihe y
Emn.re. Chronology, Political Organiz
ton Religious Ideas. the Pyramids. I
Oldest Human Buildings, the Fan OF |
Old Empire"
.