The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-30

Pagan philosophy and made its last
stand there for the supremacy of the
world 1t lost The Egyptian priests
retreated to the far south-to their sa-
cred island When Constantine, the first
Christian emperor, presided over the
great council Of Nicea, and the empire
of Rome became a part of the empire
of Christ, still the sacred college of the
ancient Egyptians at sPhilae taught and
worshiped in the holy island=in def
ance Of the world. More than half
century later, when TheodOsius issued
his famous edict from his throne in
Constantinople bantshing Paganism
from the world, we find that the sacred
college made a strong and effective re-
sistance. Two votive inscriptions now
at Philae show that during the reignjof
the Emperor Marcian, in 453, nearly
threequarters of a century after
TheodOsius' edict, the Egyptian priests
continued their worship at Philae. 1t
was the last home of Paganism. It is
most strange coincidence that the
building of the great dam under Eng
lands direction and protection will de-
stroy the last remains Of the Christian
church that was reared under the
shadow of the Temple of Isis, long
after Egypt's sun had set and the mu-
sic of Pagan chants had died away
among the hills surrounding the holy
! island.
1t is no wonder, then, that Philae is
! today to the intelligent traveller, a
| Mecca. To the artist, the architect and
| the historian it must ever remain SUCH
The Egyptian government, in modify
| ing the original plans for building the
dam, has respected this venerated feel
ing, and Philae has in part been
| spared. While to- so many the neces-
sIty for making the great reservoir is
! to be regretted, it's great Importance to
"a i0I71f i1,%o
/ try cannot be disputed. The greatness
! OF the undertaking is we'll described by
| SIR benjamin Baker. He says:
TREMENDOUS UNDERTAKING.
THE colossal character of the great
| dam will be apparent when it is stated
| that the flood discharge of a river a.
mile wide and thirty feet deep, flow
ing at high velocity, must pass through
the dams sluices at the rate Of $4,000
| tons Of water per second 100000 tons a
m1nute-more than 10000, GOO tons of
water an hour! At times the water will
be damned back sixty-six feet above
it's present level, and for a distance of
IA miles above the dam"
PhIlae was. always the dividing line
4 between Ancient Egypt and Nubia; or,
I more accurately speaking. the FIRST
cataract. The old Egyptians wor-
Shlped the river and believed. with
their limited knowledge of the world
that it flowed out of heaven at the
first cataract. England today is eff
facing the ancient boundary mark, and
the heavenly country must be sought
for much further UP the river And
that Egypt itself will be made a much
more desirable dwelling place no one
/ can deny. That the last remains OF
| Egyptian, Grecian and Roman work
/ in that ancient land are to be spared is
matter for devout thankfulness The
| future traveller will be able to appre-
ate, in part at least, the parting trib-
ute OF that queen of Psychologists
the late Miss Edwards, to Philae:
A vIyID PEN PICTURE.
my last sketch finished, I wande,
slowly round from spot to spot, SAVING
farewell to Pharoahs Bed. to the
painted columns, to every terrace ane
palm and shrine and familiar point
of view / peep once again into the
mystic chamber of Osiris I see thu
sun set for the last time from the roo
of the Temple of Isis. Then, when al
that WOndrous flush of rose and eojf
has died away comes the warm after.
glow. No words can paint the meIan
choly beauty of Philae at this hour
The surrounding mountains stand on
jagged and purple against pale am
Der sky. The Nile is CLASSY. Not {
breath, not a bubble troubles the in
vested landscape. Every palm is two
fold every stone is doubled The bf.
powders in mid-stream are reflected s,
perfectly that it is impossible to tel
: where the rock ends and the waite
- begins. The temples. meanwhile. hav