The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-13


which lad the corner-stones. crumblsi
into decay Centers OF population have
| changed. the seats of political. power have
been shifted from a point 100 miles in
the interior TO the mouth OF the Nile ard
back again: in fact, everything in the val
ley has undergone transformation save the
river and the people. The stream and the
peasants who live on its banks are IN
changed.
There is no case in history OF race Of
people analogous 10 the Egyptians. for
While the word has moved on, civilization
has advanced ~ every other country on
the globe. the Egyptians remain exactly
where they were when their first nonu-
ments were builded. when the first paint
ings in the catacombs of the kings were
executed on the walls. when the first writ
ten records of man aid his doings Were
persenced the hardshipS Of the desert they
complained bitterly TO Moses OF their suf-
fering. calling 10 mind the FISH that they
id eat in the land Of Egypt, the Cucum-
bers. the melons. the leeks, the onions and
the garlic. and bemoaned the loss OF these
dehc4o.es. The dweller along the banks
or the Nile still relies on fish for his meat.
while the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks.
the onions and garlic are as familiar to-
day as they were $3.50 years ago. when the
Israeiites with all their belongings
reason TO suppose that there has been any
change in the agricultural products, nor.
from what evidence Is 10 be found that
the ieeks are any better the onions and
the melons any larger, now than they We're
then, for the idea of creating a new war;
ETY. by varying the cultivation has prob
ably never occurred 10 an inhab.tan. Of
the land.
Now. as then, the people of Egypt are
dependent on the Nile. The annual mum
dalton Of the stream varies only few feet
in height, and that variation, from some
cause as yet unexplained, IS so regular
to be capable OF prediction. There is some
connection between the variation in the
height of the flood and that of the great
lakes. Victoria Nyanza being known 10
stand at different levels In different years.
the leVe! gradually rising from year 10
year until II attains a maximum, then de-
Ginning. The explanation is yet 10 be
made. but when the cause in the variance
of the lake is known. that OF the Nile will
also be explained. Great or small. how
ever, the inundatton always comes and
constitutes almost the sole wealth of the
long strip OF valley known as the land Of
Egypt.
Whether the popularity of the inundation
has anything 10 DO with the stagnation of
the people can not with any degree of
accuracy be determined. but 1t is singular
fact that the same agricultural methods
prevail now which prevailed forty centuries
ago. The shadoof used by the Nile peas
ant for irrigating fields which lie above the
height OF the inundation is the shadoof
which is depicted on the walls of the cata-
| combs. In our patent Office in Washington
there are over 1o.W0 models of plows each
differing In some particular from all the
rest: in Egypt there Is but one, and that
is the Pow which may, be seen IN the pic
tree. -Four thousand years Of experience
have developed in Egypt no more perfect
instrument of agriculture than a straight
stick. TO which the yoke OF cattle NAV be
fastened and two crossbars at right angles
the one serving TO stir the SOIL the other
held in the hand 10 maintain the instru-
ment in an upright position. The hoe is OF
wood and OF the same pattern shown on the
monuments. the wooden spade is as clumsy
rs that in use in the days of the Pharaohs.
The s1onecutter's tools are OF the same pat
Pm .et4fNy frrs- 81.
there Is little doubt that II the Egyptians
of today were called upon 10 move such
blocks as enter into the construction OF the
pyramids. or the temples OF Thebes and
Memphis or OF the grand structures on
Phllae, instead Of sending for a steam
engine. they would employ dozen long
ropes handled BY hundreds OF men. the
pulling being done In unison AT the sound
of trumpet exactly IL shown In the
carvings OF Rameses the Great
No less singular than the industrial state
% the people in modern as compared with
ancient times. is the fact that the Egyp-
ttats are now exactly what they were then
and what they have been from very early
tmes-a subject race. race of slaves. Tha
earEies. kings Of Egypt like the earliest
murarchs Of other races having a history
a1tedating written records, were heroes
ana demi-gods. mythical personages whose
names are uncertain and whose very
iStoDce may bee considered doubtful Leav-
ing out OF the question these misty figures.
which may or may not have had sub
Egyptians the people of the Nile have new
or been ruled by men Of their own race. In
/ this respect. too. they resemble the chi
nese. whose rulers now ana for ages pass
have bee5 foreigners sYut the Manchu con.
quest Of China fs but of Yesterday when
compared with the earliest foreign kings OF
Ecypt
Archaeologists have tired themselves ana
wearied their readers with the long lists
az Egyptian dynasiies, but the rulers were
almost without exception Of foreign origin
f0= ERyrf fsERs. - IF f. q ros
reighbOrs. an3 the people have accepted.
| generally without resistance and almost
without objection. the yoke which one for
| eigner after another has placed upon their
/ uecks. Thus tho history OF Egypt IL as
ISOLATED with that OF every great nation o.
antiquity. ans Il IS a singular fact that 1890
| years before Christ the Sca3an was an eie-
| meot IN lo3tlos 1lst oS y IS TODAY. The
| shepherd kings claimed the Pahr-eI-Ghazal
end their claim was resisted by kings Of
Fth'oH.a. ne Ahvssin3a Of our TING. Then
! came the rg}'e ~ the Assvrian. ana the val
!eys & The Nile cf the TTeris srA the Eal-
pirates, were under one Political system.
For time after the fail of SiDeveh when
tA@ power Of Babylon again momeNtarily
ro<t FcYrt sent tribute n the temple os
lfiGe, then came the Persian monarchy.
whteh was % tha ancient world what tire
Ottoman Empire IL 20 the m9dern--a botch
sore an u,ccr cn she face Of the earn
SPREADING "a ma}I.u Influence over Fgyp;
rs over Asia Mirror. The Greek came next
presented iH the teTFoE of Alexander the
Crest who founded me CITY when bears
his r1rne ari VIC was barred fus; citsll
! "a walls The brinan: lire ot Ptnem.ea
3ii more ~ EEypt than Rad Aern DONE for
SIS ueuvIe since tae aVrasties u -ich Yr@-
cn s~} RE Jewish residence ard Egypt ~
came known through ai 80 word RS the
szat Z ~c.us~rs-- ana culture The Rom
an followed and Fcypt was me Eranary -
tae greet ceo5-sl whose itie dles0lute thou-
sar IS depended upon Re monthly ship
tes.~ As''~ bread Ssrae.a followed r..
man th= Turk succeeded t0A - Tgc.lE TIE