New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-02
THE GROWTH or EGYPT.

| There are few more interesting and inspir-
ing spcctaclcs among the nations of the world
to-day than that presented by Egypt under
British guidance. That country. one Of the old
est in settlement and civilization, If not the
very oldest, in tho world is strklngly refuting
the idea that the ruined empires of III" past
can never be rchabllitatcd. In other cases the
rule has seemed TO prevail. Assyria Is dead
and will rot live again. Persia Is dying, with
no hope Of resurrection Modern Greece Is
scarcely shadow OF the Athens of Perlclcs
and tho empire OF Alexander Modern Italy
conveys scarcely reminder of ancient Rome.
And this is so not merely In respect TO political
greatness, but equally in respect to numbers Of
population and industrial wealth But here Is
Egypt, oldest of them all, after centuries OF
prostration more complete than most others
have suffered. rising into ncwness of life and
wealth and greatness surprising its best days
Of old.
There IS no eXaggcration in saying that. Let
us begin with population How many lnhabi-
tants the Egypt Of the Pharaohs had is prob
lcmatic but it is doubtful If it had more than
did the Egypr of the Ptolemys. and that was not
more than eight millions. couple Of cen
turtles ago, under the Mamelukes. the number
had fallen to three millions. Under Mchemet
Ali and his successors there was some improve
ment, and the census roll Of 1873 was increased
to six millions, at which figure. or little loss,
1t stood i'm 1882 Now, after scarcely sixteen
years Of British rule the population IS about
ten millions That means an Increase Of Go
per cent in sixteen years. or more than per
cent n year. 1t means that Egypt today
Egypt proper, not counting the vast realms OF
Equatorial and the Bahrel-tihazel. IS more
popuous than ever before in all its history
That in itself is slngulary impressive and
significant fact.
In Industries the growth of Egypt IS COM
parably great. The country Is not the granary
Of Europe rs II once was. Other lands have
usurpcd the place. But II we measure It's
grain, It's fruits, its cotton and all It's products
we shall find it is yielding far more than 1t did
even in the fat years of Joseph. 1t is not
building pyramids and sphinxcs and Phllns
But the barrcgcs Of the Nile. one built and one
building are greater works than those. Nor
may we overlook its railroads, of which it has
to-day some fourteen hundred miles. or more
than Spain. or Portugal. or even Austria Hun
gary Twenty years ago there was scarcely Il
mile Of good wagon road in all the land and
travel and transportation had TO be afoot. or on
more than n thousand miles of fine roads have
been built, and the work is proceeding at
rate that would warm the cookies Of Roy
Stones heart.
But M least there IS no political revival for
the land? We are not sure Of that, but are
rather impressed to the contrary. The talk of
n few days ago about the formal proclamation
Of a British prOtcctorate was of course. ground
less as all discerning men knew nj the time.
But If such proclamation was not made 1t was
not merely because Il would have been injudi-
cious but also because It would have been
supernuous The British occupation has long
since gone beyond mere prOtcctorate. Egypt
is now, and will remain. n part OF the British
Empire, and that IS such an empire as the
greatest of the Pharaohs never even dreamed
OF possessing. SO in that potent and vital sense
the political renascence Of Egypt is fully COM
parable with its populous and industrial. And
the fact IS its own yndcatOn. one has only
TO ask himself if there would have been any
such growth in population and prosperity and
wealth, and any such advance in education and
order and administration OF justice and de-
vclopment of right government. If Egypt had
remained under native or Turkish control or
indeed had passed under any other control than
that Of Great Britain. The answer is an I'M
hcstating and emphatic negative, and II is the
seal to Great Brtains moral tlle-deeds to
Egypt and the whole valley of the Nile.