New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-21
BABES OF ANCIENT EGYPT.
NO FUN FOR CHILDREN THERE FOUR
THOUSAND YEARS AGO.
FIRST THEY WERE FILLED Up WITH FEARFUL
sUPERsTITIoNs-THEN THERE WAS A ROD

FIRST THEY WERE FILLED Up WITH FEARFUL
sUPERsT1T1oNs-THEN THERE WAS A ROD
IN PICKLE IF THEY DID NOT LEARN
In the graphic portrayal Of Child Life In An
Client Egypt by Or. James Wells. In The Sunday
Magazine" the little boys and girls Of four thou
sand years ago stand out as sharply defined as II
presented by the kinetosco pc. The chief care in
the upbringing OF the child then. 1t is in Egypt
to-day. says Dr. Wells, to guard him against
evil spirits Parents and children kept in
bondage all their lives by their superstitous fears
They always using imaginary precautions
against ina ginary enemies The young mother
unusually anxious catch the first cry or
her babe as the prevalent belief that Il the
child cried ny It would live. but that II II cried
''Ba" II would die The amuets charms and ex-
orcsms used 10 protect the children were beyond
numbering The mother used 10 carry her child
in a shawl tied around her Just African mothers
do to-day.
In appearance the Egyptian baby Of the long
ago was Just such a sun baked. black haired chubby
little fellow the Nubian child Of our times, the
only difference being that the chd's hair in the
oiden time gathered into a thick pleat. which
fell over the left ear This in imitation OF
the child GOD Horus. Then. as now. the children
perfectly naked save for their bracelets ank-
let's snG other charms. Trey reared In the lap
OF nature and out OF doors The mortality among
them very great rot from lack OF love. but
rom lack of skill. The families were large. and
only the vigorous survived. Under the stimulating
the children developed much more rapidly than
in our climate a wife generally mother at
fifteen and grandmother at thirty.
The poor lived vegetables. the cucumbers and
the melons and the leeks and the onions and the
garlic Bread made OF iotos seeds. which
were like poppy seeds and also OF the pith and
stem Of me papyrus. They had plentiful sup
ply OF wstermelons. Dodorus informs US that
child I'll Il grew up. cost only Is shings. and
Ebers believes the estimate be quite credible
baH hair
fathers and mothers while sober A rule. got
drunk holidays and feast days. Others. however.
Germans They had drinking songs and many
kinds OF beer and wine. Some inscriptions on the
OF the land and that beer destroys the soul. The
children suffered then as now from strikes and
y Wages eo' in food on the first Of each month and
sometimes the supply was exhausted within a fort.
his workmen is praised as a chersher OF the chill
''The children herded the geese and cattle gata-
cred herbs and also dung which was dried and
| fields They could all swim from infancy Ike
ducks. and during the inundation they were nearly
They were ayrdden Ta:s IN Egypt t0,day
round with fat. undisturbed flies. me children are
preer1aLgrally patient and ne'eE brush the fies
to do This plague Of flies also soTely troubled
| the Egyptian child 800 years ago. One-tenth OF
all the prescriptions in the Ebers papyrus are for
Msny would claim Egyptian origin for our our
TOYS Gynsr ahe man Of the Old World oysointed
| dolls the jumping little man. the naughty crocodile
dolls rag dolls boats dolls with all their furniture
mirror t9' e'G pss v ad cat
! with lnaid glass eyes and movable lower jaw, well
ned with teeth Toys and amueis we're bgreS wIe
/ their tops in he street. As they grew older they
! then as now the children Of Egypt had little Of
he overlooking glee and tumultuous riot which our
! ch.ldrens games draw forth. These features are
! usually found among freedom children who nave
been reared in a bracing climate -.
! Greek and Roman children, seems TO have been
carefully trained ct home In the t1nda meme.
| and obey parents and TO show the greates respeS;
TO- '9sm rs s1Sst Of Beings among them he was
| PEELED from the community. More was expectsd OF
day day. This inscription is on the Temple a, Abydos
The beautiful thing 10 behold me best tnlns
| 10 hear is a child with thankful breast WHO'S
heart beats FOR his father. Historians say that ne
earnetness and success win watch t9ey 'a a.a
| ton Of the Egyptian Nation The children were
also taught TO reverence old age.
under the protection OF Thoth. the god q letters
ton The school discipline was very severe in
the land o. the basnadP as some -. OF dnn rom
Heaven. they said a blessing from Co 20 Tbe
Of youth are on h!s BACK ne attenas "H ~.
he is beaten They sincerely beiiey "a that ' ne
Th3 hard work at school Naughty boys. in the
German universities were locked up IN Prison u
eSsiIy believe what Is written in papyrus; that
when noon announced the children left the
school shouting for joy , -, -,
''t,ervvhere there enthusiastic love OF
learning Give thy heart TO learning says panuI
10 his Pepy. and love her as mother' t 5v
there Is nothing so precious as learning, but
they were very wordwise people and loved iea, IT.
ing for her dOwry. Scholarship was almost tne
on7v passport TO success In life. and the ambition
Of the Egyptian father was 10 make MS son a
scribe or servant Of the Government Great q.
,ention was thus given 20 writing. ana "a 49,
writer OF hieroglyphics really an artsL M LAY
OF their copy books have been iiscover 10 single
are wonderfully like our own, except IN w s csr
st,.Ie 81 writing Some OF them have peen vi =
rected by the schoolmaster. and have juVeh'e
drawings on the blank page -, .~,,,s as
The headlines display such mora HnaA - :, re
We are familiar with. The boys were vsry pleI
cocious When they were about zen Lheli 40, -
dsye vrere over and they began the Work OF w l.,
The Egyptians young and old oei Ell "a II i
s,orv telling and in tales OF adventure lhey ne
st3ry 'e l. ninas Ike those Of .43sop. and they
9aVe absurd ailegorca Interpretations 70 tne, an,
tent hooks Egyptoogists believe that many Oh ""'
cl e,,,oy stories can be traced TO the Nile