The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-15

doubt OF the existence OF n powerful mon
nrchy along the ancient bank OF the Nile; but
II was never thought that In tho bleroglyphs
which decorated the temples and obolisks so
unintClligently lay the proofs OF much that Is
contained In holy writ The old testament
was lonely.
Then came the Rosetta stone in 1890 and
its Interpretation by Champollon In 1918. BY
the discovery Of single inscription in Greek,
written Egyptian and aaoted heroglyphs, all
meaning the same thing, the secrets OF the
dead were unlocked, the world has gazed upon
the face OF tho Pharaoh OF the captivity, ana
Joseph's presence in Egypt is made plain by
the fact that men OF his own race were then
in power.
In 1912 Frenchman named Botta called
the attention OF tho world to the great
mounds existing in Mesopotsmia by results
obtained from their exploration which were
nothing short OF astounding. He discovered
palace the yastness Of which puts modern
buildings to shame. the relic OF an empire
whose grandeur surpassed that OF Rome ia
some particulars. With this came another
series OF records. not pictorial Ike the Egyp..
tan but consisting of variously arranSeu
marks like wedges or arrow-heads, and hence
| called cunelform. These awaited decipher-
ment as had the hlerogypns before them: IN
| 1885 q young Engl.shman, Henry Y. Wiikin-
| son, who had taken service in the Persian
army. and had an intimate acquaintance with
| the Persian tongue, discovered on the side OF
ono OF the Zagros mountains great inscrip-
| ton which he succeeded IN copying after tins
most painful efforts, lasting over severai
1 years.
This, the famous Behstun inscription, turned
out 10 be In three languages-oId Persian,
Median or SUSAN and Babyionian. Slowly
| the first column Of old Persian yielded to the
same methods that had made the Rosetta
stone clear, and the, result was published 10
| ls47. slowly, toe, the others gave up their
secrets until history OF civilized men was
unfolced which reached back TO 5000 years
before Christ Persia. Assyria. Banylonin.
sumerla Akkadia--a yerltable panorama OF
dead nations staiked across she blinking page
Of history, confirming the Bible at every
step.
Nor does the story stop here, though the
greatest Of the discoveries arc included IN
these two. The Phoenic!ans and the children
OF Israel and the children Of Moab gave up
certain long withheld historical facts, In
scrlptIonaI ana monumental. Carthage Is to-
day yielding up long hidden treasures. tho
Hittites. people wholly forgotten except toF
! occasional BIBLICAL references, yieldca the
| difficulties OF their alphabet to the scholars
OF ancient gumerian. The tale is = wonderful
one and II is by no means told. the coming
century will see works as yolumineus as glp-
bon'f Decline aud Fan OK tne honAn I'm
| Dire.'' treating OF the fall and utter extine-
ton IN seeming Of empires Of which we have
net heard. But they are not dead, since all
civilization is their debtor ana our ciVii'Is'
| ton their rightful and legitimate heir.
There Is lesson OF more than mere ms.
| torical suggestion In all this, aad moral
lesson greater than any mere Biblical BACK
ground We who boast the supremacy OF tho
| Anglo Saxon today can look at these mighty
| men OF old boosters also, and see how little
and how transItory thing is empire. Ma
tons are born. thrive apace, grow into man
| mood. attain wealth aud power. pass their
prime, sing 10 deeadenee, die and are buried
| deep to serve as stepping stones to their sue
ceseors knowledge like this keeps men num-
| Bile and makes them look TO something better
| than material progress and growing territories
| for their real national lie.