Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-07-25
THE OLDEST OF BooKs
Archaic Writings THAT Shed Light
ON Early Standards Of Religious
Thought In Egypt.

A new translation of various
archaic Egyptian writings, including
those contained in the celebrated
PRISE Papyrus''-called the most
ancient book in the world-has late
" been made by an American schol-
ar, Mr.. Isaac Myer. author of 1.-THE
Fabalah" and "Scarabs." This new
anthology, says the Literary Digest,
throws much light on the early stand
ards of religious thought in Egypt,
as well as upon the ethical and So
.ial characteristics of the old Egyp-
tians. Mr.. Myer is a believer in the
theory advanced many times before,
that a large part of the Christian
system of ethics and symbolism was
derived from the Egyptian religion,
and that Jesus, in the interval be-
tween his twelfth and thirtieth years,
of which little is known, spent come
time in Egypt. His theory thus diff
ters from that of Rev. Robert Tay-
Tor, author OF those extraordinary
books, THE Devils Pulpit and '"The
Diagesis," who held that the Old and
New Testament writings were based
wholly upon a combination of early
Egyptian religion and later theoso-
ply, and were written by Alexandrine
Gnostics, of the fourth century after
Christ, to embody, under a pseudo
historical form, certain astrological
myths relating to the Sun God
Christi, the IL signs of the zodiac
1.-THE IL apostles) and the four sea-
sons (the four evangelists). Mr..
Myer, however, accepts the historic
basis of the New Testament, but re-
CARDS its ethics as based upon those
of books contained in the "Prisse
oapyrus." Of these books he says:
They inculcate the study of wis
1om, the duty to parents and supe-
riors, respect for property, the adj
Tantages of ch~aritableness, ~peaceable-
ness and content; of liberality, hui
nility, chastity and sobriety; Of
.~ruthfulness and justice; and they
show the wickedness and folly of dis
obedience, strife, arrogance. unchas-
hty and other vices. a reading of
such teachings seems to go far to
show that a fine ethical, if not a
Christian, morality might be based
upon its teachings, as, for instance,
the following from the Book of Ka-
~yronna, a treatise on good manners,
I99s-3969 B. c.:
LAS a man without good breed
ng, to whom all hat one can say is
without any effect, makes a surly
face to the advances of him of a gra-
.ious heart, he is an affection to his
mother and his relatives
SETn fho h4o1~ - A. D&oL Ho@a. III
De found the following:
"EBe not naughty because of thy
knowledge; converse thou with the
gnorant as with the scholar, for the
barriers of art are never closed; no
artist ever possessing that perfection
o which he should aspire.
eff thou hast to do with a dis
putant when he is hot, act as one
who cannot be moved. Thou hast
the advantage owe him, if only in
keeping silent when he is using evil
speech.
eff thou humblest myself in obey
ing a superior, thy conduct is wholly
good before God. knowing who ought
to obey and who ought to command,
lift not thy heart against the latter.
eff thou art a wise man, train up
4 son who will be pleasing to God. If
be adjusts his discipline to thy way,
and occupies himself with thy affairs
as he should, do him all the good
hat thou art able.
"1f thou hast the position of d
leader, making plans go forth at thy
will. do perfect things which poster
ity will remember, not letting prevail
words which multiply iatterers, raise
pride and produce vanity.
eff thou desirest thy conduct to
be good and preserved from evil, keep
myself from attacks of bad temper.
Be not of an irritable temper as to
what is happening around thee; scold
oniy as to thine own affairs; =
of better value is a compliment for
what d~ispleases thee than rudeness.
It is wrong to fly into a passion with
ones neighbor to the point of not
knowing how to manage ones words.
eff thou aimest at having polished
manners, do not question him whom
thou dost accost. Converse with him
In private in such a way as not to
embarrass him. Do not argue with
him, except after letting him have
time to i~mpregnate his mind with the
subject of the conversation. If he
shows his ignorance, and if he giveth
thee an opportunity of maA.ng him
ashamed, y y y treat him with re-
spect. y y do not reply in a
crushing manner"
1.-THE Psychostasia, or Judgment of
the Soul of the Dead" is a section of
THE Books of the Dead" and is of
especial interest to US because of the
light it throws upon early Egyptian
escnatology. Mr.. Myer says of it:
at shows the existence with them of
a belief in a Judgment after death,
of the soul or conscience, for mans
actions while in life upon this earth;
that his good and evil deeds were
thought to originate and reside in his
heart; that man had while on earth
free will in his actions; that his
heart, emblem of his conscience. was
after death mystically weighed by
Thoth, symbol of the intellectual part |
of his spiritual nature: = = that
the principal desire of the ancient
Egyptian was for his spiritual resur-
rection from the dead and an eternal
future happy spiritual life in the
egyptian Heaven"
Cause of aIentaI Deficiency.
After investigating 10000 children
r.. A. Mac-Nicholl philadelphia Med
zeal Journal, June S. 1901 is firmly