The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-06-13
TIE NEW EGYPT.
Progress in the Land of the Ancient
Pharaohs.

LnaAdVIos
Cinderella sitting in the ashes
Cinderella clad in silks and satins and
richly beladen with jewels-whence
came the change? Egypt anguish
ing in misery, Egypt filled with new
hope, new industry, new wealth
whose work was this? In the one
case, says the Boston Transcript, a
good fairy waved her wand; in the
other a British diplomatic agent
Lord Cromer-toiled ten years with
all the strength that was in him. And
now that Lord Cromer's newest re-
port has reached London all England
is as thoroughly amazed as if the re-
suit were a work of magic.
A decade ago England saw bank
ruptcy staring her in the face. Lady
Duff Gordon wrote: 81 cannot de-
scribe the misery here now-every
day some new tax. The fellaheen
can no longer eat bread. The taxa
ton makes life almost impossible.
The people are running away by
wholesale" Of those sorry times an
other observer says: "The peasant
went about his daily task with bowed
and trembling heart, starting with
fright if addressed by a person Of SUI
perior rank" Justice was unknown,
corruption prevalent. The body pol
itic suffered from a shattered consti-
tuition, every organ diseased. The ma
tive was still living in the stone age.
And then came Lord Cromer's active
measures for construction. Result?
Stability is given to the whole situa-
ton, Egyptian credit restored, Eu-
ropean capital attracted, the value Of
trade doubled, financial conditions
(by vast drainage and irrigation
works. made Independent of the Vi
cissitudes of the seasons, 1,400square
miles Of land added to the cultivated
area, taxes lightened, justice estab-
lished, education advanced, the cor
wee system practically abolished, dis
ease reduced-in short, a new Egypt
evolved out Of the wreckage Of ages.
Mr.. j. E. Woolacott, writing Of
Lord Cromer's new Egypt, says: "Ihe
transformation Of Egypt since the
British occupation is more wonderful
than any story that oriental magma
ton could conceive. The fellaheen
can hardly realize that they are
not living in some pleasant dream
from which there may be a rude
awakening. During my sojourn in
Egypt | saw an offending prince with
in the walls of a prison and the gov
ernor of a province deposed for ex-
torting money from the people for
the purposes oof public rejoicing. l
saw, too, taxes removed which bore
heavily on the laboring population.
1 feel proud then of the work done in
Egypt by England, and of the great
E~nglishman to whom the Egyptian
peasant owes so great a debt. Still
more eloquent is Lord Miners tri-
butte to Lord Cromer: "He has re-
allied that the essence Of our policy
is to help the Egyptians to work out
as far as possible, their own salvation.
And not only has he realized this him
self, but he has taught others to re-
alize it. The contrast between Egypt
to-day and Egypt as he found it, the
enhanced reputation of England in
matters Egyptian are the measure Of
the signal services he has rendered
alike to his own country and to the
country where he has laid the foun-
dations of a lasting fame" The poor
fellaheen calls the period of Lord
Cromer's regime "the time Of bless
ing"