The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-17

the language spoken by Christ himself
| They had heard that in the monasteries
perched among the mountains of Syria
and that region there must be yet I'M
discovered manuscripts of Bible times.
They resolved to go there and search
for themselves.
The names of the twin sisters are
Mrs. A. L. Lewis and Mrs. Y. L. Glib
son. They are very learned women.
Both are Phi. DIS of the University of
Halle and LII. DIS of st. Andrews.
They went on their quest for old
Scripture manuscripts. 1t led them to
the monastery of St. Catherine on
Mount Sinai. There, proving them
selves to be Christian scholars and ar
chaeologists and not mere women, of
whom the monks had a horror, they
were admitted and allowed to search
the whole unused part of the monas-
terry. In vacant cells were old docu-
ments the good fathers of ST. Gather
ines had never thought worth examin-
ing. The English ladies found these
and set themselves to the task of deci-
phering the faded papyrus.
Their hearts leaped for joy when they
discovered a palimpsest that had I'M
derneath it's outer writing another
which proved to be a record of the say
ing of Christ and which dated back to
within century and a half of his ac-
tual life on earth, thus constituting it
the oldest New Testament document
extant. One of the sayings was set
down as quoted by Jesus from Rabbi
Hillel of Babylon instead of being orig
inal with him, and it was nothing less
than what we now call the Golden Rule.
Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Gibson are still
pursuing their studies and investiga-
lions into ancient Scriptures.
Meantime a young American woma n
has dug into history still farther back
on the very ground where the history
made itself.
A Boston girl, Harriet Ann Boyd,
who received her preliminary education
in the Boston public schools, entered
Smith college in 1888. While she was
there Amelia B. Edwards, the EgyptoI-
ogist, came to America on a lecture
tour and gave an address at Smith.
Harriet Boyd was deeply impressed
with DR.. Edwards story of archaeology
ical research among dead and gone
peoples. The impression remained
through the girls college years. and
when she was graduated at Smith in
1892 the desire to make such investi-
CATION for herself had become strong.
She repressed it, however, for a time
and went south to teach school Again
the old longing to take a hand in dig
ging among ancient ruins famed up
strongly, and at length Miss Boyd
yielded to 1t.
Her imagination drew her to Greece
as a promising field. She went to Ath-
ems and entered the excellent Ameri-
can School of Classical Studies. She
devoted herself first to the mastery of
modern Greek. While she was study
ing with all a scholars enthusiasm the
war between Turkey and Greece sud-
denly burst forth. Harriet Ann Boyd
dropped her books and turned army
nurse to Greek soldiers. The whole
nation was grateful to the American
girl, and Queen Olga gave her a dec
grafton.
Returned from the war, back to her
studies went Harriet Boyd. She passed
examinations and won a fellowship at
the American school at Athens. While
she was giving her services to the sick
and wounded Greek soldiers in 1897
Harriet Boyd did not know she was
laying the foundation for future fame
and her life work. Yet so it was. Dur
ing the Turco-Greek war, which was
concerning Crete, she became greatly
interested in that island. Under its