Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-14

wages paid Kings did not pay wages in
those days. The practice of forced labor
prevailed in Egypt until 1884, when it was
permanently abolished by Lord Cromer' S
orders.
The present irrigation system was intro
duced and partially built by King Acme
nemhat III in the year 1900 B. G. Canals and
s1uices dug by him in the Fayoum district
are in use to the present day; the annual
rise of the Nile was recorded upon rock
at Semneh, thirty-five miles above the sec
ond cataract, by his engineers, and the in
scriptions are still visible.
Career of Joseph.
Joseph, the son of Israel was sold as
slave by the Midianite traders who brought
him to Egypt to Potiphar, captain of the
guards of Nubu one of the Hyksos kings,
somewhere about the year 1850 B. c. The
Hyksos dynasty, which extended from 22S3
to 100 B. c., were invaders who came from
Mesopotamia into Egypt, where, supported
by their countrymen, who had already set
tied In large numbers in the delta of the
Nile they were able to overthrow the ma
tive rulers About the year 1909 B. c. a
revolution occurred under the leadership of
Amasis l. the last of the royal race of
Thebes, who re-established the independ-
ence of Egypt. Joseph grew to manhood in
Potiphar'S household and seems to have
been allowed much liberty. for the Bible
says: And the Lord was with Joseph and
he was a prosperous man." until he in
CURED the hatred of woman and was sent
to prison. While there he interpreted the
dreams of two of his prisoners. the
chief baker and the chief butler of the king,
who had also been sent to jail.
After they got out they reported the fact
to their master, and when Pharaoh, who
probably was Apepa II, about 1730, had a
dream he sent for Joseph, who predicted
seven years of plenty and seven years of
famine, and acting under the latter's ad-
vice, his majesty was able to relieve the
distress that came upon the people. Joseph
was appointed Grand vizier at the age OF
thirty and was called Zaphnath-Paaneah
which means the preserver OF n s. or
him to wife Asenath, daughter of Potiphe-
rah. high priest of On, by whom he had
two sons. Manasseh and Ephraim
When his father who numbered three
scbre years and ten, and family came down
to Egypt they were placed In the land OF
Goshen, for their trade had been about
cattle" and Joseph told them that every
tians." Joseph gave them ''the best Of the
land in the land of Rameses. as Pharaoh
had commanded, and they grew and multi
piled exceedingly and waxed exceeding
mighty and the land was filled with them"
Joseph was one hundred and ten years old
when he died. They embalmed his body
after the Egyptian fashion and put him in
a coffin, and the children OF Israel carried
it to the Promised Land and buried 1t in
the tomb of his fathers.
No Records of Joseph.
1t Is a remarkable fact, which cannot be
explained satisfactorily by archaeologists
and biblical historians, that there is no rec
ord of these remarkable events in any of
the Inscriptions or in any Of the papyrus
records that have thus far been discovered.
Nor is any record of the exodus of the Is
raelites to be found In any Of the inscrip-
lions. It is true that the kings Of the Hyk-
SOS dynasty did not build pyramids or mon
uments The records during the period Of
their occupation are exceedingly scanty and
unsatisfactory. Their names cannot be as
certained. Nobody has ever been able to
determine how many of the Hyksos kings
occupied the throne of Egypt. During their
period, from 2233 to 100, when the indie
pendence of Egypt was re-established. his
tory Is almost a blank, and we must ac-
cept that as an explanation of the absence
of all reference to Joseph and his family
and the years Of famine that took place
during his time.
There is another singular omission. Every
son of any consequence In ancient Egypt