The sun., 1905-08-13
GREAT TEMPLE NEAR SINAI.
CENTER OF WORSHIP AND SACR1-
FICE or SEMITIC WORLD.
Discoveries Regarding the Exodus OF the
Jews From Egypt-Results OF Dr.
Petrie's Explorations Am ons Remains
Of the First People OF tho Eartn'

Petrie's Explorations Am Ong hemaihs
OF the First People OF tho Earth.
Bya series of bold and brilliant discoveries
the reward Of arduous and sustained iaoor,
DIR. Flinders Petrie has remolded the history
OF the Eastern Mediterranean during the
last ten years. Spelling out the RECORDS
OF broken stone and shattered pottery.
says the London Chronicle, he has given
new meaning to the word 'anoient.
Greeks and Romans are now seen to have
been mere moderns, almost treading ON
our own heels, while far back we look down
q long vista OF culture and civilization,
lasting through many thousand years
and stretching around the whole basin
of the Inland Sea. He and his friends-
for take him simply as the most prominent
man OF q group-have given US new con-
ception Of history, new reading OF the
modern world, new idea Of human growth.
They have literally dug out from the bowels
OF tho earth, In the heat and solitude OF
exile, q new history Of man.
Now they are extending their work fur
ther. Hitherto DR.. Petrie's work has been
mainly, ] think entirely, In Egypt. But,
like Moses, he has not always been on the
best terms with Pharaoh. and this year
q small difference as to State rights has led
to an exodus. Shaking the dust Of Egypt
from of his feet-happily without insisting
on any plagues-Mr. Petrie has gone several
days camel journey with the tents and his
workmen OF into the wilderness, to dig
there. Following closely in the track OF
his precursor in exile Mr.. Petrie has gone
to Sinai, and the results OF q seasons work
~ ~, to- n
within the building Of the London Univer-
sity in Cover street.
Briefly. these stones seem to explain why
Moses and his people wanted to 60 into the
wilderness, for here, close to Sinai, Prof.
Petrie and his workers have found what is
little less than sort Of Semitic Delphi
q great center OF worship, prayer and
sacrifice for tho whole Semitic world. 1t
was Niebuhr who first discovered that
there was Q temple near Sinai. But It
might have been just an ordinary Egyptian
temple to Osiris, Isis or any Of that motley
crowd who dog tho days and haunt the
nights Of the modern Egyptian tourist.
1t has now been thoroughly dug up
and has been discovered to be q Semitic
temple, temple for the Jews and their
kindred races. It contains vast num-
Der OF cubicles for pilgrims who went to
dream dreams after the manner Of Jacob
and Joseph. and hundreds of little Bethel
stones which they erected, even as Jacob
did, to celebrate a really fortunate dream.
or course DR.. Petrie is much too cautious
q student to suggest any connection between
this temple and the Jewish Exodus. But
may not the suggestion at any rate be
thrown out that 1t was to this spot that
Moses first wished to lead the Jewish exiles?
Pharaoh, acting after his kind, refused to
h1t hak
II he had the Jews might not have gone
to Sinai. sacrificed there, and returned to
Egypt, We ..nno+ toll wnon ,u :. said md
dens the w n Of f, ,aa 1sEs
tivity. That episode Of Egyptian history
spseotiVe nsaiU 'e1 % gymnastics ing The ses9 Eeyptans
probably regarded the jews as a. very
little people, and Looked 2 over their heads
they said, SIS the day Of big empires
They had many suoh troubles with small
nations wandering desert tribes, Ethio-
plans, vile sons OF Cush, and what not.
The Egyptologists have done their best
Testament.
There were 90 many civilizations in
Egypt-so many tracks have been covered
up-that We must not be surprised at find
ing few direct traces Of the stay Of the
JeWb. OO IllauJ peopleD we're carried
captive that the memory OF the Jews was
lost among them. But that is what adds to
the value Of this Semitic temple at Sinai.
One most astonishing thing about the
find Il the discovery OF a great mass Of
burnt ashes, the remains Of many thou
sands OF burnt offerings by other Semitic
visitors-perhaps from Tyre or Sidon, or
other parts Of that great Semitic world
which was collapsed by the rise OF Assyria.
Some Of the pilgrims who tried, through
the gate Of dreams, to foresee the future
must have died in that sterile valley, for
DR.. Petrie has discovered tombs unlike
any In Egypt-tombs built in the shape Of
beehives, and containing curious bracelets
OF shell. Or perhaps these were the lonely
tombs Of the Egyptian miners, far from the
embalmers, digging here for turquoises.
Those miners kept their food In jars, and
when they went home to Egypt they buried
their lars for safety In the soil below their
huts. DR.. Petrie has found many Of these
iars 1ust as they were left. The miners
who left them never returned to dig them
up, Who can tell what happened? What
chance Of fate or death befell them on the
way2
Delving In this under world Of tho past Is
perpetual voyage OF romance. 1t sur
passes the journeys Of Columbus or Cor
tez. In that wonderful climate, where the
sun and air and sand combine to annihilate
time, the digger always feels as II he might
suddenly enter new lost world, where
man possessed all we are searching after
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