New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-25

the families of all classes II was the boast Of
the typical man in public or private life that he
followed the precepts of justice and kindness
The author quotes from the tomb of one Official
these complacent words:
There was no citizens daughter whom misused:
there was no widow whom oppressed. there " as
no peasant whom repulsed: there herds
serf Iaborers whose people took for Iunpajdl i'm
posts there was none wretched in my community:
there was none hungry In my time
There is more in the same vein II we are TO
believe the available records the Egyptians were
an honorable people. generous and ever ready to
listen to the dictates of conscience But the
serpent Of discord crept in in the guise of pOlt-
ical unrest, and the story of the country's rise
and fan is one of royal or imperial growth. now
fostered and now retarded by the thirst for
power among mobiles willing to profit By the
friendship Of the Pharaoh or Jealous Of his sway
The tale is too long and too complicated to be
summarized here. It is enough to state that the
dynasties waxed or waned according as those
upon the throne were skflful feeble in pre-
serving the balance of power against foes en-
countered as often within as without the
fines of Egyptian territory Il took strong
man to rule, to keep the masses comfortable.
to control the ambitions OF the feudatories, to
restrain turbulent tribes and to repeI the for
eigner. The conclusion at which one aged mon
arch arrived. Amenemhet, who died IN 1870
B. c.. is set forth in this address TO his son:
H HsaTk sso, to that which say to thee,
That thou mayest be ruler Of the lands.
That thou mayest increase good
The people give heed to him who terrorizes them:
Approach them not alone
K E1Il NOT 66 5hy f fTiend with brother
Nor make for myself intinates.
Wherein there is end
When thou sleepest, guard myself thine own heart:
For man has no people.
In the day OF evil
gave to the beggar.
nourished the orphan:
I admitted the insignificant
But he who ate my food made insurrection:
He to whom gave my hand. aroused fear therein
The sting is in the last lines. Amenenhet's
anguished cry from the heart is explained by a
conspiracy against his life Matched among his
own officers. But there was probably nothing
singular about his cynicisn. Doubtless palace
intrigues hUmmed in every reign. and one Pha-
raoh after another learned the old lesson Of
eternal vigilance What would we not give TO
know more of the personalities of those shadowy
Egyptians who mount the steps Of the great
throne and then disappear, leaving next to Moth
ing on which the historian may fasten, Did
they live the lurid lives OF the CsRsars that
Suetonius paints with such vivid brush or are
we to take the proud statements of the inscrip-
tons at their face value? Professor Breasted
abiding to the remOter kings. says that we may
a[sfehend them as group, but that we shall
never be able to discern them as possessed of
distinguishable personality Though we have
better luck the centuries roll on. and can
study many a Pharaoh at closer range. the last
wells in which their characters are wrapped have
still to be torn from them; the innermOst sanct-
uary of the Egyptian is still iHviOlate. But
this book takes US through many OF the outer
courts From the first manifestations of Egyp-
ton civilization that can be dated with any ap-
prOach to accuracy down TO the coming of the
Persians. Professor Breasted unfoIds the chron-
illogical sequence with patient particularly
There are gaps. of course. But of these as was
indicated at the outset. We are scarcely con-
sciOus With the help Of this book we get a
lively impression of Egyptian history as a whole
This is enriched by pages on Egyptian customs
| and manners. art and architecture in which the
author shows that he is as effective in matters
| Of detail as he is in the management OF the
broad lines of his scheme. The numerous illus
trations. it may be added. have been selected
with all possible discretion