The farmer and mechanic., 1907-09-24
a VISIT TO THE BIGGEST UNI
yERSTTy OF NORTHERN AFRI-
CA AT ASSIOUT on THE SILE.

Their Charities - Modelled His
Church After Westminster Abbey
Among the Copts-Quecr Marriage
Customs OF Curious ChrI.tians-
Their Beliefs, Etc.
Copyright, 1907, BY Frank 9. Car
penter)
ASSIOUT Upper Egypt.
At Assiout. away UP the Nile Valley,
about az far south Of the Mediterra-
mean as Washington is south Of Buff
falo some OF the most enterprising OF
cur charitable Americans have esta b.
lished a training college for young
Egyptians which is doing wonderful
work In the valley of the Nile. /
came here from Cairo TO see IL, Wind
ing my way in and out along the great
river The Nile valley is narrow above
Cairo It's width is from three to nine
miles and as the railroad took me up
IL, I could sec everywhere the yellow
sand on both sides. We were at times
far out in the desert and times moving
in and out or the irrigated lands. We
passed mud villages at every turn OF
the car wheels. They border the river
and the larger canals. and the date
trees which hang over them are now
loaded with yellow fruit. Upper
Egypt has vast numbers Of date trees
There are In the whole country some
and they bring in, at rough estimate,
81 to every tree every year.
The Capital of Upper Egypt.
Assiout is the largest city in Egypt
south Of Cairo It is the capital OF this
part OF the Nile valley and Is the
chief center of commerce and trade.
Before the railroad was built caravans
from the Soudan brought great
quantities of merchandise from
Central Africa to this point and trans
ferred it to other caravans bound for
Tripoli, Cairo or Suez. The railroad
now carries the most Of this trade, and
the iron tracks have been extended
from here southwark with but one
short break. supplied by steamers on
the river. to the city of Khartoum.
The Nile valley above Cairo Is ex-
ceedingly fertile. There is not an acre
of irrigated land In it worth less than
5000 and most Of it would bring $500
per acre under the hammer. The
whole region Is prosperous and the
beggars are now comparatively few.
Assiout itself has many new build
ings Not far from the railroad sta
tion are brick houses two and three
stories which would be considered fine
anywhere. They are owned by Copts
who started life poor and have become
millionaires. The most of the city are
Egyptian in character. They are fiat
rooted buildings, one, two and
three stories, facing the street. Many
OF them are new and substantially
built. The bazaars are far better than
when / visited Assiout twenty-five
years ago, and the town, which now
as over $4,000 people, is double the
size it was then.
An American College in Egypt.
But I started out to tell you about
this big American college. 1t is doing
so much good for Egypt that 1t Is
commended by the British govern
ment and by every tourist who learns
anything of Egyptian affairs, 1t Is
known as the Assiout Training Col
lege. It was founded about forty
years ago and its first work was done
in a donkey stable. 1t now has seven
large two and three story buildings,
which cover two acres, running around
a campus shaded by date palms, and
the best of our colleges, including
Princeton and Yale. 1t has now be-
tween seven and eight hundred stu
dents, who come from all parts of
Egypt and even from the Soudan and
the other countries of northern Africa
The students represent more than 100
towns throughout, the Nile valley.
The graduates are scattered all over
Egypt. Many OF them are influential
business men, some are lawyers, doc
tors and teachers. and others are gov
ernment officials. The graduates OF
the government as clerks Their train
ing is considered better than that of
the government colleges, where no re-
ligion except the Koran is taught, and
they are found to be more trustworthy
and Of a higher moral character.
Managed BY Presbyterians.
This college is a missionary insti- |
tuition, but it gives a good general ed
ucation. 1t is run upon broad lines |
and has among it's students Copts, Mo-
hamme medans and Christians It is sup
ported by the United Presbyterian
church of the United States This is
about the only one of our Protestant
denominations which is doing work
here, the other sects having apparently |
given up Egypt to it. This church has |
mission stations scattered throughout
the Nile valley. and it has schools not |
only in lower and upper Egypt, but !
Also In the Soudan, and even on the
borders of Abyssinia. There are some !
thing like $1,000 boys now being
taught in its various institutions It
Is surprising that a large part Of the
money which this mission is spending
upon education comes from the ma
tlVes themselves. Last year more than
100000 was spent and of this al
most $4,000 was subscribed by the |
Egyptians. OF the $1,000 now in the |
schools, more than $4,000 are paving
tuition. so that the institutions are |
'SA 6Siy SSiI-Suppoi tiIiS. Inc EgNDt1- I
ans of today have learned the value
Of modern school training and they /
ere anxious to have their sons go to I
college. They want them taught Eng
lsh and are all willing to paw some |
thing in order that they may get a /
modern education
In an Egyptian College.
went through the Assiout Training
Coilege with its president, the Rev
John Alexander, D. D., who has been
IN charge OF the institution for alnosf
a generation, and to whom it is largely
due that it Is the most successful insti- /
tuition Of its kind in northern Africa |
Dr Alexander is by birth an Ohioan. |
de was educated at Wooster Irniyer /
stty and 1t was shortly after he left
Ihere ne came out to Egypt. He has I
nVed IN Egypt ever since and he
knows the people and their wants as /
well as any man in it. He tells me |
that the Egyptians are thoroughly
aroused as to the advantages |
OF modern education and that they /
could use more schools and bet
Ter facllltles than either the govern 7
n1ent or the mission can supply He +
tens me that he has to refuse many
apphcatlons for entrance to the train (