The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-22

some of the most entcrprtsing
az orr charitable Americans
rave established training coliese
,or young Egyptians. which is doing
wonderful work In the Valley OF the
Nile. ! came here from Cairo TO see
IT, winding my way in and out hlons
.hc great river, The Nile valley Us
narrow about Cairo. Its width is from
siiroe TO nine miles, and as the rail-
.nad tools mo up II could see every
where the yellow sand on both SIDES.
we were Mt times far out In the
desert, and at times moving In and
out of 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 load
ed with yellow fruit. Upper Egypt has
vast numbers of dite trees. There are
I'm the whole country something IKE
100000 of these palms. and they
brig in, at rought estimate 81 to
every tree every year.
The Capital OF Upper Egypt.
Assiout is the largest city in Egypt
south of Cairo. 1t is the capital of
this part or the Nile Valley. and Is
.he chief centre of its 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 II to other caravans bound for
Tripol Cairo and suez. The railroad
now carries the most of this trade,
and the iron tracks have been ex-
tended from here southwark without
one short break, supple, by STEAMERS
ON the river to the city of khortoun.
The Nile Valley above Cairo is eX-
ceedingly fertile. There is not an
acre of irrigated land in it worth less
,xF
s5nn 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 station
are brick houses of 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 houses
of the city are Egyptian in character
They are fiat-roofed buildings of one,
TWO and three stories. facing the street.
Many of them are new and substan-
TALLY built. The bazaars are far better
than when / visited Assiout, twenty
five years ago, and the town. which
now has over 10000 people, Is double
the size II was then.
An American College in Egypt.
But started out to tell you about
This big American college. 1t is doing
go much good for Egypt that it is COM
rnanded by the British government and
by every tourist who learns anything
of Egyptian affairs. II Is known as
the Assiout Training College. 1t was
founded about forty years ago. and its
work was done in a donkey stable.
II now has seven large two and three
story buildings. which cover two acres.
running around campus shaded by
date palms. and among It's professors
are graduates of the best of our coll
leges. including Princeton and Yale.
1t has now between seven and eight
hundred students, who come from all
parts OF Egypt and even from the
Soudsn and. the other countries of
Northern Africa.
The students represent more than
loo 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
eminent officials. The graduates of
the school are anXiously sought by the
government as clerks. Their training
is considered better than that of the
government colleges. where no religion
except the Koran is taught and they
are found TO be more trustworthy and
of a higher moral character
Managed by Presbytcrlunx.
The college Is g, missionary institu-
ton. but 1t givesa good general edu-
ration, 1t is run upon broad lines. and
has among its students Copts, Moham-
medans and Christians. 1t is supported
by the United Presbyterian Church OF
the United States This is about the
only one of our Protestant denomina-
tions which is doing work here, the
other sects having apparently given up
Egypt to 1t. 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. andLeven on the borders
of Abyssinia. There are' something like
$4,000 boys now being taught In its
various institutions. 1t is surprising
that large part of the money which
this mission is spending upon educa-
ton comes from the natives themselves.
Last year more than 100000 was spent
and of this almost $4,000 was sub
scribed by the Egyptians OF the $4,000
now in the schools, more than 10000
are paying tuition, SO that the institu-
lions are largely self-supporting. The
Egyptians of to-day have learned the
value of modern school training and
they are anxious TO have their sons go
to college. They want them Taught
English and are all willing to pay
something in order that they may get
q modern education
In Egyptian College.
I went through the Assiout Training
College with its president, the Rev.
John Alexander, d. D., who has been
In charge of the institution for al
most generation and to whom it is
largely due that 1t is the most sue
cessfui institution of Its kind In North
srn Africa. DIR. Alexander to by birth
nm Ohioan. He was educated at Wooster
University. and 1t was shortly after
ne left there that he came out Ia
Egypt He has lived in Epypt ever
since, and he knows the people and
their wants as We'll as any man in Il
de tells me that the Egyptians ara
thoroughly aroused as to the adyan.
tages OF modern education, and That
they could use more schools and better
facilities than eithsr the government
or the mission can now supply, uo
tells me that he has 10 refuse manv
applications for entrance to the train.
Ing college for lack of room, and thai