Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-02-05
WONDERS ALONG THE nile
GENERAL ROGERS TELLS OF WORK
OF ANCIENT PEOPLE
Esvpt the Home of Prehistoric Man
Exeelled in Art Of Building and
Stone Carving.

CAIRO, EGYPT, january Z, lSUo. - w G
are off for the pyramids, the old an
cient landmarks of the Nile landmarks
that stand boldly on the edge of the
Lybian desert, landmarks the mightiest
ever built by man, and coming from a
remote period, says a chronicler before
the flood. We cross the Nile on a
bridge constructed by the French, and
take an electric car, which runs up the
Nile for five miles, then across the val
ley on a causway, charming driveway
of Ave rll!es under the entwining
branches Of the acasia trees. We alight
from the ear and find q good hotel,
electric lights and phone.
The dragomen are persistent and re-
fuse to be put aside. A short walk and
we stand at the foot of the Gizeh, the
largest of all these pyramdialstombs of
the Nile, the cardinal points rising four
hundred and fifty feet. We stand at
the base and wonder at the labor which
took from the rock bed and laid in
pyramidal form the huge sepuleher of
limestone and granite for a king and
his queen. We stand by the entrance
which was supposed TO hide from sac
riligious hands forever the mummied
bodies prepared for eternity. Some
people enter the dark subterranean
passage; they go down a narrow way,
then by and up grade into the silent
chamber, where rest the mighty sar-
cophagi, in a chamber lined with poll
ished granite, brought from far up the
Nile near luxor The labor Of en-
trance was too fatiguing and | was
content to listen to the story of those
who entered. After all this labor to
preserve efrom.vandslism his royal high
ness mummied boby is now on exhibi-
ton in the British museum. Now for
the ascent. A dragoman on either side
and one TO push and you are lifted step
after step of three feet, when the top
is reached. And Oh, what a viewi
What scenes have been enacted, what
cruelties and what history. From this
position we see where the human race
struggled IN the dawn of mans crea-
tion. Far up the valley are the ruins
of Memphis on the Lybian desert, the
pyramids and tombs nine miles below
Cairo. Out on the desert toward
Goshen the obeIisk, standing to mark
the ruins of Heliopolis, the first and
most ancient capital, the seat of the
origin of the religion of Osiris and Isis,
and where Horus was born. Invading
armies came, internal strife and she
fell. We see the city of Cairo shining
in the sunlight, the domes of the
mosques. The minerets, where the
call goes forth warning the people to
prayers to proclaim Mohammed the
! true prophet. Here was written on
papyrus, carved on granite and alabas-
| Ter Ii baserelief, the story of Egyptian
| life. Far up the valley the Nile winds
like silver thread, excursion boats
carrying passengers to the upper Nile,
and we see the steam and smoke OF
trains going ladeBed with traffic for the
Soudan The people are working in
the soil to produce food. The buffalo
is the field animal. the camel and ass
the burden bearers. We look towards
the delta and a wonderful landscape; a
soil rich and productive after seven or
more thousand years cultivation. Down
on the fields below where Nepoleon,
! more than 100 years ago, with an army
of 10000 French soldiers fought the
battle of the Pyramids and won, de-
stroying the Mameluke army of 0,000
\ men. His square formation and his
artillery saved him from annihilation
when he mastered Egypt. The English
| navy destroyed his fleet and left him
stranded. Wonderful man, mighty
genius, matchless soldier, he pushed on
/ 20 Tyre, to lose again, the English help
| ing the Arabs. Napoleon returned with
decimated army, made his way to
| Paris to conquer France, lost his Egyp-
tian army and Kleber was assiDatetl.
! The French came back to build the
Suez canal and rejuvenate Egypt, and
! failed. England came to stop internal
I strife, collect revenues to pay interest
on bonds; has been successful, and now
the peacemaker, the guiding influence
| of .nis country under English suzef-
ainty great progress has been going or.
Steamers 20 up the Nile far into the
heart of Africa and the Soudan. Rail
roads are pushing along the valley, are
| in the Soudan, and not many years be-
| fore direct communication with Cape
I Colony will be established.
With all these multiplicity Of thoughts
ard reflections before me, ] descend to
the foot of the pyramids and walked
around r the Sphynx, the riddle. We
behold mans head, lions body, hewn
from the solid rock, facing the east,
source of light, representing the intel
lect of man and strength of the Ion.
1t is a monster, huge in proportions,
and scientists who measured the face
say it is perfect in measurements, from
forehead to chr! 30 feet, the length Of
body 20 feet. 1t has been Ia the gara 2
of the sun and pounded with sand fsor1
the beginning Of mans creation.
We enter a temple down in the SIND;
we go into crypts lined with alabaster,
on which is written the story Of the
lives Of the mummies now on exhibition
in museums. The temple was opened
by an English areheologist thirty year 8
ago. II is lined with polished granite
columns, supporting the roof of polished
granite, six feet square and thirty feet
long. Here is written in granite and
painted In hierogliphics the history Of
the king who built the pyramid close
by. 1t is an illustrated story in which
the Egyptologist has deciphered The
day was one of great interest. We re-
turned to the city and on the way
stopped at 'he geological gardens, and
there is galnered the animal kingdom
Of the Nile. Morning Of the next day
we 90 to the EgyptiG.h museum. Here
is gathered the most wonderful 2ollec-
tion of the human race. Here are
colossal Sarcophagi Of the royal fam
lilies, their history written on the cedar,
inside and out, and in as perfect color
as when first written. Many mummy
bodies are here, running down through
the Macedonian period, the Greek in
fiuence and the Roman occupation.
The Romans painted on the lids Of the
coffins the portraits Of the dead, and
today they are in perfect color. The