Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-12-28
CHeAMKNG
I 1fI'1.6 ;'!:!5 &
OBSERVATIONS
Old Egypt Takes on Old Worlds New
Ways-PIayground of Five CONT
nents Is Now Finding a New Ma
tlonal Life of Its own.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.


is in new and ever-newer
Egypt The whole worlds play
ground, because of the charm and
mystery of its past, it yet has nothing
more alluring to show the thoughtful
traveller than its own transformation.
The emergence of Egypt, within gen
Grafton, from a land of bloodshed, in
justice, poverty and misery, into
well kept prosperous and improving
land is one of the great achievements
of the present generation.
Still there is unrest, of which civil
ization has not yet heard the last. OF |
the complaints of the nationalists, and |
the answer of the defenders of the |
British regime, more will be said in
the next article. This one can treat |
only of the awaking of this ancient
people into surprising modernity. That
it carefully retains some of the bizarre
and Oriental effects, so that the unso-
phisticated tourist in Cairo thinks him
self in the simon-pure east, is merely
good business policy. The astute ORR
entail fully understands the CONNER
cial value of the impression of pictur-
esqueness which he makes on the visit
or. No other city on earth is more
cleverly staged, for purposes of rev
enue, than this same Cairo. Eventhe
staggering Bedouin, posing in front
of the hotels, knows that his pictur-
sequences enhances his wage-earning
capacity as a guide. The baZars Of
old Cairo" never lose sight for a mo-
ment of the gullibility of the traveller,
who sees no incongruity in being ad-
dressed in the English tongue in this,
to him, wierdly remote spot.
Some changeIess Things In old
Egypt.
Antiquities and Orientalism are the
most marketable assets of Cairo. Truly
there is something awesome about the
persistence which a discerning person
may perceive here Out at Sakkara
one looks upon pictures in the tombs,
painted three, four or five thousand
years ago, of farmers blowing. with
a bent stick. drawn by bumped buff
faloes Then he goes out into the
neighboring fields and perceives that
identical picture in real life. The
pillow is the same, the animals are the
same. the very physiognomy of the
farmers are the same. So with the
men carrying water in skins. One
could imagine that the very pictures
from the tombs had stepped down and
come to life. The shadduf, along the
river and canals, whereby the animals
sometimes camels, sometimes don
KEYS. sometimes bullocks, sometimes
cows-draw up the water for irriga-
ton purposes, has been drawn with
fidelity to present day life by artists
who have been mummies for thrice the
length of time that Great Britain has
been nation.
In even larger aspects the survival
of ancient Egypt is noticeable. In
many essentials this nation, with the
oldest recorded history, has remained
the same. 1t is still a rainless land
and. as of yore. it is still dependent
upon the Nile for its life. Even as
anciently, il is threatened by the en-
vironing and encroaching desert. The
Coptic fellaheen of today are the sons
of the ancient Egyptians of five or sly
thousand years ago. In physiognomN
changed: though the new education
which mas lately come in Will prop
ably alter the latter within genera
ton or two. The philosopher who
I'm the presence of these strange sur
vivals asks himself whether the Egyp
tian fellah will be working his shad
n duff and blowing with his bent stick
centuries after Great Britain ha
), ceased to exist as q nation, will proh
ably have to return a negative answer
In present day world phenomena moth
ing is more remarkable than the fna
overthrow of usages and institution
n which have lasted from the beginning
of recorded history.
A High Type Of Oriental.
k Tall handsome. stately the EgyI
II tian is the best looking type of ma
e in the east. Both the Copt and tn
Arab have a free, self-contident an
swinging carriage They are quick c
Wit and self resourceful. Like all SUI
ID warmed peoples, they are of an affe'
y tionate and passionate disposition, an
little given to orderliness and metl
lie cd. They would rather wear fin
'e clothes than practice the homely vi
n lures of thrift. Poctical. philosoph
$. cal and courteous. they have RET
intellectual future before them.
4 For this nation of the wondrous pas
r. with memories of world dominic
re. smouldering in its breast. is far frol
being a spent race. The future III
er doubleday holds for it a destiny eve
as did the past. For Egypt has SUI
= denly awakened from its fruitless re
erie upon the glories that are gone
.. ambitions for the future that is ahea
The contact with the west has stirre
into flame its latent powers. The ma
zeal learning of the west after whic
\ all the older nations are thirsting, hi
made its appeal to Egypt also. III
a. young men and women are breakiI
with the deadly conservatism of Il
= mast and seeking the new life and POI