The new era., 1911-12-28
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Old Egypt Takes on Old Worlds New
Ways-Piaysreund Of Five contl-
nsnts 10 Now Finding q New Ma
tlonal Lie Of Its Own.
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.

mystery OF lLS past, II y0t uh6 uOtuAu6
more alluring to show the thoughtful
traveller than its own transformation.
The emergence of Egypt, within gem
Grafton, from land Of bloodshed, in
Justice, poverty and misery, into
we'll 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. or
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. Even the
staggering Bedouin. posing in front
of the hotels, knows that his pictur-
esqueness enhances his wage-earning
capacity as a guide. The bazars of
"old Cairo" never lose sight for 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 chanseless Things In Old
Egypt.
Antiquities and Orientalism are the
most marketable assets of Cairo. Truly
there is something awesome about the
persistence which 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 plowing, 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
plow 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 dom
keys. sometimes bullocks, sometimes
cows-draw up the water for irriga-
tion 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 a nation. 7pI
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 rainless land,
and, as of yore. it is still dependent
upon the Nile for its life. Even as
anciently. it is threatened by the en-
vironing and encroaching desert. The
Coptic fellaheen Of today are the sons
of the ancient Egyptians of five or six
thousand years ago. In physiognomy
and habits the type remains un-
changed; though the new education
which mas lately come in will prob
ably alter the latter within a genera
ton or two. The philosopher who.
In the presence of these strange sur
vivals asks himself whether the Egyp-
tian fellah will be working his shad-
duf and plowing with his bent stick,
centuries after Great Britain has
ceased to exist as nation, will prob
ably have to return a negative answer.
kIn present day world phenomena moth
ling is more remarkable than the final
Overthrow Of usages and institutions
which have lasted from the beginning
Of recorded history.
A High Type Of Oriental.
Tall, handsome, stately, the Egyp-
.ian is the best looking type of man
In the east. Both the Copt and the
Arab have a free, self-confident and
swinging carriage. They are quick OF
wit and self resourceful. Like all sun
warmed peoples. they are OF an affec-
tionate and passionate disposition, and
little given to orderliness and meth
Cd. They would rather wear fine
clothes than practice the homely vir-
lures of thrift. Poetical, philosophi-
cal and courteous, they have real
intellectual future before them.
For this nation of the wondrous past,
with memories Of world dominion
smouldering in its breast. is far from
being a spent race. The future un-
doubtedly holds for 1t destiny even
us did the past. For Egypt has sud
denly awakened from its fruitless rev.
erie upon the glories that are gone to
ambitions for the. future that Is ahead.
The contact with the west has stirred
into flame its latent powers. The mag
1cal learning Of the west, after which
all the older nations are thirsting, has
made its appeal to Egypt also. The
young men and women are breaking
with the deadly conservatism of the
past, and seeking the new life and pow
er that the western school books
bold.