Bisbee daily review., 1911-09-12
ALENoRiNE HISTORY.

times well to to be as indefinite as possible in ones charges.
 kLENDRlNE HISTORY.
 The much-disputed question as to the truth of tue statement made by Bar Hebraeous, the Christion histor- ian, regarding the confagration of the famous library at Alexandria by the Mohammedans appears to have al length been settled in favor of the historian.
 The statement of Bar Hebraeus concerning the fate Of the Alexan- drine library is sufficiently well knownbut the historical accuracy of ihs account has been vigorously chal- lenged of recent years. Bar Hebraeus informs us that when Yahya, the Cop tic philosopher, requested UmTa ion ALAS. the MosIem conqueror of Egypt to restore inc royal library to the public, the latter referred the question to the Omar bu-Al- Hattab, the second Half, and that the Half ordered the library to be destroyed on the ground that fl the books there in contained showed any variance from the Koran they were not re- quired, for the Kcgan alone was sufi- cisnt; if on the other hand they were in comBlete accord with the Koran in that case they were superfluous.
 Modern scholars have tried 10 pour aascredit on the story, regarding it as "a malicious islander Of Christians against Mohammedans and basina their theory on the supposition that no Moslem writer caller than Bai Debraeus alludes 10 the incident, while the statement contained in the latter's Attarih has ever been regard ed by some as a late interpolation.
 lsya Joseph, in an able article in one of the Semitic journals, calls at, tenticn to the light recently thrown upon the subject hy George Zadian, the editor Of the Cairene journal Hi laL In his "HisJorv of Mohammedan Civilization" (Cairo, 1904) Zaidan cites two independent authorities on this matter, one of whom is 'Abd Al Latf of Baghdad, who paid a visit to Egypt n the latter half Of the sixth century A. H and died seven years after Bar Hebraeus was bJrn He informs us that the library of Alen- andria was burned Ey Umru ibn Aal- As in obedience to the order of the Omar. The second authority is Jamal ad-Din AlKiiti-waZir of AlepPO, who was born in UUppcr Egypt 565 A. H. and died GIG A. Fl. In his Dictionary of Learned Men" he asserts that the library was burned by Umru ibn Al As
 Zaidan is of opinion thas the pass age in Bar Hebraeus is taken iron. Al-Kiftf's Dictionary of Learned Men," and Isya Joseph musters> evi- dence in support of this theory. He points out that in both accounts Yahya, An-Nahami is said to have witnessed the conquest of Sgypt by Umru, that he met the conQuerOr, who received him kindly, in cDnse- qucnce Of which he requested Umru 10 restore the library to the public, that Umru referred the question to the Halif and that in response the latter ordered the destruction of the library on the grounds stated above. and that Umru thereupon destroyed the books in the fircplaces Of the AleXandrino bathhouses.
 The similarity between the two ac- cunts is not confined to the general substance, but further extends to the actual words and expressions used as is found elsewhere in the works Of these two men; in short, one Of them must clearly have borrowed from the other and as Al Kifti was horn 51 : years before and died 24 years after ! Ear Hebraeu's. birth, the borrowing ! was clearly on the side of Bar He braeus.
 Having thus shown that the account Of Bar Hebraeus was based on Mos ! lem authorities. Isya Joseph furthef ! proceeds to consider the credibility ' If the story itsef TTere the early Mo hammedaEs capable of such acts oi ! vandalism. Zaidan shows that they ! clearly were, for the Arab historians ! record similar occurrences elsewhere one Of which was brought about hy
 this same second Half When the MosIenfs invaded Persia their general wrote to the Half for instructions as to what he was to do with the libra
 ries, to which the Efahf replied in pre- cisely the same terms as those which
 he used in regard to the Alexandrine library. to destroy the books for tho
 Koran alone was sufficient.
 The Arab chroniclers, moreover
 state clearly that wherever the earis r followers Of Mohammed gent thes burned all the books they came across in pursuance of the belief that the
 Koran had abrogated all that had gone before it. The conversation from
 an old to a new faith, whether sucl
 conversion were forced or Yolur