The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1912-09-06
OBSERVATIONS.

In 1850 Archbishop Usher, Primate
of the Episcopal church in Ireland,
published a book from which was
taken the chronology which has for
long time been placed at the head
OF the margins of our English bibles;
he was the most learned Englishman
in that line of study in his day; and he
made it out that the world was created
4O4 years B. G.. No one among bibl-
ical scholars doubted those conclu-
sions for many years; in my boyhood
| was taught the the Phoenicians in
vented the first alphabet from which,
it was said, the Hebrew alphabet
came; and as late as 40 years ago it
was claimed by some that Moses
could not have left books for his fol-
lowers, as writing was not then prac-
ticed by such peoples. Archbishop
Usher accepted the years credited to
the Antediluvians as literal lunar
years, which no scholar now receives,
believing the bible gives no reliable
chronology till Abraham's time; and
now for many years our scholars have
been reading literature which was
nineteen hundred years old for Abra-
ham in his native country; many years
before his time, as he was before
Christ. Not long ago the Putnam's
published book by Alexandra Moret,
I'm the Time of the Pharaohs:"
Moret is scholar who can take the
discoveries and writings of the most
learned and put them in plain Ian
guage which the common man can
understand; unless one has kept step
with the labors of the men with the |
spade in Egypt the statements of |
this book will surprise him. Almost
every year during the last thirty, won
dertul discoveries have been made in |
the land of the Pharaohs: about |
years ago clue was dis
covered to the hieroglyphic characters
found spread all over Egyptian
monuments, which had conveyed no
more information before than so many
bird-tracks. But digging began to
turn up wonders; and we have many
letters which were sent to the Egyp-
tian overload by his Governor. in Pal
estine long before Moses day; we
have learned so much of those DAYS
that we are able to construct a reliable
and life-like picture of Egyptian
thought and life of that remote time.
Then came the discovery of a lot of
mummies, which had evidently been
taken from their original tombs and
hidden at some remote period. per-
haps to hide them from some con-
luerer, and when examined here was
me body OF Pharaoh who oppressed
The Hebrews, and many of his family,
predecessors and successors, and pre-
haps Of "Pharaoh's daughter" who
rescued Moses and brought him up in
Ter home. But how old is Egypt?
How far back does their civilization
90! Recent discoveries have made il
plain who built the pyramids, and
Why, and who cut the Sphinx out OF
he rocky ridge, and left its face look
ng at the passing ages. Both OIL
hese works were hoary when Moses
vas boy. And the rock cutting and
polishing for these pyramids, which
must have been done at least four
thousand, and perhaps four thousand
md five hundred years B. c., is re-
for any time or age: the
mass of the great pyramid
lad such foundation that It does
lot show the least departure from
erfect alignment anywhere, and the
oints so perfect that the thin blade of
knife cannot be thrust between:
nd about five years ago new dis.
overies were made of the hiterto un-
nown LIST. End and 3rd dynasties
nd even distinct traces of the native
aces inhabiting the Nile Valley be-
ore that time. And here comes
uprising fact: the invading people
rho conqered the Egyptian people
receding the LIST dynasty, came as A
ighly civilized race, with ability to
uild, adorn and beautify, and had
,any luxuries, and beautiful jewelrv
md here is another interesting fact
hitch gives hint of the origin of
lese invaders; all their first building
'as of sun-dried brick! And thai
oints to the valley of the Euphrates
their home; that valley had no
uilding stone, and almost all of
'inevah and Babylon was built of
rick; the Ninevite and Babylonians
ere past masters at working CLAW.
oing their writing on soft clay and
len baking it hard, which makes II
clear today as when cooked six and
lore thousand years ago; but that
nilding with brick for a time shows
'eir Semitic origin; and this again
It's us thinking of the hoary age of
'e civilization OF the Euphrates-T
valley. for about $500 B. c., they
vaded and conquered E~vpt bring