Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-06
when THEY HAD NO NEWSPAPERS
People OF Early Times Were Kept World
BY Letters Writ ten on Papyrus.
New York Press.)

AAo newspapers OF To-Day Will give
the historian Of the future a complete
picture Of the daily lives we are now
leading.
How is it possible to get the same
complete picture Of the lives of people
OF past ages when there were no
newspapers. Papyrology, the science
OF studying ancient papri,. has given
US almost as perfect a picture of life
in Egypt 1000 years ago as any one
could obtain from our own newspapers.
The very fact that there were no
newspapers in those days to make cur
rent knowledge and news familiar to
everybody served to make letter writ
ing frequent and important. Nova
days everybody assumes that every
body else Is informed from the daily
press about the war and any other
happening Of importance in any local.
ity. In early times the only way to
spread news abroad was to write your
friends on papyrus sheet.
Prof. Arthur s. Hunt, Of Oxford,
who is one OF the greatest experts in
papyrology, describes the latest work
in this field In the last issue Of the
Journal Of Egyptian Archaeology, the
organ Of the Egypt Exploration Fund.
Prof. Hunt was engaged in the famous
researches at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt.
THE bulk OF the papri," says Prof
Hunt, proceed from the ruins Of an
cient towns and villages; either from
deserted houses. where the papers,
which were Of no use to their owners,
were left behind, lying about on the
| floor or in a pot, as often in the Fay
| UNI; or. secondly. from rubbish heaps
| on which waste paper was thrown out
with other house refuse, as, for in
| stance, at Oxyrhynchus and Hermo-
polls.
Such piles Of refuse often rise to a
height OF from 20 to 80 feet, and SIM
| liar heaps can be seen in process of
formation outside almost any modern
Egyptian village. The other main
| source of papri Is tombs, in which &C.
casionally a roll is found. In the
Bodleian Library at oxford may be
found roll of Homer with lock of
hair Of the lady with whom it was
| buried.
But the cemeteries supply US in
another and less obvious manner In
the third and second centuries B. c.,
occasionally still later, mummies were
| often decorated with pieces of painted
cartonnage, in the composition Of
which waste paprus was frequently
employed. 1t is possible to remove
the everything plaster and paint and to
separate the layers of paprus and SO
| recover the documents in a more or
| less legible condition,
Most Of the earliest Greek papri
| have been derived from this source.
Sometimes, too. waste paper was used
| in the mummfication of crocodiles and
| other animals. On two occasions We
made large discoveries in this way in
the Fayum. where the crocodile was
| held sacred"
| Letter writing, fortunately, was
much practiced in ancient Egypt, and
| there are quantities of letters between
persons Of all degrees Of education and
| written on all sorts of occasions. We
| may read, for instance, THE encourage
ment and good advice sent by parents
! to absent sons, or may recognize ia
| miliar types Of character in the an
| swering effusions Of children to par
| ents-the spoilt boy who scolds his
father for having left him at home in
| stead Of taking him to the capital; the
we'll conducted youth. who complac-
| emily assures his relatives that he is
| getting on very well. combining study
| with recreation, and the prodigal SON
who writes to beg his mothers forgive
ness and confesses that he has brought
| himself to restitution.
We have formal invitations. couched
like those Of the present day in the
third person, to dinner parties and
weddings, and lists of things that were
eaten; accounts of dining clubs Of the
second century b. c., with record
of the number of members and guests
present and the amount spent on wine
| bread and garlands.