Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-02-11
THE BURNING OF THE LIBRARY
AT ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT

d
AT ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT :
The heat of the sun had been in
tense in the tropical land Of Egypt
and as night gradually inclosed the
city of Alexandria in its black robe,
the inhabitants gave sigh OF graft
fled relief.
There were signs of great prepare
ton in homes of the populace on tins
night. People hurried to and fro
along the streets and some smiled
intelligently to one another while the
ornaments of their headgear clinked
rnusically together.
!. Some nomads, returning from the
desert with their company OF dancing
girls and jugglers, asking some small
urchin what festival was going to be
held would be answered promptly
with self-conscious pride on the
Youngsters part, "Why, don't you
know, that Caesar, the all-powerful,
is going 90 order the burning Of the
enemies ships at the wharves To-
night" The wanderers had to confess
their ignorance of the fact, as they
had been. travelling, and had been
absent for q great while, far from
the gates of Alexandria.
The scene shifts to the wharves
where a seething mass Of human
beings are dashed to the highest
pitch of. excitement.
See! was that blaze Of fire: All!
it gets larger, yea, the destruction OF
the ships commences.
Look! the second is ignited. How
-. he
of the destructive element laps It's
sides.
Soon the whole fleet of ships are
enveloped in the conflagration, the
entire city is lighted even to its
darkest corner.
All! there goes great drift Of
flying sparks through the air. No
one has interest enough to see where
they land, but the fiery messengers
are speeding on their fateful mis-
sion, and as they fall in their flight.
it is directly over the roof OF the
celebrated Library of Alexandria,
Egypt" They disappear from vie.:.
into the very center of the rooms OF
the Bruckium. An antique Persian
rug it quickly ignited. then the fire
burns. steadily EDWARDS, penetrating
the woodwork of the building, quietly
doing its deadly work while no one
is near to see.
Had they been borne on the wind
to wreck its havoc, or had it been
brought by the hand of the omnlpo-
tent God for some purpose He above
had in mind? Z
Meanwhile the crowds on the
wharves. elated at the havoc the
fire had wrought, turning their backs
on the ruins of the ships. and prepar
ing to go to their respective homes,
were amazed to see funnel-like
volume of smoke rising from the
center Of the city. By instinct, all
the. merry jewellers hurried to the
Library. and stopped in a gasp Of
horror. Some frantic scholars, who
delved /. in the old manuscripts of
history and geometry and like sub
ipcts, rushd pell-mell into the flames
and tried to subdue the blaze with }
own garments rent from their bodies.
Alas. what were their puny efforts,
towards the licking, kissing, vawning
piilars'of fire. Some We're killed and
others MANNED for life as the result
Of their efforts. Cool, leyel-headed
Greeks stood aloof from the swaying
mass; figuring the financial losses,
realizing that 100000 priceless man
uscripts We're serving as useless fuel
to heat the summer air.
All, the desolation and ruin that
is seen when the fire has subsidized.
The library was practically Destroy
ed only smoldering mass of ruins
testified where the great storehouse
of knowledge had stood. Some peo-
pie, in hopes to find manuscripts
(Which were nearly completed, to sell,
were digging, in the ruins before it
was: Quite cooled Scholars in groups
of twos and threes stood looking
mournfully on the pile of debris, real
ling the immensely of the loss. No
more could they feed their minds
with works of the old masters and
writer's Sadly, they TURF and walk
away with downcast heads and slow
moving feet.
Was it a greater loss to the peoElo
of that time anymore than it is I.
the scholars of the twentieth CEN
fury? No, not at all for by its de-
struction, we lost some OF the most
valuable manuscripts that time has
ever produced The task OF ever re-
writing the volumes lost was un-
thinkabley' because probably it would
take the lives. Of three men to write
one volume. Even. the library of
Pergamas that Mark Anthony gave to
enchanting Cleopatra could not make
restitution. for the burned one at
Alexandria.
I'VE of the twentieth century, an
age in which education and culture
are st their highest, can not helr
but snow the way the scholars of tina
day and generation felt, to have
their main source of knowledge cut
off. For there in Alexandria, Egypt.
students from all over the worl'
came to study and learn the princi
pies on which our forefathers builded
all knowledge.