The New York herald., 1922-04-02
What Pto1emy Did With hhsIaxes z

n TO news of recent explorations in
IN Egypt has caused the widespread
comment that Is given to start
ling announcement Of DR.. Clarence Stanley
Fisher. Psychologist of the University Of
Pennsylvania Museum, who has found an
cient papyr@ on which are recorded the
tax secrets of the most mysterious of all
the old Egyptian rulers Ptolemy Phila-
delphus.
Egypt has given the world a centuries
old record of many strange romances,
tragedies and other interesting dramas of
the time when Cleopatra lured Mark An
tony; OF the age of the despotic rule of the
Pharaohs; of the weird worship of strange
gods and goddesses; but none of these
records Of this old and marvellous civiliza-
ton has been as startling as the disclo-
sures DR.. Fisher is on the eve OF making.
There is no doubt that it II to Ptolemy
Philadelphus we owe our present system of
raising taxes, and we are about to learn, It
seems. how this Ptolemy, the greatest of
all tax gatherers. supported his mysteri-
ous era Of Oriental magnifcence, and just
what that magnifcence was.
Civilization has changed many times
since that wealthiest and most powerful
monarch Of the eastern world ruled, but
only slightly does the method Iof fixing
taxes on the people to-day differ from that
OF his reign. OF course to-day we could
raise money for national improvements
Ptolemy raised money to support temple
girls and to pay for monuments built to
his lovely sister-wife.
Not only will the discoveries made by DR..
Fisher reveal the extraordinary method
by which the great ruler was enabled to
confscate for his Golfers about 80 per cent.
of the individual property and finances Of
his subjects. but also 1t will be possible for
the first time to know just how the tired
business men Of old Egypt we're persuaded
to help support the dancing girls who
helped them relax even while they orna-
mented temple ceremonies.
To understand just what it Is DR.. Fisher
Is on the eve Of revealing to us one has
to visualize the use to which this little
known Ptolemy put his great collections
from the people.
Students Of the Bible remember that
when Joseph Interpreted the dreams of
Pharaoh and foretold the seven years of
plenty to be followed by seven years of
famine he advised that Pharaoh take one
fifth OF the grain produced during each
year Of plenty and store 1t up for the years
OF famine that he might keep the people
alive When the years of famine came
the people came pleading for grain to
Joseph, and when their money was ex-
hausted he took horses, cattle and sheep
IN exchange for graini and when these had
an been handed ovsr he took the land be-
longing to the people and made It the
property Of Pharaoh. After this Joseph
gave the people grain to eat and seed for
planting and made them agree to pay one
fifth Of the pgOduce TO Pharaoh for the
use Of the hnd. thus establishing a tax
rate of 20 per cent. OF their income.
Genesis xfvfL)
This was far back in the seventeenth
century before the Christian era. Ptolemy
Philadelphus ruled from 2S4 to 246 B. c.
But we may be sure that the process OF
taxation had persisted for all these GEN.
turies and very probably was developed
still further, as will be known more spe-
cifcally when the leaves of papyrus, all
written in the popular Demotic script, have
been translated. The Demotic writing was
used by the people generally, as distin-
guished from the hieroglyphic or hieratic
which were used as the learned language
and script by the priests.
Tho Romantic Story
OF Ptolemy Philadelphus
But It was in another way as well that
the Ptolemies, especially Ptolemy Phila-
delphus, revolutionized the life of Egypt
Ptolemy had married Arsinoe, daughter of
Lysimachus Of Thrace, when young, but
finding that his wife was plotting his over
throw with Amyntas and his physician,
Chrysippus of Rhodes, he put the men to
death and banished her to Koptos. He.
then married his own sister, daughter of
his father, but having different mother,
also named Arsinoe. She was called by
the Greeks "Philadelphus," brother-lover,
and this name was later transferred to her
husband as an addition to that of Ptolemy.
Ptolemy and Arsinoe were alike patrons of
the arts and lovers of learning, encourag-
ing the philosophers, writer's and artists
of their time.
Ptolemy resolved to have in his library
at Alexandria a copy Of every book in the