Evening star., 1926-05-01

Mr.. John D. Rockefeller, jr., pro-
posed to give $10,000,000 for the pur-
pose of erecting and endoWing in
Egypt a museum. 1t would not be con-
trolled by Mr.. Rockefeller's appointees,
nor even by Americans. It's trustees
would be two Americans, two French,
two British, two Germans and two
Egyptians, with the further provision
that after 80 years the entire manage
ment and ownership should pass to
the Egyptian government. The reason
for retaining international manage
ment for the first 80 years was to pro-
vide for the scientific education and
training of Egyptians until they would
be capable to handle the museum prop
erly in aid of science.
To the layman, it is always mys-
terry why millions of dollars are given
to the housing and preservation or
bones and ancient relics. or what
practical use are museums? asks the
|, "practical" man. Can we mooerns
learn from the ancients how to pro-
duce food and clothing, since they
knew nothing Of labor-saylng devices
To a scientist, knowledge is valu-
able, not merely for its immediate
application, but for the broadening OF
conceptions whereby the fullest de-
velopment of culture becomes possible.
Home town" sentiment is narrowing
If not broadened by travel and con-
tact with the wide world. Present
day knowledge is similarly narrowing
! if not interpreted in the light of all
time.
While archaeology has been a IA
vorite study since the Renaissance, It
was mostly limited to research OF
Roman and Greek ancient lore and
| relics of architecture until about a
century ago.
In 1899, the Rosetta Stone was dis
covered in Egypt by one of Napoleon
soldiers. That stone go by 80 inches
contained hieroglyphics in two Ian
guages, one of which was recognized
and that interpreted the other. 1t, in
turn, enabled scholars to read other
| hieroglyphics. Thus the messages o1
| the centuries were unlocked.
| It took nearly a quarter of cen
tury to interpret the Rosetta Stone
but when it was read, in 1921, the
science of reading the secrets OF
ancient Egypt was born. With Egyp-
tology comes knowledge of the most
ancient civilization known, which
gives clues to all civilization, ancient
and modern. Science knows no racial
limitations. and it is as natural for
an American scientist to be interested
in delving into Egyptology as into
Americana. 1.-The best study of mar
is Man."
| Egypt has had an archaeological mu
scum for three decades, under French
management, but the renewed activ'
tiles in research in recent years have
| overcrowded it's capacity. The discov.
cry of ancient royal tombs and the
study ,f ancient monuments have
brough tourists to Egypt, which. un'
i like the appreciation of tourist trade
| in Europe, has not always been wei.
coined by the masses in Egypt. The
population along the Nile is greater
than that of even Belgium, the most
densely peopled spot in Europe.
y X X X
| Quoting from Patrick Steel Hardy s
book, "Thirty-Ffve Years of British
Rule in Egypt" published in 1918:
! 1.-THE museum, wonderful as it is
the native Egyptian, and however
much the Europeans and certain en-
lightened Egyptians may enjoy its
archaeological glories, which are not to
be denied, the Egyptians have not
been able to see eye to eye with the
authorities in the matter of the ex
penditure of their own much-needed
money on what to them is an un
) needed luxury.
"It may be asked whether it Is rea
sonable or sound finance that large
sums should be expended on the lux
uries and shows of a tourist-ridden
capital, when the peoples prime neces
sites are shamefully neglected. Mu
| seumS geological gardens and the like
are all well enough in their way, but
surely the syenitic simulacrum of a
bygone pharaoh should not be pa
latially housed at the expense OF
sentient men and women. To put
y ro,1mmieS and papyri in a palace AND