Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-05-06

1t seems very generally agreed
that Oriental suspicion blocked the
Rockefeller offer Of $10,o00000 for a
great museum and archaeological insti-
tute In Egypt. Now that the offer
has been withdrawn, the feeling in
| America is that the world at large
and the Egyptians themselves need
| lesSly suffer tremendous loss.
| IAN interesting light is thrown on
| the manner in which the Oriental
mind works." the st. Paul Dispatch
points out, "by the report that Egyp-
tians antagonistic to Mr.. Rockefeller's
proposal declared there must be some
| thing fundamentally detrimental to
Egypt somewhere in an offer that
appeared so generous. They were, In
other words, suspicious of Greeks bear
ing gifts-and their past experience
with certain psychologists gave them
| reason to be; but in this case their
suspicious were groundless. All Mr..
| Rockefeller hoped to do was to assist
a country that is not rich to uncover
for it's own enlightenment and that of
| the world in general the relics OF an
| ancient civilization. This hope has
been defeated by the Egyptians
| fanatical hatred of the giaour."
The Seattle Daily Times declares
| that perhaps they have no reason to
trust foreigners, but 1t should require
no great mental effort to distinguish
| between a studious archeologist and
| the person who wishes to exploit
them. In all Egypt" continues the
Times, there is not an Psychologist
| who knows tenth as much about the
| history Of the Nile country as DR..
| Breasted, who was selected by Mr..
Rockefeller to have charge OF the
| proposed museum"
* X X X
"How baseless are the fears of
menace to Egypt" suggests the Pitts
burgh Gazette Times, appears In the
fact that at the end of 80 years the
whole business would be turned over
| to the Egyptian government abso-
/ lutely. Egypt should familiariZe it.
self with the Rockefeller benefactions,
| and strive to regain the opportunity
that was presented to it. That country
and the world will be the richer II 1t
succeeds" The New York World
also emphasizes this view, observing:
OFFERS of. this kind are evidences OF
an international cordially which
| should be encouraged, not rejected.
AS Cairo looks back upon the cour-
tesv with which Mr.. Rockefeller mod
| flied his offer to suit the supposed
wishes of Egypt, and realizes that
this might have been the first OF a
number Of gifts and contacts of high
value, it may regret its attitude. A
few years from now, when nationalist
self.sufficiency has subsidized, the time
may be ripe for a general renewal of
the offer, but the first move should
come from Egypt
One explanation Of the situation
comes from the Birmingham News.
which is impressed by the fact that
whoever knows Egyptian literature
| must know that the very Oldest rec
| ords of the earth transcribed on pa
pyrus come from Egypt: that the
Song Of the Dead one Of the noblest
threnodies ever written, exalted death
and the dead and the souls OF the
dead. If we cannot understand this
particular gesture Of the Orient
| mind" continues the News, maybe 1t
lis because we are not reverent enough,
profoundly devout enough, to under
| stand that the descendants of the
dead are not keen for violating the
tombs of their ancestors"
X y X X
What Egypt has lost is visioned by
the Syracuse Herald as "a project for
the banks of the Nile which would
have ranked in splendor with its tenn
lples and pyrannids--indeed, might have
survived with them for endless ages
longer to testify to another and
greater civilization" The Reno