People of Africa | Page 3

Asia and Europe, and to learn something from them all.
So hundreds and hundreds of years ago there were people living in this
country of the Nile who were wise and great. They built large cities and
temples and houses. They knew how to write, and covered the walls of
their houses with writing. Their letters were not like ours, but were
pictures of the things they were writing about. They also built huge
stone tombs for their kings to be buried in, and these were called

"pyramids." The kings of Egypt were called "Pharaohs." When the old
Egyptians wrote books, instead of paper they used the dried leaves of a
reed called "papyrus," which grows in the Nile. Several leaves were
fastened together to make a book. These old writings on reeds and on
the walls have been found after lying buried in the sand, which has
covered so much of old Egypt. The hot sand has kept them dry, and
prevented them being destroyed during hundreds of years. By reading
these writings we are able to find out how these people lived so long
ago. They had also a wonderful way of taking the waters of the Nile in
ditches over the whole land. There is hardly any rain in Egypt, and this
Nile water prevented the country becoming so sandy and dry. In those
days Egypt was well-known for its wonderful harvests and stores of
food.
But though these people were wise in many ways, yet they were proud
and cruel to their enemies. In the Bible we read how they treated the
Children of Israel in the time of Moses. Perhaps this was because they
did not know God our Father, but worshipped many gods, whose
pictures and images were like animals. Many of the great temples they
built for these gods are still standing, and when we see pictures of them,
we wonder at the skill of these people who lived so long ago. Egypt
was one of the first great countries to become Christian, and many of
the old heathen temples were turned into churches. But at last the Arabs,
who were Mohammedans, conquered Egypt, and forced most of the
people to become Mohammedans too. But some remained faithful in
spite of all, and these to-day are called "Copts," from the old name for
Egypt. For hundreds of years these Copts have lived in a country ruled
by Moslem Arabs, or Turks, who hated their religion, but they have
been true to Christ through all.
There are people of all lands living in the towns of Egypt in these days,
for there is a great deal of business to be done in them. But the people
who work in the fields are the children of the old Egyptians, though
they have forgotten their old wisdom and are now very ignorant.
3. The People of Egypt
The Egyptians are a race different both from the dark-skinned people of

Africa and from Europeans. They have olive skins, very dark,
almond-shaped eyes, and dark, straight hair. Most of the men shave
their heads, and wear a turban or tarboosh as a covering. The women
fasten a veil below their eyes, which falls over the lower part of their
face. Both the men and the women wear several loose garments, which
cover the whole body from the neck to the feet. All except the very
poor wear shoes.
In the towns there are a great many people, some very rich and others
very poor. Often a city looks very beautiful, because the houses are
built of white or light-coloured stone or brick. But they are close
together, and the streets are very narrow and dirty, and so the poor
people are often ill. The houses are built in "storeys," one room on the
top of another, with steps leading to the upper rooms. Often there is a
courtyard in the middle of the house, so that all the rooms can have
windows and light. One part of the house is separated from the rest for
the women to use. This is called the "hareem," and no man, except the
master of the house, is allowed to go into it. All rich Mohammedans
have a separate part of their house for the women. A poor woman in all
countries has plenty of work to do, but a rich lady in Egypt has many
servants, or slaves, to do the work, and, as she is kept shut up in the
"hareem" from the time she is ten or eleven years old, she can learn
very little, except how to do beautiful needlework. She cannot help her
husband and her sons to be wise and good, because she does not know
enough about life and work outside the "hareem." So the Egyptian
ladies