AN ANCIENT LAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLI, Issue 9498, 23 April 1921, Page 6

AN ANCIENT LAND.

OUR SOLDIERS AND EGYPT. LECTURE BY "CAIRO" BRADLEY. The first of the series of lectures by " Cairo " Bradley drew to the Theatre lloyal last evening a lull house of interested listeners who were anxious to hear the address of the " Diggers' friend." His subject, " Palestine and the Land of Pharaohs," offered a remarkable scope for the eloquence of the speaker. Mr Bradley's acquaintance of years with Egypt and the East gives him a fund of anecdotes and experience that captivated his audience, rounds of applause being accorded the various phases of the lecture. Mr F. Z. D^ Ferrinian, m the absence of the Mayor, and introduced the speaker with a suitable reference to Mr Bradley's reputation and experience. In opening his address, Mr Bradley remarked that Napoleon had declared his opinion that if he had been able to conquer Egypt he would have been able to control the whole of the world. It was the great strategic point of the hemisphere, and through the present existence of the Suez Canal it was the great link between East and West. England had, long years ago, succeeded m gaining a strong influence over this country,, and through the wonderful astuteness of British statesmen, had been enabled; to maintain this control. One of the great strategic victories of the age was that by which Kitchener assured to the Power controlling Egypt m the year 1869, which he was convinced would be the British, the' entire control of the Suez Canal. Mr Bradley, by means of his lantern slides, took his audience with him to El Kantara, the great hu_b of the Indian and European troops during the recent war, and where the graves of many soldiers who succumbed to disease were cared for; to the great Assouan dom, by which the Nile above was kept at a depth of 19ft to 24ft. He demonstrated the great development which the dam had made, and did this by means of a slide showing the old Nile at low tide. He showed his audience the Sphinx, erected by the ancient Egyptians to protect the: spirits buried m the sarcophagii; the great Pyramids, the blocks of which placed side by side would build a wall twice around France. These Pyramids, he declared, were the great scientific miracle of the age ; and, further, the temples and buildings of the ancient land of the Pharaohs were such as could not possibly be built to-day. Dealing with the untold history of the war, Mr Bradley declared that he believed m the British Empire, the greatest Empire the world has ever seen, and there were, influences at work to-day for ' its disruption that ho deprecated more than language could express. (Loud applause.) He appealed to all that was best m hi« hearers to counteract these influences. It behoved them to be serious and collected for the purpose of finding the salvation of the world. Proceeding with his lecture, Mr Bvjxdley remarked that it took the war to give the Australian /and New Zealand soldiers a better understanding of each other. He displayed what he remarked was his most wonderful picture. This was a photograph of the last farewell service of the troops m Egypt prior N to their embarkation for the front, and when the padre called for the choice of a last hymn, the most impressive sight and sound was the absolute devotedness with which the men sang " Jesu, Lover of My Soul," each man under the full realisation that it might be his last church parade. Mr Bradley spoke at great length on the spiritual work done m the land of the Pharaohs, where sin and drunkenness were rife. Soldiers of all ranks had been helped to resist temptations that for a moment's gratification promised untold horror for two and three generations. Other slides showed the work of the Engineer Corps; entry into Jerusalem, General Allenby leading the march on foot, much to the disgust of the other Allied Generals. Appreciative applause was drawn from the interested audience by the sneaker's reference to the l *late Lord Kitchener, and how he had been helped m carrying through those strenuous days of war. His secret was that 15 minutes of each day were spent alone with God. Other exceptionally interesting slides were shown, and -die meeting was brought to a close by the singing of the. National Anthem. Mr Bradley will address a meeting at 3 p.m. to-morrow, for men only, on the subject of "The Tragedy of Lust and the Triumph over it." At 8 p.m. an after-church rally will be held. These meetings will be held m His Majesty's Theatre. On Monday evening, m the Theatre Royal, his subject will be "The Curse of Matrimony and Its Cure."