A LECTURE ON EGYPT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8510, 12 February 1908, Page 6

A LECTURE ON EGYPT.

THE REV; tf. D. ! IMPRESSIONS. An exceedingly interesting lecture was, delivered in the Zealandia Hall last night by the Rev. D. J. O'Sullivan, S.M.A., of Cairo, the subject being "Afrioa ap I Have Seen It." He was introduced by .Father Costello, who briefly alluded to- the missionary work that was being carried on in the northern portion of Africa, of which the Rev. O'Sullivan was a representative. This missionary society devoted itself exclusively to the amelioration of the blaok man, and during the last 50 years had lost 400 members in' the fever-stricken portions of Northern Africa. The Rev. O'Sullivan, in commencing his addresß, stated that he would like to make it clear that he was not a professional lecturer. He was there in the interests of the- Society of Missionaries in Northern Africa, as a missionary priest. Not only were they doing missionary work there, but also a work of civilisation, and thereby advancing the British Empire.. He then went on to speak of Egypt, which had been his adopted country for over 20 yearsEgypt, with its ancient history, its great temples, its boundless deserts and its wonderful river. Egypt was remarkI able from an historical point of view. In it there were temples in which kings and queens had worshipped hundreds of years ago. He illustrated his lecture throughout with numerous slides, whicb ! assisted, materially in giving one an idea tof the country of the Pharoahs.. The J beautiful mosques and minarets of Cairo i were shown standing out clear and bold above' "all other buildings, while the towering obelisks, rearing their heads i away up towards the blue sky, were shown among numerous other slides. The lecturer then dealt with the Pyramids. These, he stated, extended for" a distance of 70 miles along the borders of the desert and the valley of the Nile, and it was impossible for anyone who had not seen them to form any idea of their immensity and size. They stood in groups of ten or fifteen, arid about 12 miles apart. For years they had formed the subject of much discussion and difference of opinion among Egyptologists, but it was generally understood that they were nothing more or less than large tombs, in which the inhabitants of the ancient city of Memphis interred their dead. This city had been in existence more than 4000 years before the commencement of the Christian era, and extended in length over a distance of 27 miles, while it had a population of about 2,000,000. Year after year it gave its dead sepulchre in these vast pyramids. How the large masses of stone th#t they were built of were placed in position no one was able to tell. Some idea of their size could be gathered from the fact that the largest covered an area of 13 acres at its base, and was over 700 feet in height. The Great Sphinx of Gizeh was then shown, and briefly described. It was cut from native rock and supplemented by masonry built in where required to fill the lines of the form. The head alone was 30 feet from crown to chin, and was 14 feet in width. The lecturer then dealt with th« Temple of Karnak, showing the Great Hall of Columns, or "Hypostyle" hall. The huge pylon or gateway to the Avenue of Sphinxes waß also shown to an intensely interested audience. ..- Throughout the speaker showed a most comprehensive grasp detail, which he placed before his- audience in a masterly manner. He concluded the lecture by showing a number of views of Ireland that were much appreciated. A hearty vote of thanks was then accorded him for his interesting and able address.