ill not groan inwardly as the water rises; and yet I cannot too
emphatically repeat that there is no real cause for this apprehension
and distress.

A great deal of damage has been done to the prestige of the archaeologist
by the ill-considered outbursts of those persons who have allowed this
natural perturbation to have full sway in their minds. The man or woman
who has protested the loudest has seldom been in a position even to
offer an opinion. Thus every temperate thinker has come to feel a
greater distaste for the propaganda of those persons who would have
hindered the erection of the dam than for the actual effects of its
erection. Vegetarians, Anti-Vivisectionists, Militant Suffragists,
Little Englanders, and the like, have taught us to beware of the signs
and tokens of the unbalanced mind; and it becomes the duty of every
healthy person to fly from the contamination of their hysteria, even
though the principles which lie at the base of their doctrines may not
be entirely without reason. We must avoid hasty and violent judgment as
we would the plague. No honest man will deny that the closing of Philae
for half the year is anything but a very regrettable necessity; but it
has come to this pass, that a self-respecting person will be very chary
in admitting that he is not mightily well satisfied with the issue of
the whole business.

Recently a poetic effusion has been published bewailing the "death" of
Philae, and because the author is famous the world over for the charm of
his writing, it has been read, and its lament has been echoed by a large
number of persons. It is necessary to remind the reader, however, that
because a man is a great artist it does not follow that he has a sober
judgment. The outward appearance, and a disordered opinion on matters of
everyday life, are often sufficient indication of this intemperance of
mind which is so grave a human failing. A man and his art, of course,
are not to be confused; and perhaps it is unfair to assess the art by
the artist, but there are many persons who will understand my meaning
when I suggest that it is extremely difficult to give serious attention
to writers or speakers of a certain class. Philae is _not_ dead. It may
safely be said that the temples will last as long as the dam itself. Let
us never forget that Past and Present walk hand in hand, and, as between
friends, there must always be much "give and take." How many millions of
pounds, I wonder, has been