" But these are considerations which are to
be taken into account with very great caution as standing against the
interest of modern Egypt. If Philae were to be destroyed, one might,
very properly, desire that modern interests should not receive sole
consideration; but it is not to be destroyed, or even much damaged, and
consequently the lover of Philae has but two objections to offer to the
operations now proceeding: firstly, that the temples will be hidden from
sight during a part of each year; and secondly, that water is an
incongruous and unharmonious element to introduce into the sanctuaries
of the gods.

Let us consider these two objections. As to the hiding of the temple
under the water, we have to consider to what class of people the
examination of the ruins is necessary. Archaeologists, officials,
residents, students, and all natives, are able to visit the place in the
autumn, when the island stands high and dry, and the weather is not
uncomfortably hot. Every person who desires to see Philae in its
original condition can arrange to make his journey to Lower Nubia in the
autumn or early winter. It is only the ordinary winter tourist who will
find the ruins lost to view beneath the brown waters; and while his
wishes are certainly to be consulted to some extent, there can be no
question that the fortunes of the Egyptian farmers must receive the
prior attention. And as to the incongruity of the introduction of the
water into these sacred precincts, one may first remark that water
stands each year in the temples of Karnak, Luxor, the Ramesseum,
Shenhur, Esneh, and many another, introduced by the natural rise of the
Nile, thus giving us a quieting familiarity with such a condition; and
one may further point out that the presence of water in the buildings is
not (speaking archaeologically) more discordant than that of the palms
and acacias which clustered around the ruins previous to the building of
the dam, and gave Philae its peculiar charm. Both water and trees are
out of place in a temple once swept and garnished, and it is only a
habit of thought that makes the trees which grow in such ruins more
congruous to the eye than water lapping around the pillars and taking
the fair reflections of the stonework.

What remains, then, of the objections? Nothing, except an undefined
sense of dismay that persists in spite of all arguments. There are few
persons who will not feel this sorrow at the flooding of Philae, who
w