| Show Rameses Jameses and an American Court By Frederic J. J Haskin laskin WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Rameses V III Pharaoh of oC Egypt or at least ht his I historian panegyrist or memori i al alist aliat t has come into sharp collision with the tho United States court of customs and patent appeals and has lost his hia case The Issue lay in whether the tho language of the Pharaoh is or was Indeed a language language lan Ian guage within the meaning a of modem modern modern mod mod- em ern American tariff riff law and the final decision of oC the court is ig that it is not The hieroglyphics in which the work in question was originally written can not be construed construed construed con con- to constitute a language langua c the court has held They are arc merely pictures Tho The case came on from the ImPortation importation importation im im- Im- Im by the University of Chica Chicago o Press of several copies of a book boole called Habu concerning the tho historical records of Rameses III one of the great Icings kings of tho the dynasty of oC ancient ancient an an- Egypt The collector of the port of oC Chicago where the books booles were entered assess assessed d import duty against them as being being- books booles wholly or chiefly in English Whereupon the tho University Press as importer protested that the books bools should bo he permitted to enter enter enter en en- ter free of oC duty as books booles printed wholly or chiefly in languages other than English The case turned on this point l Pictures From tho Post Now it appears that the volumes volumes volumes vol vol- vol- vol umes comprise some pages s oCEn of oC En English lIsh text and also numerous plates some in the form of photographs photographs photographs photo photo- graphs some onie in the form of line drawings some somo colored and some uncolored These plates depict strings of oC Egyptian hieroglyphs which appear to have been copied or photographed from their position position post post- tion on the walls of oC temples or other structures The Temple of Karnak Kamal at Luxor was new when these hieroglyphs were executed and so was the the Temple of Abu The great King Tutankhamen whose tomb in the tho V Valley Villey of oC the Kings was I excavated by Howard Carter and and the Earl of Carnarvon a n few years ears ago ago was a figure of almost current affairs The temple to Ammon at Thebes which Rameses Rameses Ram Ram- built was a n fresh marvel of massive masonry Man Many Offend Spirits Rameses III is not now credited by historians with being one of the greater of the Pharaohs but buthis buthis buthis his contemporaries unquestionably ably thought him great He was a strong military man and his campaigns campaigns campaigns cam cam- resulted in freeing the theland theland theland land of Egypt from his enemies chiefly tho the and the Lib Lib- Habu the place the book takes its name from was Rameses' Rameses headquarters and many of oC the hieroglyphs were taken Ien from the walls of oC the palace and the temples there Who Vho tho artisans artisans artisans ar ar- ar- ar were who patiently carved tho the record of oC his reign tho the tale of cf his victories Is not now certainly certainly certainly known but one can be sure that Rameses and his panegyrists panegyrists panegyrists pane pane- thought him a great man and a great prince It was the tho custom of the day for the kings of Egypt to have a great deal of the work commemorative of oC their exploits done during their lifetimes lifetimes lifetimes life life- times and under their eyes It is not at all unlikely that much of the writing was actually dictated by the great man celebrated For example some of at the pyramids were erected by the Icings kings as their own tombs when their time should come York Work of ot Offended Spirits Therefore it might reasonably be bo supposed that the spirit of oC Rameses and tho the spirits of his artisans and workers in stone might be wroth with the United States court of customs and patent appeals which now I ands of oC years ears after comes forth forthwith forthwith forthwith with the tho dictus that these hieroglyphs hieroglyphs hiero hiero- glyphs do not constitute a n lan lan- guage It n will be remembered that the excavators of the tomb of Tutankhamen Tutankhamen hamen In the Valley of oC the tho Kings died mysteriously It was currently currently cur cur- reported that this was the tho work of the tho offended spirits of the disturbed sleepers or of some occult influence perhaps some strange eastern poison agencies poison agencies of or protection which had brooded over the tombs down through the ages ready to resist any assault By the same token one might fear for the well being of at the eminent judges of the tho United States court of customs and patent appeals who have ha had the temerity to as assert assert assert as- as sert that these ancient hetro- hetro glyphs constitute no language Perhaps the learned Judges Graham Graham Gra Gra- ham Bland Hatfield Garrett and Lenroot who constitute the court would be well vell advised to seek seck the protection of some counter magic maric for it can hardly bo be expected that Rameses III will be pleased with the decision There was a struggle at law be before before before be- be fore the belittling belittling- decision finally was h handed down The case first was heard In tho the United States customs court The Tho Importer called aa as expert witness Professor John A. A Wilson Vilson of ot the University of Chicago an Egyptologist of at note This witness told the court that he was conversant with the Egyptian languages in use from about B B. C C. down to about COO B. B C. C Moreover he proved it by reading off many hieroglyphic inscriptions It was pretty plain that they constituted languages to him Note Writing Prof Wilson Vilson went on to testify that while the language langua e was classed as ns a dead language nevertheless nevertheless nevertheless never never- it was a language He said that he had gone over the tho sample book of Habu in question question ques ques- tion and encountered no difficulty in reading the tho hieroglyphs Because Because Because Be Be- cause the law says that free duty-free books booles must be wholly or chiefly in languages other than English the witness said he had counted the number of oC words in the English accompanying text and the number of words represented by the Egyptian hiero hieroglyphs He insisted that the number of Egyptian words predominated which seemed to meet tho the chiefly chief I ly requirement There was some sonic technical testimony testimony testimony mony involved as to the method of reproduction used It seemed to be important to decide whether these hieroglyphs were merely pictures not to be considered as writings Largely because of Prof Wilsons Wilson's expert testimony tho the court held that the books booles could come in free o of duty But Judge Dallinger dissented His opinion stated that aside from the English text the Habu consisted merely of a lot lotof lotof lotof of pictures of ot temples I r am he said of the opinion that when congress used the words printed wholly or chiefly in languages other than English it had in mind only the text of oC the tho book and not words that ma may appear upon pictures pic pictures pie pie- tures turcs or illustrations Precedents Lacking Lackin The first round was to Rameses but that dissenting opinion encouraged encouraged en en- the tho government to appeal appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap peal in order to collect the duty and also establish a precedent So the tho matter was sas taken to the higher court by the department of justice and there began another struggle A difficulty in the tho case was the lack of precedent There had been one case under the tariff act of 1890 and another which arose in 1909 1000 but neither one quito quite fitted the circumstances of the Habu case casc Nevertheless less the court took hold of the Issue and at length reversed the lower court holding In fri effect that Rameses' Rameses language was no language at all aU but just a string of pictures The United States is on friendly terms with the present day Kingdom Kingdom Kingdom King King- dom of Egypt It is regarded asa as asa asa a friendly state and the two nations nations nations na na- na- na exchange ministers and main maintain ln legations But here isan isan is isan an issue indeed Suppose Rameses turns over in his tomb Suppose the whole dynasty resents this legalistic ru aspersion upon its language Suppose a plague should come out of the land of Egypt of the magicians a plague upon the United States court of customs and patent appeals Where would it be then |
