Show abyssinians Abyssinia ns inhabited P resent present home for ages tile the Abys inns tho the ethiopians of the lie ancient world have inhabited their present mountainous tableland surrounding tile the headwaters of the blue nile since before tile the lawn dawn of history in early times says a correspondent in tile the new york herald tribune they were more oi or loss less connected with the Egypt egyptians lans of the upper nile and afterward assimilated Incur incursions ns of the hebrews at the time of the Egypt egyptian lan captivity th the e Pheni clans from whom they are arc said to have d derived their t alphabet and the greeks who had planted colonies alon along 0 their acae seacoast christianity was introduced in the fourth century a and nd gr gradually s spread pread throughout h the land this primitive faith mixed with many customs of judaism is the principal religion there today in the seventh century the mo hamm edans cinq conquered nil all of E egypt agypt and the abassian Abys sian coastal possessions tile the lans were driven into the interior mountain fast nesses there to remain nearly a thousand years until their very existence was almost forgotten about 1500 a portuguese expedition seeking a mythical eastern christian kingdom penetrated the country and centered fent entered ered into a relationship sufficiently friendly to permit the establishment of missions to these portuguese belong the credit for many churches bridges and other public works constructed at the time and also to the fanatical zeal of thair priests must be the destruction of the ancient literature the tire said to have had this domination of tile the missionaries lasted nearly a century and a half when religious disputes arose and the portuguese were driven out tile the again retiring to remain in seclusion until about the middle oatlie last I 1 century |