designed for a particular political purpose. It is not at all surprisingrnthat this notion of a “Stolen Legacy” seems to havernheen developed in the 1920’s and 30’s, at the same time thatrnnew histories of Germany and Italy were being written inrnEurope, and no one should need to be reminded of the harmrnthat was done by the nationalistic myth of the Master Race.rnThe proponents of Afrocentric history ought to realize thatrnthev are giving carte blanche to other groups, of whose motivesrnthey would dehnitcly not approve. If one group can rewrite historyrnto suit itself, why not another? And in the conflict that willrninevitably result bctveen opposing ‘iews, who is likely to win?rnThe loudest voice, or the voice with the most money behind it?rnThe only way to j^revent such chaos is to stick to the knownrnfacts and to build arguments on the basis of evidence. Such arndebate about the Egyptian and Near Eastern legacies to thernWest has been going on in the academy for more than arndecade. Some of the discussion has been generated by thernclaims of Martin Bernal’s Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots ofrnWestern Civihzatkm. But even before Bernal published the firstrnvolume of his series in 1987, scholars had been reassessing thernevidence.rnThe picture of the ancient worid that emerges from thisrnrecent work is infinitely more nuanced and varied than the onernsome of us learned in school. Of the neighboring cultures,rnthose located on the Eastern side of the Mediterranean, such asrnPhoenicia, appear to have made the greatest impression. Thatrnthe Greeks were in communication with foreign cultures docsrnnot mean that the “Greek Achievement” was fundamentallyrnthe product of foreign influences. Rather, the point is thatrnGreek writers and thinkers in different periods were able tornlearn from their neighbors. Even though Egypt had only a limitedrninfluence in earlier periods, new research shows that afterrnAlexander conquered Egypt, Greek and Egyptian civilizationsrnhad an influence on one another, in literature and art as well asrnin philosophy and law.rnInstead of concentrating on the myth of the “Stolen Legacy,”rnwhich is in itself a relic of the European Enlightenment,rnAfrocentrists should turn their attention to the Egyptian influencernon Greece and Rome during the period 300 B.C. to A.D.rn400. Then they could make a historical case for an Africanrncontribution to Western Givilization.rnTHE WISDOM OF THE PLANNED GIFTrnThere are many ways to give to educational and charitable organizations such asrnThe Rockford Institute, publisher of Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture.rnMost people make direct gifts, which result in a “charitable deduction” from their taxable incomes.rnAnother option is to establish a Charitable Remainder Trust. Assume, for example, that a person boughtrnstock years ago at a cost of $20,000 that is now worth $50,000 and pays 3 percent in dividends. One way tornlock in the current value, avoid capital gains tax, and derive more income would be to create a CharitablernRemainder Unitrust. Pay-out percentages could be set at from 5 percent to 8 percent, and the funds placed inrnsecure income-producing investments. If the trust earns more than the agreed pay-out, the additional money isrnadded to the trust so that its size increases. Upon the death of the donor or his beneficiary, the trust wouldrnbecome the property of the Institute or other charities of the donor’s choice. Estate taxes are eliminated andrnthere is a sizable charitable deduction in the year the trust is established. The amount of the charitablerndeduction depends on the age of the donor and the income retained.rnThe Legacy Program, The Rockford Institute,rn934 North Main Street, Rockford, IL 61103rnI I Please send me general information on “Planned Giving” options.rnr~] Please send me information on the Institute’s Charitable Remainder Trust Fund.rnNAMH_rnCITY STATErnADDRESS_rnZIP PHONE_,rn[f you have a specific asset, such as stocks, that you are considering for a contribution, and if you would like the Institute to evaluate the financial taxrnimplications for your gift, please include the following information:rnSS#_ _ SS # (SPOUSELrnCOST OF ASSET ESTIMATED MARKET VALUE_rnSEPTEMBER 199.5/15rnrnrn