Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-04-06
The Temples of Egypt.


IN the distribution Of the monuments
of Egypt, it is a curious fact that the pyr-
amids are found only in Lower Egypt
and the great temples only in Upper. 1t
was not till we had been a week on the
Nile that we had our first sight of the lat
ter at Denderah. We have since spent
three days at Thebes, the great center of
historical interest, and have made regu-
lar campaign of sight seeing, starting on
excursions every morning, and thus have
explored the ruins Oh both sides of the
rlVer-tor Thebes, like many other great
cities, like London and Paris-Was built
on both sides of river, but one much
| greater than the Thames or the Seine. vet
not so great but that it was spanned by a
! bridge, at least SO it is inferred from some
ancient sepultures and Inscriptions, over
which poured population such as pOurs
over London bridge to-day. The site
seems made for great capital, for here
the mountains retire from the river,
sweeping round in a circuit of some fifty
| miles, leaving a broad plain to be filled
with human habitations. Here 1000
| years ago was built a city greater than
that On the banks Of the Tigris or the
| Euphrates, than Nineveh or Babylon.
Here was the center of power and domin-
ion Tor two contlnents-nOt only for Africa
but for Asia-to which flocked the multi
tudinous nations of Assyria and Arabia
and Persia and the farthest East, as we'll
as the tribes of Ethiopia-as 1900 wears
later all the peoples of the earth f1ocked
to Rome. 1t is easy, from historical rec
ords and monumental inscriptions, to
form some idea of the glory of this capt.
tai OF the ancient world. We can imagine
the tumult and the roar of this more an
Gent Rome, when the chariots of mighty
Kings, and the tread of armies returning
victorious from distant wars, thundered
through her hundred gates
Then did the Kings of Egypt rear tenn
pies and palaces and statues and obelisks
worthy of all that greatness Then were
built the most gigantic temples ever
raised by the hand of man-as much sur
passing in vastness and grandeur those
reared centuries afterward by the Greeks,
as the latter surpass anything by the
moderns.
We have now been week-beginning
with Denderah- studying these ruins, and
may give certain general impressions. We
do not attempt any detailed description,
which must necessarily be inadequate,
since neither words nor figures convey
any idea of them, any more than they do
OF the Alps. What would be thought
OF an avenue nearly mile long, lined
with over twelve hundred colossal
sphinxes? Yet such was the avenue from
Luxor to Karnac-an approach worthy to
lead to the temple of the gods What
can we say of a forest of columns, each
twelve feet in diameter, stretching out in
long cOlOnades; of the mass i've walls COW
cred with bas reliefs; and obelisks in sim
gle shafts of granite of such lofty height
and crushing weight that it is wonder of
modern engineering how they could be cut
from the side of the hills, and be brought
over hundred miles, and erected on their
firm base
But this temple-or rather clusters of
temples and palaces-was not, like the
temple Of Solomon, finished in a single
reign. Karnac was not the work of one
man, or of one generation. 1t was twenty
five hundred years in building, successive
Kings and dynasties adding to the mighty
whole, which was to represent all the glo-
ry of Egypt.
The general impression of a. these
temples-and the same is true of the
Egyptian statues and sculptures-is one
OF grandeur rather than beauty. They
seek to overpoWer the senses by mere size.
Sometimes they overdo the matter. Thus
In the temples of Karnac the columns seem
to me too large and too much crowded for
the best effect. Small trees may be plant
ed in dense grove, but great, broad
spreading oaks or elms require space
around them; and if these columns were
a little more Spaced-to use a printers |
word-the architectural effect would be |
still grander. So in the Egyptian sculp- |
ture everything is colossal. In the granite |
lions and sphinxes there is always an as
pect OF power IN rep0se which IS very I'M |
pressive, and strikes one with awe. But |
in the lighter work, such as fresco and |
bas reliefs, there is total absence of del |
icacy and grace. Nothing can be more
stiff. They sometimes have rude force
of drawing, but beauty they have none.
That was born in Greece. All the sculp- |
lures on all the temples of Egypt are not
worth-except as historical monuments
the friezes of the Parthenon.-Dr. Field,
an Evangelist.
:" When" he said, violently, "when
are you going to pay me that little bill
I've dunned you till Pm tired and mad.
Now [ want a positive answer-when will
you pay it?'' BY Jover' was the reply, |
you must take me for a prophet. How /
can [ tell?''