The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-11-14
From 81 Report Nc. D. Warner, Lecture
Az EGYPTIAN MUMMY AT HOME.
How the Ancient Egyptian Lived and
Enjoyed Himself.

The ancient Egyptian never acquired
the habit uf reclining at his feastS.
although He VAS often obliged to IT.
cline aftrrward. His meats were veal
and Wilkinson deScrihrd the
Egyptian - the Englishmau of the
ancient world. because Of his excessive
beei-edting. He was fond Uf roast
duck and goose. of pigeon stew and all
. SpecirS of game. and riavOrleSS fish of
/ the Nile WAS one Of the frequent
yiandS upon his table The dishes
Were served by slaves. The ancient
Egyptians knew nothing OF table cut
lery. Of forks and such parapherTlaiia.
lie took his meat between the thumb
and fOreiinger Of his right hand and
transferred il 10 his mouth-that is 20
say, ate Arab fashion, although with
great deal of ceremony, in some re-
spectS. When the wine came round he
grew jolly with quatiing from bronze
cups. and as there was equality Of the
sexes in ancient Egypt, the women
sometimes got as jolly rs the men. In
one corner of the room stood an affair
like an Old-fashiOned clock. although
it was smaller At the base than at the
Op-cOtiin-shaped. There was a lid
let down where the dial is in an old
fashioned clock. and from this opening
looked ont Withered, yellow, and
ghaStly face. Ii was the cOuntenance
of the mOther-in-law, perhaps, Of the
master of the house, for they had
mOthers-in-law in those days as well as
now, and they probably produce the
same amount of trouble in the family
But this mOther-in-law looked out up
on the feast, from her curiOusly-painted
ease, and her tongue was quiet forever.
Not a bad thing in mOther-in-laW.
The women at the feast hal lotus BIOS
SONS in their hands, and were usually
Sculptured in the act of smelling-One
blossom of Egypt careSSing another.
There were old sculptures in Egypt of
women limp, drunk, dropping drunk,
and it showed the perception of art in
Egyptian sculptOTs, that in such in
stances they always represented the
flower as drOODing upon its stem, Il
symbol of the tipSineSS of its mistress.
But these ladies were not above look
ing in the glass, or below it, as the
curious bronze mirrors of ancient
Egypt attested. They were addicted
to cosmetics and to all the arts of the
toilet, although their dress was primi-
tive, as compared with that of a mod
eTn belle.
The ancient Egyptian had his out
door sports. He hunted gaZelles-per-
haps lions. He had his battles with
NilOtic crOcOdiles, us the modern
Egyptian has. But his body had to be
kept for many days after it was en-
halmed, and this accounted for the
mOther-in-law in the corner. If dur
ing this period anybody alleged a 4
wrong against the dead the body
could not be buried, and the relatives
had to put it back in its corner, and let
il stand. Ii was the same with both
sexes; wherefore. it might he inferred
that mOtheTs-in-law were often de-
tanned above ground. As to punish
ment for crimes, the ancient Egyptian
visited treason, murder, and a few
others with the death penalty; but in a
great way he respected human life,
and held the human body sacred. He
thought, as some think to-day, that
the very worst use that could he made
of man WAS to kill him.