The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-10
GEN. CESNOLA'S LECTURE
Explaining his Work In Cyprus, De.cr,.,u.
its Arts and Relating Its History.

Explaining his Work In Cyprus, D..c.,,,..
Its Arts and Relating Its History.
Gen. di Ccsnola, in the initial lecture a
his course in Chickering Hall had large oudi,
ence The Rev. Drs. Adams and Bellows 1uL.,
DAILY. and other influential New Workers an,
peared with him on the platform. The lecture,
was introduced by Prof. Roswell d. Hitchcock.
who declared that the muse Of histor,
should now be provided with n spade in
addition to the scroll which she ordinnril,
bears. as setting forth the fact that by digging
we have cut our way back through the centu,
res. Gen. Cesnola he said. had done fot
Cyprus what George Smith did for Assyria. and
whit Mariette did for Egypt. The Cyprus Of
history. before Cesnola went there. was "A cloud
in the horizon; the Cyprus Of history to.daY
is solid enough to bear tho weight Of British
cannon. Its treasures Of art made their exodus
in good time. and New York saluted the nor,
OF the achievement, Gen. Cesnola Italian and
American.
The lecturer bowling to the applause wbicl,
greeted him. said that he hoped. in the courss
OF his Lectures. To awaken an Intelligent interest
Workers.. filled with love for all that periainej
TO art and science. had been this means OF SCI
curing to the city--a monument In all time "a
their wise foresight and splendid iiherali,y,
He proposed, ne said to show the dif,
renl nu9 nnd eo2v tE TceE Assyran
hibited, in tho ancient monuments dis
covered in Cyprus, and now oAhibiteI
IN the Metropolitan Museum Of Art II was i5
Cyprus that Hellenic and Semitic settlements
first came in contact. When the Greeks went
to Cyprus they did not tnke with them any de-.
vcloped art Of their own. and their religious
forms OF worship were crude. II is ncces.
sary. therefore, TO become acquainted with
70 understand much Of tho early Greek
history yet obscure Tor Cyprus il
now acknowledge to have been the meeting
point OF races. II was to Cyprus that the phO'-
nicans first took their wares for sale and il
was there that they displayed their arts their
gods, and their fashions. and those Of Egypi
and Assyria. For evidence of the early influx
OF Egyptian, Assyrian. and Phnnician inhu-
ike CYPRUS. The French and German Govern
ments sent some Of their best scholars " ex.
plorc and make excavations in Cyprus as early
anxiously looked for was obtained through pri.
yate enterprise. New York now Possesses the
pest best clue 70 those primitiyq forms In which as
and arts and types OF worship. as modified by
the Phpnicans. penetrated the receptive facul-
ties OF the Greeks. Greek art terminated in
Cyprus, and the historical scholar must study
the ancient arts and history OF Cyprus II ha
wishes thoroughly to understand the art Of
tie accurate knowledge Of the ancient Egyp-
tians. Assyrians, and PhGnicians. and II is tothe
zoni. Layard. Botta. Champollion and Rawlinson
that we owe our power to-day Of contemplating
and understanding the civilizations OF those first
two great nations Of antiquity. Egypt and As
syria, whose history. fortunately. was recorded
on more durable ma!erial than parchment.
main and we must not wonder that the do
pHrture of all the Cypriote antiquities is re.
Scholars as European misfortune.
The antiquities which he discovered In Cy.
PhTnician works Of art some OF which were
more than 1000 years old and their great value
Is that theY form tho link which CONNECTS
Il had been believed that the Greeks were The
inventors OF many useful things that had becn
transmitted to us. but the discoveries ia
rived them from older civilization and
when Systematic excavations. shall bo made
have more Phpnician remains In our posses.
sion, we shall cease 10 burn incense eXclu.
sively before the shrine of Greek genius and
eventually we shall have to rewrte the history Of
ancient art.
The lecturer explained who the Phpniciani
for in Genesis the PhPnicians are called Ca.
NANTES. and Homer calls them Sidonians
from Sdon. who was the eldest son of Canaan
Al tho time OF the arrival Of Abraham in Paies-
tine. 2lOO years u. c.. tho Canaanitcs were
rulers OF that country. Sidon. the oldest city Of
the Phpnlcians. was oyerthrown by Sardanapa.
lue, and Tyre. which replaced II. became in itl
turn tributary to Cyrus and his successors.
Cyprus yielded the largest variety Of natural
products; but its chief source of wealth lay 10
its copper mines. Even to-day. with its mines
for centuries unworked with lis thirty harbors
illed with sand. its forests destroyed, and its
population reduced TO beggary by Turkish
msrule. we have seen the greatest mari
and finally led into q ruinous bargain
with the crafty Turks In order to possess H.
The Phunicians Of Cyprus were not onJ
miners. hut were familiar with alloys by which
they produced bronze Of different qualities,
suitable for armor or for articles Of household
service. and nj n period so remote that We can
not determine II with anything like certainty.
Tho next lecture Is. TO be concerning the
colonization Of Cyprus by the Greeks after their
return from Troy. Of the great literary rcpuia-
ton which the island obtained in very early
times. and of the impulse given 10y the GreeF
colonists 10 Cypriote arts.