The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-12-01
THE EGYPTIAN OBELISKS.
DIR, Weisse and Professor Sey1-
frath Discussing Them Be
fore the Pathological
Society.

pathological society at the Cooper
Ipstitute last evening DR.. John A.
Weisse read a paper on Egyptian
Obelisks,' which was the subject pro-
nosed for the evenings discussion.
Among those present were Peter
Cooper, the Rev. Aaron D. Lloyd
and Professor Seyffrath, the celebra
ted Egyptologist, Porter c. Bliss
the President of the society," presi-
ded and briefly introduced Dr.
Weisse, who said:
The subject of obelisks is only
connected with philology by It's
hierogiyphs. This subject was es-
pecialIy chosen this evening to honor
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Gorringe-
Iapplause)-who by his skiiful engi-
neering has brought one of Egypts
monuments that has braved the
storms and vicissitudes Of 1000
wears to the New World where mil
lions may see and admire it. The
Pharaohs reared obelisks as offerings
to the Sun God 'Ra' ADD to commem-
crate personages and events IN
Egyptian history, and their HERO
gIyphs have taxed the ingenuity Of
archmologists for the last fifty years.
The oldest living Psychologist, Pro-
lessor Gustavus Seyftarth, who is
here tonight is only awaiting an OPP
portunity to inspect and copy the
hieroglyph on the New York obe-
lisk SO as to give us a translation
according to his key by which he
translated the Flamiuian obelisk a.
the Porta del Popolo in Rome. Dai-
IL hundreds Of people are visiting
the monoiiih brought here bY Lieu
tenant Commander Gorringe and
watching eagerly its transport to it,
projected site in the Park. Hiiher-
to Rome aud ConstaDtlnople glOried
in floating these Egyptian wonders
few hundred miles across the Med
iterranean, but within this year 1851
Commander Gorriuge has taken
down, removed to the seaside, ship
ped and safely transported one of
those monoliths. with its pedestal,
not only for the whole length Of the
Mediterranean but thusands Of miles
across what the Rncients called
Oceanus. In Egypt these grace
fully tapering pillars took at an ear
ly date the place of pyramids, which
required too much space in eoun-
try where in the course of time land
became very precious. Statisticians
tell US that Egypt had population
of 100000, and all the land was
REQUIRED for cultivation and for
dwellings,. 1 shall try Oh this occa.
sion to give brief account of the
tweaty-nine other known Egyptian
obelisks, our own making the thir-
tieth. Of these, five are in Egypt.
eleven at Rome, one at Benaventure
in Italy, one at Catana in Sicily,
two at Constantinople, two at Rome,
six in England and one at Berlin.
An obelisk consists Of a pedestal
shaft and pyramidion which termi-
mates in an apex. The shaft is usu-
alIy of one piece-a monOiith-'one
stone Originally these monoliths
were used as funeral monuments,
and were either of sandstone, lime
stone or granite. Later they we're
of rose colored granite, composed OF
quartz. feldepar. and hornblende.
This granite was named Syenite,
from Syene. a city in Upper Egypt,
where those beautiful monolitbs were
ouarried. They were placed on pc
destals before gatewsys of the pEin
cipal temples of Egypt, one on each
side of The door. The artistic rule
for the construction of an Egyptian
obeIisk is thai the length of one of
the four base lines measures one
tenth the length of the shaft; so the
pvramidion is one.teDth of the shaft,
and forms a graceful top for the
whole structure, all in keeping with
the tapering shaft and pedestal.
which slightIp projects beyond the
base of the shaft. Obelisks were
not only used as monuments to the
gods and the dead, but for record
ing the deeds and reigns of the Pha
raohs. Besides these they have
practical object, and serve as gno-
mons or hands whose shadows was
made to indicate the hours Of the
day. The Romans made q practical
use of one Of their obelisks. which
is thus related by Pliny: The ODE
lisk erected in the Campus Msrtius
has been applied to singular pur.
pose by the late Emperor Augustus
that OF marking the shadows pro-
iected by the sun. and so measuring
the length Of the days and nights.
With this object stone pavement
was laid, the extreme length Of
which correspondent exactly with
the length of the shadow thrown by
the obelisk at the sixth hour en- the
day of the winter solstice. After
this period the shadow would go on