Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-08-04
WHO THE PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT.


tN-r'h 3 iAhll
From the far distance YOU see the
giant forms of the pyramids, as if they
were regularly cry-talizcd mountains,
which the cvcr,crcatiug nature had
called forth from the rock, to lift
themselves up toward the vault of
heaven. And vet they are but tombs,
built by the hand, Of men, which have
been the admiration and astoui,h-
ment alike Of the ancient and modern
world. Perfectly adjusted to the car.
dinal points Of the horizon, they differ
in breadth and height, as shown by
the measurement Of the three oldest.
n follows: First, the pyramid of
Khuia, height 1910 feet, breadth
7l6 feet; second. pyramid Of khafra,
height li1.5 feet, breadth 5000 feet;
third, pyramid of Mcnkara, height
2O5 feet, breadth 3j2.7S feet. The
construction Of these enormous masses
has long been an in-oluble my,.
terry, but the latter generations have
succeeded in solving the problem.
According TO the ancient usages and
customs, the Egyptians, while they
still sojourncd in health aud spirits,
were ever mindful to turn their looks
to the region where the departing Ra
took leave of life, where the door of
the grave opened, where the body,
well concealed, at length found rest,
to rise again to new existence, after
an appointed time of long, long ycar- /;
while the soul, though bound to the
body, was at liberty to leave tAeigravc
and return to it during th gnc,
in any form it chose. In snWa be-.
lief, it was the custom bctimes to di.
the grave in the form Of a deep shaft
in the rock, and above this eternal
dwelling to raise n supcrstruCturc Of
sacrliiCial chambers, sometimes only n
hall, sometimes several departments.
and to adorn them richly with colorcd
writings and painted sculptures, as was
becoming to a house Of pleasure and
JOY. The king began his work from
his accession. As soon as he mounted
the throne, the sovereign gave orders
to noblcman, the master Of all the
building of his land. to plan the work
and cut the stone. The kernel of the
future edlice was raised on the lime.
stone soil of the desert. in the form of
a small pyramid built in steps. Of
which the well constructed and finish.
ed interior formed the kings eternal
dwelling, with his stone sarcophagus
lying on the rocky floor, Let " sup
pose that this first building was finish.
ed while Pharaoh still lived in the
bright sunlight
A second covering was added, stone
by stone, on the outside of the kernel.
a third to the second, and to this n
fourth; the mass of the giant building
grew greater the longer the king enjoy
ed existence. And then, at last, when
it became almost impossible to extend
the area of the pyramid further, n
casing Of hard stone, polished like
glass, aud fitted accurately in the an-
giles of the steps, covered the vast mass
Of the sepulcher- presenting a gigantic
triangle on each Of its four faces.
More than seventy such pyramids
once rose on the margin of the desert,
each telling of king, of whom it
was at once the tomb and monument.
Had not the greater number of those
sepulchers of the Pharaohs been de
stroyed almost to the foundation, and
had the names of the builders of these
which still stand been preserved, it
would have been easy for the inquirer
to prove and make clear by caicula.
ton what was originally, and of neces-
sity, the proportion between the masses
of the pyramids and the years of the
reigns of their respective builders.
In this world n man is likely to get