The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-11
THE PYRAMID or cHEops.
Ciimbin. to the summit Whert rory
Centuries sit Enthroncd.

Centuries Sit Entnrob'".
Wc drove i'm the afternoon 10 the pyr-
amids i'm a victoria. over beautiiui roan
shaded by double line OF tine trees.
Old Cheops did not look the same. lie
looked small from this avenue OF civil
zation. Years ago | waded 70 MN
through deep sands. The hot sun burned
into my brain, and wore green veil TO
protect nv eyes from the glare ana the
driving sands Now green helds run
nearly up to Geezeh. Said and lsmaii
Pashas have left Egypt covered with
debt, but they done much to improve
the material of the land. AS we
drove up the two pyramids looked
small to me. but before | reached
the top of Cheops, though | had
two stalwart Arabs to bit me up the
rocky sleeps, reached the conclusion
that they were mighty mountains OF
stone. and that over 2l0 pounds of solid
flesh and GO years were heavy load to
carry up to the summit where forty odd
centuries sit enthroned. Hooked IN VAN
for two sets Of initials coupled IN brach-
pts. which | cut in the cold stone thirty
six years ago. They are lost among
masses of others Ii is well. She Is tat
and nearly GO; am fat and over 60.
/ One flame burned ont, another burning.
+ She did not even wait 10 learn from me
if | fulfilled my promise to grave our
names upon the pyramid highest stone.
: | wonder if in these thirty-six years she
has ever thought of that promise made
under the softest of skies, and which one
Of us thought could never be forgotteni
! What boon it is to man that his heart
is made Of maleable material rather than
Of adamantine ard brittle steel,
/ By the way, sensible men Justly IN
Weigh upon thshabit of vanity in cary.
inc its name upon monuments and
thereby defacing them. But there Is some
sense in cutting ones name upon imper-
ishab!c rock which does not deface II.
Some one may come afterward. and, see
ing it. feel like meeting an old friend. Ny
heart was warmed up here IN Egypt when
seeing the names of some old acqualnt-
anccs now dead. | felt we were living
over again Il long dead past. saw Jenny
4 Lind's name upon the pyramid. Did She
have il cut or did some Of her lovers DO
il? / do not know. But for a moment
there came from the west over the dead
desert trill Of perfected harmony which
| never heard but once and will never
hear again until an angel solo shall come
To my ear from the white robed ones hoy
ering around the throne of the eternal.
lean almost fancy that Bayard Taylor had
the name cut. / have vague recollec-
ton of his telling me Of his cutting it
somewhere. lie almost Worshped the
Swedish nightingale.
We watched the sun sink beneath the
western sands on his tireless voyage
around the world We were glad our
path did not carry us across those bleak
sands We have not abandoned our race
with him. but we have much 10 see be
fore we can grid our loins for the home
stretch. Ny old legs enabled me to de
scend Cheops' ribbed sides quite rapidly,
SO as to look upon the sphinx as the
shades of evening should gather around
it. wished the bows 70 see It first when
the broad glare of the day should not too
much reveal its DETACHMENT
We then loitered about until the full
moon came up from the east. One should
see this famous monument first by moon
light. Then there Is one point from
which it can be seen, when II Is not all
fancy and sentiment, which can pro
nounce it the calmest and most original
monument Of the world. We were for
tuna.e in being here during the full moon.
One visit at such time repays the long
trip to Egypt. There is quiet grandeur
about the pyramids by moonlight which
one cannot conceive who sees them only
in the broad glare Of sunlight We
walked around them so As 20 see them IN
deep shade, and then again in the sliVery
light. think the boys will remember 1t
as long as they 1--we. Garter Harrison IN
Chicago Times