The Irish standard., 1890-03-01
things l value beyond all my other pos

> sessions.
IA large Egyptian carved idol" To-
! $2Ol I went to Philadelphia the mex
day.
It was my first visit to the postmaster
generals shop. Justice requires me t
saw that the first impression of the es.
tab:shment was very favorable. The
clerks all look as If they belonged to an
adult Bible class. and the functionaries
who walk the floor might be Sunday
school superintendents. One OF the lat.
ter turned to me with benignant graci.
ouspess when approached him.
"Where can find q wooden Egyptian
god -
| A shadow passed over his countenance
for an Instant, as it the mercantile in
stlnct was struggling with an impulse
to engage in exbortation. Then he re-
piled: Market street side, third story
elevator west OF centre. 10 the left" He
turned sadly away to hear the applica
tion Of an old lady who was after an
open mesh grenadine.
The large wooden Egyptian god was
exhibited on top Of an old mahogany
bureau, l saw him from long way of,
and at the very first glance the indes-
crlbAble expression of his face fascinat
ed nae. 1t is the figure of an aged man,
nearly naked. about as big as slender
child OF seven or eight years, sitting
upon rock, Over his shoulder is a
staff, to which gourd or water bottle
is tied. An embroidered cloth is around
his IONS. and over his shoulders a cape
of leaves, the twisted stems forming a
loose necklace. In his left hand he held
wooden frog, not represented in the
picture send you. because it is too
badly damaged to appear to advantage.
l wish to record with scrupulous accu-
racy what was said during the uegotia
tions for the purchose OF Mr.. Wana.
makers Egyptian god:
Customer Wbatis that object over
there
First Clerk-Genuine antique ma
ACScAf tulCdus you, AOIuCA ll1CC lpOCi
it's a bargain.
Customer-No, T. mean the curious
object on top Of the bureau.
First Clerk with an 1nfant-class in
tonation suddenly appearing)-Oh !!
That? It's an idol.
| Customer-An idol i?
First Clerk-Yes, an idol. They wor-
ship it, you know.
Customer--Where?
First Clerk Why, in-in those lands.
The heathen.
| Customer-Is it old :?
| First Clerk Gmpressyely)-H Hundreds
and hundreds of years. Mr.. can
tell you more about it. .....
The second clerk came up with gen.
tie smile on his fair young face, and the
first clerk hurried away as if glad to be
out of the transaction that promised to
involve theological considerations of
perplexing character.
Customer lis it genuine?
Second Clerk-Oh. certainly. Mr..
Wanamaker sells nothing that is not
unquestiOnable. It's real idol, and
very old and valuable.
He showed me the tag attached to the
gods left ankle, and there in plain fig
ures was the mark, Former price, $50.
Present price, SO"
Customer-Wh so great reduction
in the price OF a god Has it been long
IN stock ?
Second Clerk (hesitating)-It never
was in the store before, except once
when we had a special exhibition of
curios. [ suppose it's offered at the
present figure because it's d little dam
aged. You see (here his voice dropped
in confidential toue) it has been
handled rather roughly, aid the lower
lip is gone. The idol is not in perfect
condition.
Customer-Was it damaged here in
the shop?
Second Clerk-Oh, no, SIT.
Customer-At The Bethany Sunday
school?
Second Clerk-Well-can't say.
Customer-At Mr.. Wanamaker'
house
Second Clerk-1'm sure can't saw.
This was all the information could
extract from the young man who sold
me Mr.. Wanamaker's large wooden and
personally acquired Egyptian god for
$2O, with the additional Charge OF Is
cents for boxing. The god had Deen re-
Gently ana rather badly damaged. 1t
looked as if some person in a tit of holy
zeal, or exasperated beyond control by
the leer of s-nile wlckedness which
characterized the expression on the face
Of this bad old deity, had attacked it
| With poker and beaten it severely
about the head and shoulders. The
lower lip was gone altogether, and the
end Of the nose had received q whack.
In places the dark brown lacquer which
covers the body Of the gud had been
knocked off, exposing the. carved wood
underneath. Mr. Wanamaker's Egvp-
tlan god had evidently passed y very
bad qaarter Of an hour at no vely re-
mote date. l bought Mr.. Wanamaker's
god, paying cash down.
Now, what do you suppose is the true
history Of this degraded god. palchast
from the heathen by Mr.. w anamaker
himself, brought to this country and
| held for some time IN high esteem 1850
as the private property Of the post ]
master general i Ou can tell me, per
Ihaps, whether he is OF y apanese. Sia
mrse or Hindu orlgin and how is hap
Il,ens that he ]. looks 30 much like Benz