Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-03-24
E<nunnno A POET.
Or thS lE1st Important Part % Kim. ms
Manuscript. ,tsN e-EN


Manuscript.
Some time aoo where was unearEhed
In Egypt a roll of pspyrus,, the HERO
glyphics on which having been deci-
phered were found 10 give an account
of strike which took place among the
workmen on temple in the days Of
the Ptolemics, which in many respects
bears strong resemblance to the labor
troubles OF to-day. AS further proof
that there is nothing new under the
sun the British museum has Just pub
lished a volume containing the text Of
n number OF manuscripts of classical
authors which rave been unearthed in
Egypt. One of these is collection of
poems written by Herodes, q native of
Cos, In the eastern Egean, who lived
two hundred and fifty years before the
Christian era; and after reading the
verses the conclusion will be arrived at
that there was great deal of human
nature in ancient Greece, and that the
people did not differ very much from
those of tho nineteenth century.
1t is related of Charles Lamb that
'once- as he sat watching Coleridge de-
livering one of his metaphysical mono
logues to tired listener, the suffering
humorist said: "Never mind Cole
ridge; it's only his fun" It would be
very difficult task to extract amuse-
ment from the writings Of philoso-
piers like Plato and Socrates, or dram
atists like Sophocles and Euripides; yet
there must have been some fun in those
old Greeks, opines the Philadelphia
Record. Aristophanes wrote comedies
and Theo compiled a comic lexicon; and
ill-natured and ccnsorious people have
been heard to say that the jokes some
times leard to-day at minstrel shows
and in fares comedies undoubtedly
served to cause n laugh in the days of
Scion and Lycurgus. sr. r.#a
Tho discovered poems of Herodes are
of humorous character, and are chief
ly in the form of dialogues. One of
them, which is entitled 1.-THE Match
maker" shows how a young woman
whose husband was away on a long
journey was visited by an old weman
who endcavored to persuade her to Sc
cure a sort of Dakota divorce and marry
a very nice young man whom shCSnad
. met that summer at the Rgcan sea-
shore. Then VIC have mother leading
her unwilling bov to the schoolmaster,
and explaining to that functionary how,
In spite of ull that she could do, he
would persist In going off swimming,
tying Inelodious cans to dogs tails o. "a
throwing Greek fircballs into the tub
occupied by the philosopher, Dingenes.
In another poem there is a dialogue be-
tween two fashionable ladies living on
. Mars Hal, which bears a strong rcscm-
blance 10 the feminine gossip hea Il in
parlora and drawing-rooms to-day.
Tie servant girl question was evil
IDENTITY rs burning an issue two thou
Ind years ago MS it now Is, for the two
Iirccian danes began to compare .cG
and to toll how the bouscTnaid would
persist in going off to the Olyupian
games and how the cook burned the
roasts and got drunk just on the cvc of
grand dinner to be given to the fa-
nous painter, Apellcs. Then. forret-
ting their troubles 'h"v take ems
ing the fashions nd 70 baryai; to be
had on the Athenian Eighth street, md
how they intend to trim the fall dresses
and bonnets. ..
In the next poem we find them in a
shoe store, turning over and trying on
the goods and endcavoring, just Ike
their modern sisters, to get No. 4 foot
into No. shoe. How they succeeded
can only be conjectured, convocation
OF woFms having eaten mp the rest OF
the manuscript. AS pictures Of ancient
life, and of an age which has generally
been considered one of ideal culture
and philosophy, these poems afford q
closer insight into everyday Greek life
than even the recently discovered
treatise of Aristotle on the Athenian
constitution