The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1892-03-15
ANCIENT EGYPT.

BEGUN in No. %


In prayers, the great fault is want c
earnestness and confession of sins.
They were generally boastful. and re
lated to the gods all their grand and in
spring actions.
For instance, one man said 81 was no
an idler all men respected me. l CAV
water to the thirsty. set the wandere
in his path. took away the oppressor
and put a stop to violence" Anothe
said 81 have done good upon earth.
have harbored no prejudice; | have no
been wicked take pleasure in speaking
the truth, and pure is my soul.
The Apis bull was the principal ANNA
worshiped, and temples were erected tt
his honor in various places.
Sometimes bull would be brought be
fore the priests, and when found to be in
sound condition was taken into temple
erected for his habitation, where he was
surrounded by all the Injuries of life, fed
on the choicest delicacies. and at stated
times led through the streets clothed in
gorgeous apparel. when the people lined
the way and worshipped him.
The crocodile was also worshipped, and
was often beautifed by being covered
with costly Jewels, and anointed with
rare perfumes.
There was two kinds of sacrifice, bloody
and unbloody.
! Among the animals offered on the al
tars were bulls, oxen, male calves, sheep,
goats, pigs, geese. ducks, pigeons, water
fowls, and also at times. such animals as
the antelope.
When the animal vas to be sacrificed,
it was decked with flowers, such as could
be obtained, and then inspected by the
priest Sometimes only parts of the ami
NAL were used, and the people ate up the
rest.
There were a great number of mys-
teries connected with the religion of this
people, and it Will suffice to say that they
were in all things too superstitious to en-
ter into their worship with any heart or
feeling, since they must have noticed the
absurdity of their ideas.
The art of embalming was known only
to the priests. and they had the entire
charge of all such affairs.
The mummy was usually prepared In
an elaborate manner. but according to the
wealth of the deceased.
Sometimes the brain and other parts Of
the body were extracted and pnt into vases
or bottles, and buried in the tombs. Palm
| wine and aromatic spices were then used
to fill the vacancies after this process
the body was often placed in nitre for
over month.
When everything was ready, the dead
person was laid upon the floor. covered
with gum, sometimes tar, and then
wrapped in hundreds of yards of band
ages; this was often covered and elabor-
ately painted, and then bandaged second
time. One historian tells us that they
were so careful in embalming, that even
the floor was scraped up afler all was fin
ished, and the debris buried with the
dead.
So successful was this embalming, that
to-day we have the perfect bodies of the
kings who ruled Egypt thousands of years
ago, and SO dry and free from moisture were
the inner cases of the mummies that re-
Gently wheat has been taken from them,
and being planted, has sprung up, as
though it had ripened at the previous
harvest.
When a person died, the members of
the household ran into the streets, and
amid great weeping and lamentation,
threw dust in the air, and upon them
selves.
When the embalming was in process,
the mourners sat unwashed and unshaven,
and in tattered garments, awaiting the
day for burial Sometimes they sang
dirges, or chanted mournful hymns.
When the body was ready for burial, all
the neighbors turned out and formed a
solemn procession, and before moving,
forty-two officials, representing the forty
two demons of Osiris. asked questions as
to the character of the deceased if this
was satisfactory, the body was carried
over the lake and buried.
All kinds of articles were buried with
the dead, and sometimes when man
could not pay debt his creditor would
decree that he should not be embalmed,
which was great disgrace. 1t has been
written that in some instances the priests
sold mummies. and even bartered second
handed ones, without the knowledge of
the people, clearly showing the low state
into which the church had fallen.
1t is strange to note how clearly defined
were the different classes Of men, some of
which have been mentioned. and those
who were held in the highest esteem
throughout the kingdom were the priests,
on account of their great wealth. and
their power over temporal and spiritual
affairs.
We also find that certain occupations
were brought down in a hereditary
+ line sometimes for two or three
hundred generations without a sim
gle break, but that it was not
necessary or compulsory for man to fol-
in the footsteps of his father.
The priests, as has been said, were the
most powerful sect, and the high priest Of
the temple of Ammon was second only to
the king himself; in fact at one time this
great leader of the church even usurped
the throne. Under him were priests of 9
lower order. then the bearers of the sacred
shrines, after these came bearers of sacred
emblems, fan carriers, those who were
charged with the duty of keeping the
temple clean, the sacred masons, those
who were guardians of the sacred ami
mails, and finally great retfnue Of SER
wants. who honored the priests as real and
living gods.
From the earliest times in the history OF
Egypt large proportion of land was sci
aside for the use of the priests only, this
land being cultivated by tenants or, as
was often the case, by sacred slaves.
These estates were free from taxation o
any kind, and were contin ually enlarged
If favorable to the king. .ga
One historian tells us, that besides thu
proceeds of the land, the priests received
large amount of valuable offerings
whereby they were enabled at once t
live and bring up their famiIie
In luxury, and also to add year by
year to the wealth stored in the templ
treasures.
"The gold. the silver, the fine linen, tn
precious stones, the seals, the rings, tn
necklaces. the bowls, the censors. th
statues, and the various precious metal
which the kings and other donors con
tinually offered to the various deities. an
which really became the property of tn