Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-12-01
TIE PYReEf.-S.
Ancient Nonumcns. hat Are stiu IN a
Good tate of PrrServaiip,


| Ancient NonumcnG. hat Are SIN IA
Good tate of rrr~e-Yafip,.
Thousands of years before there yver
az dwellings sE the sites since oseu
pied by Jerusalem, Rome and Athe1s
at the very dawn of human history
when all the rest of the world was st 4
wrapped in the thick gloom of prehis
tor'ic barbarism, a vast town Of huge
buildings rose not far from the present
city. oa the other side OF the Nile, which
was dotted with the boats OF the an
cient inhabitants. 4 forest of venera-
Bile date trees casts its sh1dpws upon
the black soil. beneath which lie buried
the builders OF this city of a world gone
by. Of which nothing remains but the
vast Genet cries. their position marked
by an avenue of monuments. The
famous pyramids Of Gizeh, opposite
Cairo. On the borders OF the desert,
form the last Of these necropoi.
Every one is familiar with the APP
pearance of these strange pyramids,
these huge paradoxes Of strictly geo.
metrical form. SO vast and so lofty that
it was not until after fifty-eight CEN
turtles of deve,opm mt that the human
race succeeded in erecting building of
greater height, whilst the Hottest PIN
nacle OF the most aspiring Gothic bell
fry, however light and airy it be, did
not soar higher than the point of
the pyramid of Cheops before it
was blunted by time. Nothing could
be more confusing tn the eye than
the general appearance of these
heaps of stones, in which no
artistic conception plays the slightest
part. The effects of perspective in
these lines of mathematical regularity
are most bizarre-huge bare triangles,
the outlines shortened or heightened,
marked out like diagram by the sun
into fiat bands of light and shade, the
reflections in the sand of the four
mighty angles varying according to the
time of day. The sloping sides, which
NJ a distance appear absolutely plain,
are, when approached more nearly, dis
covered to be broken up into a series of
projecting stones. like huge staircase
worn with age. 1t is somewhat diff
cult TO judge at first sight of the size of
the pyramid, and the best way is to
measure the height by climbing II! 1t
is at a corner where the stages, which
seem to have been made for a race of
giants, are divided into smaller steps,
either for the sake of mortals of lesser
stature or by the action of time, that
the ascent of the great pyramid of
Cheops is made, We start pushed from
behind by one Arab guide, aud dragged
from above by another, with our eyes
fully occupied with the dangers of the
climb. Completely exhausted, alto
yether out of breath, and with knees
TOO stiff to move. we pause at last, feel
ng as if we had scaled all three pyra-
nids at once. But looking round, we
ind we are scarcely one third of the
distance up, and see our fellow-climbers /
ooting like scattered ants upon the /
huge triangular mass. 1t is not until |
he platform at the top is reached, and |
,he lungs are filled with the pure air of /
he heights, that any real idea is OBJ |
aimed of the monument of Cheops.
And what does this huge editice con-
ain2 We must go down again to find
,ut. /
The entrance, which was walled up,
S at a considerable height from the
round, and looks like the porch of a
ave cut in the living rock A dark,
-ioomy-loolsing door opens on to low.
harrow passage. with floor, walls and
cling all lined with granite, polished
i'll it is like ice An Arab guide, with
candle in his hand hoists you on TO
lis shoulders and plunges with you into
he slippery corridor, which descends
apidly TO a hole in the rock on level
With the soil, going up again at the
anne angle. This opening gives access
o bare room. in which is square
ole, once the resting place of the mum
ny of one the Pharaohs The rest of
he interior consists of two or three
arrow passages, resembling cavities
lade in oak timber by the teredo, with
wo other chambers similar to that
nown as the kings all faced with
ranite, without molding or orna-
ient of any kind; airless Enclosures,
there no chinl admits ray of light or
unshine; huge masses of compact lime
tone, wrapt in utter night and silence.
uch is the strange monument to build
p which Cheops caused mountains of
tone TO be removed by whole nations
people, who persisted at their task
eneath the whips of the convict guards
-Harper's Weekly.