The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-23
AT CLEoPArRA,s TOME.
The Queens Burial Place and Other
Interesting Sights in ERvpt,

1AbOA OchAhB DIX hbS III Egypt
Alexandria Letter to Indianapolis Netos.
We next drove to Ramleh, the site Of the
khedive's palace, near which are the mag
nificent gardens of a Greek noblemen.
think that these vast gardens are the finest
l ever saw, and as wandered through these
groves of jessamine, rubber, pepper, palm
and orange trees, with a wilderness of
brilliant tropical flowers of the most
gorgeous colors and the air laden
with intoxicating perfumes, l lost NV
head as usual and went off into the
transcendental. l repeated to myself
Goethe's lines, beginning "Kanst du das
land wo die oitronen blum, and abandoned
myself to the genius of the place. Fount-
aims murmured their silver plash, aud soon
the forms of Hypatia and Cleopatra ap-
peared In the green vistas. Was IL here
that the divine teacher of Platonisrn. the
pure and spotless Hypatia, lectured upon
her master and inveighed against the Ito
her and her SCHOOL, new-faugled religion
called Christianity Was it yonder that the
grand halls OF Alexandria's great library.
containing $50, 900 volumes, was situated II
was certainly in yonder blue waters that
the triremes OF Greece and Rome brought
to Alexandria's ports the commerce
Of the world. Was it in yonder narrow
streets that this beautiful heather was torn
in pieces by the Christian monksa Was il
yonder where Cyrid, the Christian aroh
bishop, dweltl All the scenes from Charles
Kingsleys noble romance "Hypatia" came
up before me, although l had not read it
now for six and thirty years. Again sa W
IN these gardens another of the worlds
greatest beauties, "the glorious Sorceress of
the Nile" Cleopatra, with her retinue of
royal and priestly lovers. 1t was certainly
near here-perhaps on this spot-that the
supreme man of the world, Julius Caesar.
fondled this royal wanton. 1t was 10 wonder
blue waters that this same Caesar swan TO
shore with the manuscript of his commen-
taries in bis teeth. 1t was here that Antony
uttered these words, II am dying, Egypt. dy-
ing" Curiously enough, within a couple Of
years the sepulcher of this royal adultress
who, next to Helen, is the best.praised
woman In history, has been found. A gen.
tleman was digging well when his work.
man unearthed what appeared to be a royal
tomb. 1t may be fancy, but there are
some circumstances that seem to identify
this as the grave OF Cleopatra, Upon the
massive white marble sarcophagus there ia
cut head OF a woman with TWO asps uDon
her temples, and her face contracted in
agony. This. however, may be a purely
decorative head or Meduss, which are verv
common. Inside of the sarcophagus is a fe-
male ekeleton with q remarkably massive
head. There were found some royal orna-
nents here. not many, which is a circum-
stance in favor of the genuineness of the
tomb.
l was greatly interested in sweet.faced
girl, whom | easily took for either lras or
CHAIRMAN. The hair, teeth aud general out
lines of her face are admirably preserved.
For moment dismissed doubts, and here,
thirty feet under ground, imagined there
was before me the skeleton of the queen and
the mummies of her firing women-Char-
milan and Iras What a thought Here is
the supreme beauty of all the world, her
bones upon exhibition at 2 piasters per head
to gaping crowd of "all sorts and condi-
tions" of men and women. Such Is the IRONY
of history. Was Cleopatra's beauty so
marvelousl Or was it not rather the beauty
that always TO a queen is magnifled and glo-
rited by the swarm of parasites that ALWAYS
cling about q thronel There are great
doubts where there ever was such woman
as Helen
Whose celestial charms
For zine LONG years kept the world in arms.
1t is the weight Of opinion that this is the
creation of Homer's fancy. So with Cleo
patras beauty. She had her Shakespeare
to praise her, and inspired poets Of lesser
degree. Within the last two years two gen
tlemen, Sardou of France and Rider Hae-
gard. have exhausted their fancy in print
ing an ideal Cleopatra. Innumerable
sculptors and painters have loaded her with
imaginary charms. Cleopatra was no doubt
a beautiful woman; but she is a child of
good luck in the above-named particulars.
Nevertheless, no one can visit Alexandria
and It's environs without realizing and
locating the scene of shakespeare in-
comparable Antony and Cleopatra, and in
a lesser degree the novel above spoken of
entitled "Hypatia"-to me the Alexandria
OF Neo Platonian and Of the Septuagint
version Of our Bible and OF that system of
Judaism and religious thought that shows
it's influence in the subtle fourth gospel.
with its logos aud paraclete. and the great
archbishops and fathers Of the Greek creeds
of early Christianity, and with it's enormous
libraries and schools far more interest ing
than the Alexandria Of the Ptolomies Of the
Romans