Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-05-20
TO BE SEEN IN EGYPT.
IMMORTAL SIGNATURES UNDER THE
5PHlNxs LEFT EAR.
Colonel Mason. Of Chicago, Finds tho
Names of Napoleon. Wellington. Dis
raelI. Grant and a Host OF Others, Top
ped by an Iiiustrions Americana


rasiI. Grant and a Host OF Others. Top
ped by an IiiustrIons Americana
my sojourn In Europe" SAYS Colonel
Edward G. Mason, president OF the Chicago
Historical society, was wholly delightful
The climate Is sasllrious the scenery s
Overwhelmingly novel, and the natives are
politely attentive When | wen, 10 that
part OF the world my health was failing
For several years | had worked hard and
my nerves had suffered a particularly NJ
we're strain in thar famous debate in which,
as president Of the Historical society, WAS
compelled to engage with Hiram Atwater,
OF kaskaskia, relative 10 the exact location
Of Pierre Menard's barn prior TO the June
rise In the Mississippi In lsl4 | had been
In Cairo but week when felt fully re
stored, in corpore ct In mente | return TO
Chicago spiendIdly equipped to grappIe
with the brilliant sophistries Of Norton, the
artful heresIes OF Head, ths cold pessimism
of MacNeagh, and such other specous per
suasions as that talented coterie with
which ! am won't to associate may choose
| to bring 10 bear upon me.
THAT object In all Esygt which most en-
gagged my attention was the sphinx Wis
tied IL a number Of times and each time
.
companion at such times was the yener-
able sheik, kamir-el-Abdul. a man Of pro-
found learning, and never wearied OF the
"reminiscences with which he bcguiled the
tedium OF the journey to aud from the
pyramids.
II shall never forget my first visit to the
sphinx. Starting from Cairo before day
I light, we reached our destination Just as
the solar orb issuing from the glowing east
cast upon that mighty stretch Of sand the
rosy flood Of his gracious benediction The
sullen head and massive shoulders OF the
beast woman doomed up thrcateningly he.
fore us, the pitlessns-s Of forty centuries Of
desoiate loneliness lay Ike shadow gu the
ruthless face and over the cruel eyes: here
at last ! found the master expression Of
utter hopelessness. Observing my unwout-
ed serionsness-for was indeed awed by
the solemnity. the grandeur, and the awful.
ness OF this speciacle--the good sheik
sought TO dissipate the gathering clouds Of
sadness by relating certain entertaining
bits Of historical information.
TALRING WITH a sHEIK
Here, light Of the western world
quoth he, for he always employed the or
nate metaphors Of the orient when he adj.
dressed me; here the years meet and speak
with one another Monarchs 81 all ages
have come hither 10 commune with this
mighty monument To the genius Of the
dead, hither come artisans to wonder ut
the work Of an art they know not OF, aud
hither repair the sage, the poet aud the
philosopher To Illuminate In the shadow Of
this Pile upon the awful mysteries OF hu-
man life
YES said !, the spot IL pregnant OF
the most solemn associations. IL was here
a. | nik,4r IN hav al Ia,
geography, Bonaparte encouraged his sol.
diery to battle by reminding them that
from yonder pyramids forty centuries
looked down upon them
Napoleon INSCRIBED his name lIDon the
sphinx at that time said the good sheik
Take your spyglass and You will see the
name cut upon the neck OF the sphinx, just
below the ear there Below il appears. in
Turkish, the name Of the great sultan, Alb
dull fiamed. while to the right. upon the
cheek, you will see the name Of Button
the naturalist
The head aud face 81 the sphinx seems
70 he covered with NAMES, said /, contem-
plating the mammoth through my glass
:" 1t is even SO, pearl OF the praires, said
he. For many years the great men OF all
nations and tribes have delighted To cut
their names into this deathless monument,
even your people come hither to do that
honorable office. sou shall see II you
sweep your glass 90 the left and right and
up and down the surface Of that SCARED
face
Il did as the good sheik suggested, and
a thousand noble names were presented to
my enraptured vision by the aid Of my
glass. Among my own countrymen Bay
ard Taylor, franklin. Burr, Prescott,
Beecher, Grant, Longfellow. Emerson
yes. and hundred others, representing
our craftsmanship, our theology. our lit
erature, our arts and our sciences, had en-
graved their proud names upon this his
toric. this solemn, this imperishable tablet.
CLEAR ABOVE THEM ALL
And the great confuse. OF other nations
had been there too beheld with un-
feigned delight the immortal names OF
Wellington, of Cuyier, of Goethe, OF Ca
yonr, Of kossuth, Of Dumas, OF Disraeli, Of
Shopenhauer, OF Heine. OF Byron, Of Scott,
OF Burton, Of Browning, and Of other noble
masters. The sight inspired me with in
describable feelings, my bosom heayed
with conflicting emotions, and seemed 10
commune with the invisible spirits OF those
who in this human life had borne those
names.
"'would the star Of the west choose 70
set himself amid that galaxy inquired
my delicious reverie. 1 have brought with
me chisel and a maui, and yonder Arabs
will provide us with "A rope ladder, where
by the summit Of the sphinx can easily be
reached
II thanked the good shelk for the sug.
Resti0n. With what pride should return
to my native land aud announce 10 my
compAtriots that my name WIS high In this
roster Of immortals! With what feelings
Of delight should posterity gather on these
blIstering sands and riyet their eyes upon
the imperishable name Of +. G. Mason in
big capital lettersl kanir el Abdul sig.
nailed To the Arabs. and they approached.
WAS eager for action. My whole frame
quivered with excitement
But stay, quoth l. Another moment,
l pray. until ] decipher that name which
stands boldly out high above the rest
Some transcendent genius has with con
snmmate valor braysd the perils OF the en-
deayor and set his mark where no less no
bic hand may reach
II scanned that name eagerly. A solemn
stillness-ltting in its reverential ALSO
luteness-reigned all around. | saw and
read there. high above the rest, triumph
ing over the names aud titles Of emperors,
kings, princes, warriors, statesmen and
the rest, blazed, as il were the polar star
set Ia the highest point OF the heavens, the
proud, the pre- eminent, the imperishable
name OF A. e. Arson, First BaseT a-Eu-
gene Field In Chicago News
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