The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-08
The Park and the Eden Musee-Described
by Southern Lady.
Mrs. H. T. Sloan, in A. r. Presbyte-
rian.

| 11Sil.
| The Park is oily p miles long
and J mile broad, and to those who
know the grounds we'll, it must be a
delightful retreat. The museum of
art is the graad attraction. Paying
an admittance fee of 50 cents, you
are admitted to all the rooms and
stories. Very ancient and broken
statuary from Athens confrohts you
as you pass in to the right. It must
have been very grand, for even in
: its ruins it inspires you with awe.
The size of the figures seemed larger
than natural. It may have been
only real measurement.
TIE world of wonders that are
shelved before you, rather bewilder
you for a moment, and you soon
learn to be more systematic and
take things in order. To describe
the pottery, the metallic and the
marble vases, bowls, lamps, cups
and curious articles which exist in
thousands of shapes and colors is
more than I can do. 1t would take
two weeks to glance at them all,
and in the end you would be like
one who beholdeth his face in a
glass, "straightway he hath forgot
ten what manner Of man he
was"
The mummies on the first floor
were very awe-inspiring. Fourteen
specimens, in single file, under
large covers of glass, maintained an
awful stiffness. The mummy box
was opened and the person, as he
was embalmed thousands of years
ago, lay before you in his scared
garment. The face seemed to be Of
hard, dark brown shiny clay. The
eyes seemed opened, as if awake,
and black. The body seemed tight
ly wrapped in strong fabric; COM
pressing it into the smallest space.
The feet were resting on the heel
with toes up, and all wrapped from
neck to toe in endless winding
bandages, of different widths. I
noticed one strip above the others,
around the feet, that was net more
than an inch wide, and yet so per-
feet along the edge that it appeared
like an old tape, decaying and dis
colored with sge, yet perfect in out
line. This was the oldest mummy
in the museum and read 1900 years
before Christ.
thought the in6del might ask,
if the body can exist in dust so
long, how long could soul live
after death? The face that appears
on the box lid is supposed to repre-
sent the appearance Of tbs person.
I saw the same face, both on the lid
and on the mummy. It is solemn
to be in the presence of the dead,
whether of the present or of past
ages. Leaving the vast stores OF
curiosities from buried cities and
prehistoric nations, we come into
the gallery of statuary, and here,
too, you seem to sec life frozen
and petriied in marble. How life
like. It almost speaks. It does
seem to feel. The gaze of a mother
upon a pair of beautiful twins,
seems natural and pleased. The ar
dent, ambitious youth, with high
resolve, seems ready to convince
you. The statesman and the orator
and the general all seem ready to
be crowned with the laurel of vic.
tory, and you are ready to admit
that they are worthy.
But there are others of anguish,
sorrow, despair, remorse and suffer
ing. So pitiable, so helpless, so in
exorable, that this is not real in
this place at least. The countenance
of Cain seems to say, "my punish
ment is greater than I can bear"
The figure of Eve with her dead
son, Abel, lying across her lap is
also mastery in execution and ef-
feet.
Another striking piece is from
Dante. A beardless youth Of high
extraction it seems is riveted to a.,
fatal spot; and there several large
fat vipers are entwined around his
naked form in hideous folds and
holding him fast in their horrid en-
brace; and at their leisure bite, one
at his toe, the other on the tender
part of his under arm, while the
youth leans forward, under his suf-
fering, and with parted lips seems to
breathe out pain, while his counte-
nance seems to say, shall it be for
ever?