Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-05-31
TIE TREASURE KEY.
A Discovery That Opened the Riches OF
Eastern Literature,


II is not fairy tale that / am going
to toll yo,, though l do take you far
away to tho orient to the land Of the
lotus flower. the land of tho pyramids,
of the ohelisks aud the Nile, but u story
true in word and fact
II is tho story of n key, before which
vast treasure houses, impenetrable for
ages, opened their doors, Andwhen the
portals wore thrown wide the scarchers
gasod upon vistas containing riches of
which their widest imaginings had
never dreamed.
Ii is not q key Of gold, though its
yaluo is moro than its weight in that
precious notal. nor is il shaped like
KY ut all, Aud the wealth it unlocked
is NOT only for its finders, but for all
that desire to partallo Of IL for all pos.
terity, for you and for me, lspcak of tho
Rosetta stone, which is now in the Brit
ish museum,
Many ayes ago ptolcmy Epiphencs,
king of Egypt paid the arrears OF taxes
aud Other debts of the priesthood OF
Egypt, aud in thanks and 10 show thoir
respect for his consideration the priest
hood, alta synod held in Memphis, passed
u decree commemorative Ii, Nc decree
was cut into stone, rs that WAS the mode
of psoSorVing u rocord of historical
events, This happened about la6 years
before the Christian era
You must know that the Egyptians
had different mode Of writing from
ours They used hioogGphios or picture
Writing, and this, after great rcseIuch,
has boon discovered to I've the written in.
terprotation of sounds
That record Of Epiphones' deed
might not I've loSt the Egyptians had tho
decree Written In throc different Ian.
guagcs, the hieroglyrhic, tho demotio
and tho Greek, This was done Us u pre-.
caution, because, MS tho country had
many dialects, n language once in uso
was liltcly to die out in time SO by
making this rilingual copy Of tho event.
each n translation of the other IL was
likoly 70 DO preserved,
Wears passed., and tho dust Of ages
buried from view tho stono that was dos
tined to play 50 important II part in
throwing light upon tho sladowy con-
ceptions Of modern thinkers regarding
the past life and manners and customs
of tho Egyptiuns.
This Ia tho origin of the Rosetta stone
hut no ono in tho modern world knew Of
It's existence until tho timo of Napoleon,
He carried his onnquoring arms all over
Europe, and not content with his vic
torios thcr" he invaded Egypt, whore ho
fought the brilliant Egyptian campaign
While stationed near Rosetta IN lower
Egypt, su,uc Of tho soldiers with the
French engineer, NJ, Buusshrt, found,
while oXcavnting III the historical soil,
u block of Stone Of black hasalt about
81, feet in length aud u littlo moro than
gu feet IN width, On II they saw strange
and unintolligihlo Writing or drawings.
1t was The Rosetta stonc, NO called from
the numo OF the place where II was
found, but they did not dream how pro-
oious their discovery would prove.
And Ii was hot until about % years
had passed TINT oven ono word was
translated. DIR. Young IN 1916 mado
out the word ptolcmy, md he Il was
who discovered that tho writing was
phonetic aud not topographic, rs had
been supposed. But tho hey Ind not yet
done it, work, for, like Aladdin aud his
lamp tho talisman hnd not yet boon
conquered. ..... #. t..,
DR., Young, continuing hts research,
dociphered tho word Borenice among
the pictorial writings Of the frescoes ,nt
karnuk But II - to Champolion that
most Of the credit IL due, for 30 contin-
ucd the research puro,nittingF, and
finally hia labors wcro crowned with Vie
tory Tho translation of the Rosetta
stone was eompletod--thnt II to shy, so
far IA tho stono itself II complete, for
ono pnrt Of II IL broken of,
It WINS not MI easy task to conquer,
but one well worth tho attolnpt, and
honor viii over rebound TO the men TINT
undertook aud succeeded In opening up
tho broad field OF the literature Of tho
east, Tho field that CLOVIS with glorious
deeds md vast achievements, and that
for ngcs haflled the wisest --Philudcl-
piha Times,