The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-14
RUINS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER SPEAKS
 AT UNIFIED CHURCH.

Civilization of Ancient Memphis and Thebes-High State of Art Attained Peculiar Religious Beliefs.
 Charles Dudley Warner, the eminent writer and popular lecturer, spoke under the auspices of the Mems club in the Unit ed church last evening"
 The audience was by far the largest which has attended any lecture in the course thus far, nearly every seat In the body of the church and in the galleries be- ing occupied.
 MT. Warner has recently returned from trip to Egypt, and his lecture last evening was on Some Aspects of the Civilizatio of Ancient Memphis and Thebes." He said In part
 T do not propose at all to go into arch geology or any wise speaking, but only to make you see one city or, perhaps, tWo-a city Of which nearly all has passed away but its influence upon the character and history of the world.
 There is nothing to be seen, on the an cient site of Memphis but a few mounds and fragments of brick. It is now believed by the best scholars that the first Egypt fans came to Memphis by way of the Red sea. It is supposed that we get on historic ground about 1900 B. C., when Memphis was established, but there was something there before this time. It is very probable that Memphis felt the influence of several older and more civilized nations which sur rounded it.
 There is no estimation anywhere of the population of old Memphis. The city was built on two sides of river, and was-to use the terms of old writers-about half days journey long, or about twelve miles, It was not thoroughly built over, by any means. means Its center was a temple, S,M with u with mud novels down on the waters edge, just as it is to-day.
 Tt was an agricultural region, producing cane, wheat, and other agricultural prod ucts. All the trades were carried on in Memphis with a great deal of elaboration. All the agriculture was carried on by the
 Memphis was divided into classes the king in his magnifcence, the priests, the mllitary-always numerous class-then middle class of artiticers of various kinds, and last of all the slaves
 Here is the sphinx that much abused piece of art. which has been almost knocked out of all human shape by the ray ages of the ages, but yet of such merit even now that we see that it must be the work of great artist.
 According to the old Egyptian theology this soul Now, the Egyptians early learned that the body. decayed, and if the body decayed the double was lost. It was necessary to preserve the body in order that the soul might be also preserved and so provision was made in the tombs by q speclal room Tor the mummy, the double, and the soul.
 Tn order to satisfy the wants of the shadow and to keep it contented numerous statues of the dead man were placed in the room, with the idea that the more stat ues there were the more likely the double would be satisfied. This sculpture to sat isfy the double was carried to very great refinement We learn from these great deal about the lives and character of the people.
 Memphis continued to be political power till about 2500 B. c. Two thousand years later the conversion of a king from the religion of the old polytheism to a new religion, possessing characteristics of both polytheism and monotheism wrought a great change ill the conception of scien- tifc view of the universe It was a pro- found change In art and manners.
 II say, almost every day there is hardly any dogma which prevents our use of the microscope and the telescope, and I say to myself every day that there Is no reason why. pushing backward we should lose sight of the first great source of the uni verse