Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-02-09
FROM PARIS, MAINE, TO PARIS,
FRANCE.
No. l2.
cLEoPATRA's NEEDLE, MADAME TUs-
sAUD's AND THE PARLIAMENT
HOUSES.
From our Special Foreign Correspondeni.l
LONDON, ENGLAND.

From our Special Foreign Correspondent.l
LONDON, ENGLAND.
While rambling about with our Egyp-
tian mummy friends, amid the tombs
OF their kings and queens, Seti, Rsmeses,
Hatasu and others-which is all matter
OF indifference TO Settle, Ramie and Hat
tie. no doubt--we neglected to show you
the very interesting relic, Cleopstrs's
Needle, erected on the Thames embsnk-
ment In ISIS. Thi. famous obelisk Of red
granite, weighing $50 tons. was given to
England by Mohammcd Ali, Viceroy Of
Egypt. Its companion, which stood
erect at Alexandria till its removal. Is
now in New York, while this one lay
PROSTATE for many wears. Both monu-
ments, or monoliths, more properly
speaking, were originally brought from
Heliopo,is, where there are many more.
we are Informed. The Inscriptions 10
part are as follows:
''Thi. obelisk auarricd at sycnc. was erected
at IIcropolis by the Pharaoh Thothmes III.
about 800 II. c. Lateral inscriptions were add
ed by Rameses the Great Removed during the
Greek dynasty TO Alexandria, the royal city OF
Cleopatra, n was there erected In the sth year OF
Augustus Cesar, B. C. q
sands OF Alexandria, was presented To the Brit
ish nation 10 ISIS by Mohammcd Al"
Though We have not yet gotten over
the overwhelming effects OF our associa-
tions with the ''Children of israel" and
the last narrow houses they inhabited !;
aud II IL long step to come back from
the scau ,intance we made with human
figures, once flesh and blood, which
A... l., ,.,a -a n. +, rilnn srafha1
In the cerements prepared by some OF
''old Pharsoh's Army, Hallelujah", with
the substance SO strong that time nor
decay could not come near them; and II
Ia great come-down, 10 come back TO
the paltry period Of but 800 years ago,
and descend TO common plebeian ,cd6 fig
ures-yet we cannot leave the immense
resources Of I.ondon's curio halls, with
out taking you TO Madame Tussaud's,
which is really one of the most interest
ing places In London, even IL 1t has been
made more or less joke Of.
Perhaps We ought not to use the term
'.plebeian," when nearly all our sumptu
ously attired friends here belong TO roy
atty. Ones expectations OF wax-work
show are naturally not very exalted, and
there may be grotesqueness about 1t.
but II you take II seriously you can learn
more Of English history here, than any
where-else, for here you see the actual
figures, most Of them msrvellously true
10 life, of all the old, and new, kings and
queens Of England, as we'll rs nearly
every other distinguished person In Eng
land, OF anywhere else, 1t seems. These
figures are some of them standing up,
and some sitting down, "clothed and In
their right minds" II We may be pardon
ed for the insinuation, for we really don't
mean that their minds originally were
wax. but that the faces, pose, and other
details, show almost the natural express
sion and intelligence, as this little inci-
dent will show.
As we entered at the turnstile presided
over by man who took our shekels, or
shillings-and OF whom we could say
that IL yonder figures were wax men,
then he must be wooden man-our
companion advised as to accost this
Young woman sitting near the door, and
ask for descriptive catalogue, OF which
she seemed TO have an abundant supply.
We took out our purse TO purchase the
desired article-for 1t is joke that you
have to pay for everything In England,
even program when you 60 to con-
cert or theatre, Of which they have sew
eral varieties and II you want an elabor-
ate one, with the names OF all the per-
formers, selections and cetera, you must
pay about shilling (25 cents.
Well, we asked In our prettiest man
ner for program, please" but think
ing the young person did not hear, we
repeated our polite request In q little
louder tone of voice, with the same re-
suit, when 1t dawned upon US that we
had been talking to wax figure! To
our companion, Of course, 1t was source
Of great mirth, as well as to ourselves,