Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-04-30
MONT PHENIN. BKATTLEBOKO, FRIDAY. APRIL 30, 1897

Egypt had broken fingers and bruised
faces as often as our own.
In our own country the largest collec-
uon OF these relics from the tombs Is
Dr. Abbot's Egyptian antiquities in the
museum of the Now York Historical
society.
Among these found the little worn
leather shoe of child and pair of tiny
baby slippers or sandals 1t made me
sad to think of the little feet that wore
these and danced and played-some-
Dody's darling gone and forgotten ages
ago. There are ladies' boots of kid,
white, purple and red, no doubt fine and
dainty in their day One feels like re
peating:
And thou hast walked about-how strange
storyl-
In Thebes' streets three thousand years ago
Among the strange relics of the grown
up children of Egypt are the toilet mir
rors. 1t was expected evidently that the
youthful beauty who started on the long
journey would continue to care for the
pretty face waiting in her tomb for her
return. So her mirror was placed at
her side by careful hands These mir
rors are of metal, chiefly copper, nearly
round and set in handles of wood OF
stone that are fashioned sometimes into
flower shape, sometimes into column
with the head of goddess Some have
the grinning monster to contrast with
the blooming face of the beauty who is
to use it. These mirrors are so wonder
fully made that when taken out Of the
earth after 30 many centuries they can
be repolished to their original bright
ness.
The ladies, sad to relate, are shown
on hideous caricature as Willing
away the time by lingering and admir-
ing their jewelry and personal orna-
ments. The earrings particularly seem
to attract attention. To quote oele-
brated English Psychologist:
"They are inquiring their value and
where they were bought, coveting the
others or preferring their own. "
Among the many objects that bring
us strangely near to the everyday life
of Egypt is a lady s workbasket. 1t con-
tains medley of pretty trifles, foreign
In appearance, but evidently for the
are skeins of thread, bronze pins and
needles, broken scissors, a netting bob
bin wound with the thread as when
1t dropped from the slender fingers and
a fragment Of knitting in bright colored
woods To me the most touchingly real
object was a shred of linen partly mend
ed, with the dainty stitches left unfin-
ished by the vanished hand" 80 long,
long ago
A piece of cloth taken from soldier &
tomb had the mark of his rank embroid-
cred in black, just as we see today the
officers rank on his military coat.
There is a shoe of one of the pharaohs,
lined with leather, on the sole of which
is painted Jewish captive in bonds, TO
show their scorn and contempt of the
people they thus trod under foot
began by telling you of the queer
toys of the children. But perhaps it
may interest you to know how the
amusements of the older folk are repre-
sented on the tombs. Sometimes the de
tails of feast or dinner party are given
with exactness. The master of the house
sits awaiting his guests and passes the
time by playing with pet monkey tied
to his chair. We see the guests arriving
and the servants amounting each other
with perfuned unguents. The jars con-
tanning such ointments have been foand,
retaining faint spicy fragrance after
thousands of years
There are large, graceful vases Of
flowers standing in the halls and slaves
presenting fresh lotus blossoms to the
lady guests and removing from the
rooms those that have faded. The char
lot of the ultra fashionable diner out ap.