Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-02-02

Then there are priceless specimens Of
rare old china, porcelain and stoneware
and enamel, and many more celebrated
paintings 81 ancient and modern times,
which one could study indefinitely and
find something inspiring, for to q soul
that loves the beautiful It can bat fill
with exaltation.
In the British Museum ID collection
90 large that one could stay there year
and study with profit. Here we find
that which il perhaps the most fascinat-
Ing Of all, the old Egytian and Assyrian
antiquities, which are full Of most In
tense interest, for when We see for the
first time that which was fashioned by
the hand Of man more than three thou
sand years before the Christian era, we
begin 10 think we ourselves are not so
very old after all
The Elgin Marbles are perhaps the
most sought for, from their being such
exquisite works of art. They are the
remains Of the sculptures executed by
Phldias, the greatest of Greek sculptors,
440 years before Christ, TO sdorn the
PArthenon at Athens, and are considered
the finest specimens OF plastic art In
existence. They were brought from
Athens almost 100 years ago by Lord
Elgin at cost Of 4350,000 and sold TO
the British government for one-half that
sum. The actual removal OF these
things was not contemplated by him till
he saw how the priceless marbles were
being knocked about and mutilated.
As early n 1887 the Parthenon WAS
used as Turkish powder magazine, and
the wondrous temple on the Acropolis
was In q sorry condition after the Venc-
tians had dropped shells into 1t during
the seige OF Athens. The Turks them
selves worked hard to complete the work
of destruction by climbing up the re-
naming walls, and knocking off heads
and limbs Of gods and g0ddesses, and
those that were beyond reach were shot
at, while those that were more con-
venieutly In reach were actually ground
up for cement and built into the walls
Of the houses Of the Turks. Lord Elgin
bought outright the house OF one OF
them, and had II demolished, and In the
foundations were found the greater part
Of the draped statue OF Victory, and
fragments Of Jupiter and Vulcan. An
other house was bought and with great
difficulty torn down, but much to his
modification, nothing was found. The
former owner watched the men at work
and made no sign, but just "kept on
sayin muffin" till they were all through,
when he blandly offered to conduct them
to certain part Of the modern fortiflcs-
tions, where the very ones they were In
search Of were found cemented Into the
walls.
These marbles OF the PaIthenon are
considered by artists and critics to be
absolutely the finest specimens Of sculp-
ture In the world. Before them many
people have gazed enraptured, and their
exquisite beauty Of pose caused Mrs.
Siddons to melt into tears. Foremost
among them Is the far-famed Theseus,
the most perfect of all In the collection,
which Is not saying much considering
that this one Ii sdas nose, sans hands and
sans feet, but what remains OF II Is
snatomically and otherwise, absolutely
perfect.
Another Is the head of one Of the
horses attached to the chariot Of the
goddess Of Night, which far surpasses
and spirit Of its execution. The mouth
Is open, the nostrils distended, the ears
laid back, and the veins one might al
most say are throbblng, and the high
scious pride.
bred animal seems to neigh with con-
In the department devoted to vases
and treasures of kindred kind, Is tn
renowned Portland vase, which was
found several hundred years ago In n
tomb In Rome evidently having been
buried years before with the body Of
some person Of note. Ii Is an exquisite
piece OF workmanship, and, for many
years, imitators worked to regain the
lost art, but In vain, till the celebrated
wedgewood ware was produced, which
is more like 1t than anything else, though
even that falls far short.
To the student, the Ms. room reveals
most treasures, for here We see the
originals Of many Of the greatest works
Of literature of this and Oriental coun-
tries-Sanskrit, Cingalese, Arabic, Per-
sian, etc, and case, containing chr0no-
logically, arranged Ms. sources Of
English history, showing how history
was recorded before the invention OF
printing; also copy OF the first printed
Bible, done In 1855, which was sold for
sl7, 900.
But most wondrous Of all are the an
tiquities Of Egypt and Assyria, which
fill three large halls, and seven other
rooms, and date from $500 years before
Christ. Among the most valuable Is the
Rosetta stone, found near the Rosetta.
mouth OF the Nile about 100 years ago.
and which has the decree, or law, Of the
priests Of Egypt In honor Of Ptolemy V,
Epiphanes. The inscription is first In
hieroglyphics, or the writing Of the
priests, and second In Denotes, the
writing of the people, the third In Greek.
This stone furnished the first clue to
the decipherment Of the Egyptian
hieroglyphics Of the monuments. The
Greek was easily read, and 1t being
evident that this was translation OF
the hieroglyphics, the key was obtained.
Some Of the colossal images here, OF
winged bulls, and other curious half
human and half-animal creations, more
than five times as high as your head, are
covered with these hieroglyphics which
tells what they mean. Most OF them
were originally ornaments placed at the
entrances Of the palaces Of the old Kings
Of Egypt, some Of them dated 1900 years
before Christ. There are many stone
vessels found In tOmbs dating 100 b. c.;
monuments and sepulchral boxes and
tablets bearing the names Of kings and
high officials, chiefly from Thebes, 400
b. c.; figure of King Gudea Of Babylon,
$500 B. c.; bronze cylinder bearing the
name Of PePi l, 1898 B. c.; a cylinder
of stone Of Cyrus ii, mentioning the
capture o I Babylon; stone prison
covered with hieroglyphics giving an
account of Sennacherib's expedition
against Hezekiah; and the Tel-El-Ar-
mana tablet from that place In upper
Egypt. There were $40 Of these tablets
found, which are letters from Phenicis,
Syria, Palestine and Babylon, to Ameno-
phis ii. concerning affairs in that country
about 1900 B. c.
Of the mummiea and mummy cases. or