Daily inter mountain., 1899-04-01

The famous Sphinx, in whose huge,
mangled face is mingled all the majesty
and mystery of Egypt has long been an
object of surprising interest to the stu
dent of archaeology. Through unnum-
bered centuries the rock has reflected in
its features the highest human wisdom.
Today, although battered by time and
the vandalism of man the ghost of
human countenance sIlil gazes out over
the world.
1t scowls not, it frowns not, 1t weeps
not, but smiles eternally-as day as it
daWns. at night as it follows, at the sea-
sons in their course-as if it saw the
IttlenesS' of human endeavOr and could
only smile at the life and death struggles
of men and nations, the history of the
past and the untold tales Of the future
Couched in the sands it's breast rises like
a tower, it's back like the immense dome
of a place of worship From it's sight
less eyes to the smile that curls the lips
in scorn the furrowed face is one great
sermon in stone.
For centuries this fascinating monu-
ment of antiquity has stood as a synonym
for all that is mysterious. For centuries
1t has been an enigma, a riddle that men
have tried in vain to solve. Greek
mythology offered a solution but modern
science has rejected the theory. 1t probed
into the earth and it pricked the mytho-
logical bubble. 1t declared that the
Greeks We're wrong but it found nothing
to enable it to offer a better solution and,
until a few months ago, the riddle has
remained unsolved. Now, however, Prof.
S. Beswick of Holdaysburg, Pa. has dis
covered the secret and at last the world
may know why the majestic piece of art
was made by the people who placed it
there upon its bed of sand so many hun
dreds of years ago
Although now an American Mr. Bes-
wick is an Enslishman by birth and was
long a pupil of DR.. Dalton of Manches-
ter. He is a scientist of repute, a men,
Der of distinguished British societies and
the inventor of a method of computing
the magnetic declinatOn of the needle.
His discovery therefore, has had great
weight with the scientific world and is
generally accepted as the most plausible
solution of this mystery of the ages.
Prior to the publication of this latest
discovery it was generally believed that
the Sphinx was constructed as a mOnu-
ment to some phase of the religious be-
lief the the ancient Egyptians but Mr..
Beswick has found that it's astronomical
meaning was even more important to its
makers, as it was intended to commence
rate the winter solstice, which was to
them the most impressive season of the
year.
The Sphinx consists of the head of a
man on the body of lion. A royal
crown is on the head and the entire body
is buried This represents the exact pO-
sition of the consultations Leo, the Lion,
and Aquarius, the Water Bearer. in the
heavens at midwinter. In astronomy
Aquarius is always represented as man
49,, -
below the horizon and the head of
Aquarius is just above. So the body Of
the beast is buried while the head of the
man looks out over the sands.
1t Is strange that this monument to
the ignorance of the ancient Egyptians
should have remained mystery for so
long a time. Many theories as to its sig
nificance have been entertained. Some
men have held that it was intended to
represent the Gibborm giants of myth
Ology While others, In spite of the SYM
Dol of godship that appeared in its face,
have insisted that it was nothing more
than the likeness Of the king who erect
ed it.
Mr. .Beswick's theory based as it is
upon the well known fact that the Egyp-
tian religion was ineXtricably bound up
with astronomy, seems to set all this un-
certainty at rest. To the Egyptians the
winter solstice was particularly impress
sive because when the days began to
shorten they believed that the light of
the sun was going out. The erection of
such monument, therefore, symboiZed
to the people that the heavenly bodies
moved in regular course and was. at
the same time, an act of reverence to the
celestial gods, who We're worshipped
from fear as the days shortened and
glorified at the beginning of the summer
solstice, when they began to lengthen
again.
Working upon this theory there is
every reason to believe that the Sphinx