Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-09-18
LIES TOLD BY HISTORY.
Babylon Was a Small City of Mud
HOveIs and Colossus of Rhodes
Smaller Thar Liberty.

Smaller Than Liberty.
Just as, some 80 years back, Signor
Florelli uncovered for us the ruins of
Pompeii, thereby enabling us to form
a very excellent idea of the appearance
of a Roman town of the first century
of the Christian era, so, during the
three years past, have the Germans
been uncovering ancient Babylon, says
Stray Stories.
The results have been, though scien-
tifcally interesting, somewhat disap-
pointing, for the city has proved to be
by no means either so magnificent or
so extensive as popular imagination
has already pictured it.
Indeed, DR.. Koldwey, who is in charge
of the excavations, asserts positively
that the famous walls were certainly
not more than eight miles in circum-
ference.
Nor is this all. For not only was the
city comparatively insignificant as re-
CARDS size, but ever its Wanted splen-
dor and wealth of architectural detail
could. the doctor declares. have had no
real existence. Sun dried mud bricks
constituted the only building material
available, and large or imposing edi-
fees could not possibly have been con-
structed by their aid alone.
In reality the explorers have con-
vinced themselves. by actual measure
ment. that not eve in N~ebuchadnez-
zar's royal palace was there a single
private apartment which would be
considered large enough nowadays for
a lady's boudoir. The biggest public
room was the banqueting hall, where
in occurred the "Mene, Meme, TekeI
Upharsin'' incident. and this was bare
ly so feet long. The houses of the
common people were mere novels. Sc
persisted a cherished Illusion.
1t is probably the same with not {
few of the semimythical wonders Of
olden times. The famous Colossus OF
Rhodes, for instance, which has giver
a Misunderstanding the English
language. and which was esteemed ONE
of the seven wonders of the world
if standing to-day would be quite
dwarfed by the gigantic statue of Lib
erty erected at the entrance to New
York harbor.
The temple tomb erected by Queer
Artemisa of Halicarnassus to the mem
of her husband, Mausolus, was certain
" inferior, at all events in point o
mere size, to many similar moder1
structures. Yet it. like the Rhode
statue, has given a word-"mausole
unto our language, and was &C
counted one of the wonders of the an
,ient world.
The schoolboy of the last g%eneratio,
used to picture the Great Harry. tn
famous battleship of Henry VII
reign, as only a trife inferior in size t.
the Great Eastern; and the schoolbo
of to-day doubtless centuries up a V
sion of something between an ocea
liner and a modern ironclad.
As a matter of fact, she was nor
like an overgrown Chinese junk, was S
unwieldy that thrice within a year sh
came near to capsizing in calm weatf
er, and she certainly did not excee
1000 tons burden. Her total cost wa
$40, 1000, a sum which, even allowin
for the difference in the value G
money, would now be deemed altogetf
er inadequate for the building an
equipment of one of the smallest
cruisers.
True, we moderns have never buil
a Great Pyramid; but that is becaus
this u%tilitarian age has no use for grea
pyramids. An infinitely more stupel
dous work is, however, being unde.
tax IN at this present moment in tn
ancient land of the Pharaohs.
che new Nile reservoir involves til
construction of two gigantic dan
across the river, the one at Assoua
and the other at Assiout, and whic
will, when completed, add millions {
acres to the area now available fo
cultivation.
Sixteen thousand men are busy {
this titanic task, and it will absorb a
their energies for a period of fly
years. By the time they have finishe
it is estimated that they will have hal
died thrice as much material as is col
tanned in the whole Of the 75-odd pyr,
mids, big and little, Of which Egyl
boasts.
Biographies printed not mor tina
so years ago declare Picking to be
larger and more populous city tina
London. We know now that it's allegt
splendor is a myth, that it's size
comparatively insignificant, and tn;
the scattered and INDECENT populate
contained within its walls would bar
ly suffice to decently fill a second-ra'
London suburb.
Similar stories, too, only more SO
used to be told of Merv, the myster
Gus Central Asian city, which, it W,
gravely asserted, was encircled by
wall 1856 miles in circumference.
Mr.. O'Donovan, the Daily News co
respondent, who was afteward sla
by the Mahdis at I'll Obeid, succeed,
in penetrating to the oasis and retur
ing in safety to civilization. He -four
the site once occupied by the ''Sove
eign City Of the Universe" (Merv Sha