The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-08
SOME OF THE NEW BOOKS


Great naturalists able, with the aid of
single bone as a guide, TO reconstruct
the entire osseous anatomy of an animal
long since extinct A similar feat has been
accomplished by the distinguished Polish
novelist in this notable book. With the
meager ard ofttimes disconnected remains
found by archaeologists and Egyptologists
before him, NJ. Glovatsk has not merely
reconstructed the skeleton Of ancient
Egyptian civilization, but has breathed into
that skeleton the vitalizing spirit of his
splendid imagination and made of IL a crea-
ture of life and action, good to look upon
and full OF interest TO all wanderers in
the field of fiction. whether they be schol-
Swimmers" The period chosen by
Mr.. GIovatski was only less instinct with
the dramatic and spectacular than that
of the Pharaoh whose eyes said to
have witnessed the Mosaic miracles. This
period includes the latter and more inter-
esting portion of the benign reign of
Rameses XII and the brief and bosterous
rule of his son. Rameses XIII. in whose
pathetic, tragic end passed away that brill
liant dynasty. The book is rich in vivid
pictures of life among the nobility and
''earth-tillers,' as the Egyptian peasants
were known, as well as at the magnificent
court of his Holiness. the Pharaoh. Readers
of works of the modern school of realistic
fiction will be surprised to find in THE
Pharaoh and the Priest the identical
(heir), who afterwards became Rameses
XIII, was an exceedingly vivacious, head
fact, had It mot BEEN for f his overM ae
fondness for pleasure, his mighty struggle
with the priesthood might have had
esenian dynasty continued indefinitely
This struggle between the civil and re-
lgious governments of Egypt forms the
great central theme or motif of the work
had been slowly but surely and secretly
working its way to complete ascendency
over upper and lower Egypt AS a part
land very essential part tool of this pro-
gramme 1t had been accommodating a vast
treasure, which was effectually concealed
from would-be despoilers by being deposited
in one of the fnnermost chambers of the
labyrinth, an immense structure contain
ing more than 5000 rooms so wonderfully
arranged that even its custodians claimed
they themselves possessed no accurate
chart of its devious windings. Up to the
beginning of the reign of Rameses XIII
the priests had, with one or two exceptions,
enjoyed at least coordinate sovereignty
with the members of the long line of
Pharaohs The last representative of the
distinguished dynasty saw fit, however to
dispute this religious domination, and the
story Of his struggle, with its intensely
narrative. Not the least enjoyable feature
of Mr.. Glovatski's remarkable work is the
simplicity of his literary style. Almost all
of the long words found in the book are
attributable to Egyptian nomenclature or
Technology. While on this point it is well
to give to Mr., jeremiah Curtin. translator
of the book. due share of praise not only
for the admirable manner in which he has
acquitted himself in rendering the work
| into the choicest of English but as we'll for
having given the English readers of fiction
such worthy successor to "Quo Vadis''
and the great trilogy on the struggle for
| liberty in Poland. THE Pharaoh and the
Priest" is beautifully and helpfully illus
| trated with fine reproductions of photo
graphs taken in Egypt by Mr.. Curtin, and
| its topography and binding are good. Bos-
! ton: Little, Brown e. Co