Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1903-02-05
The Sphinx Disappearing.

monuments of the past have been pre-
served in Egypt is due chiefly to it's
rainlsss climate. For ages the regions
of the Lower Nile were watered sole
ly by the river, and beyond the limits
of its annual overflow the ground was
perfectly dry. The tin left by Napo-
Icons army lay on the sands for near
ly century, bright and uurusted.
But the climate of Egypt is gradu.
ally changing. Extensive tree plant
ing has gone on for long time past,
and irrigation works have produced
moist and fertile land where formerly
stretched the barren desert. Thus
rain is gradually being attracted, and
while few years ago shower was
novelty, there are now considerable
falls of rain.
The effect is seen in the crumbling
of the Great Sphinx at Gizeh, near the
Great Pyramid. This vast monument
is TIA feet in length and Sc feet high,
hewn out Of projecting spur OF the
rock which rises out OF the sand. The
head is sculptured, and represents
woman in the old Egyptian headdress,
the body being that of a lion, formed
by the natural reef of porphyry, with
additions OF masonry to complete the
shape. For more than a generation
the monument has been more or less
defaced, owing largely to the attention
of early tourists, and the nose has long
been absent. But now the rain is be-
ginning to assist in destroying the
Sphinx. The wet softens the surface
of the stone, and fierce sandstorms
then grind the outer surface away.
The Great Sphinx is not the only
one of its kind, numerous specimens,
great and small. having been found
among the remains Of Egyptian aud
Assyrian and Gr.cian art. The older
Egyptian SphynIe1 were wingless,
like that of Gizeh, but there were
many others which had wings. Some
of the heads were female, others beard
ed, and there were sphinIes with the
head OF hawk or ram.
From the earliest times there has
been speculation as to the meaning OF
this curious symbolic figure. The
name Sphinx" was given to it by the
Greeks, and means literally "The
Stranger" From the fact that
Sphin1es appear commonly on ancient
tombs and are represented as treading
on or carrying away a man or child,
there seems some reason TO believe
that the figure wa, fret intended as
symbol Of death butcher explans'
tions have been given which may hold
good Of sphinIes made in later times.
Thus the lions body and mans head
have been held to symbolic the COM
bination OF strength and intellect in
some divinity, and the Sphinx has
also been taken as dsnoting the resur-
rection. A chapel and altar found
early in the last century in front OF
the Great Sphinx would suggest that
the figure represented an ancient deity.
The Greeks, while continuing to rep
resent the Sphinx in their art, had a
story with regard to it which was ev.
identity only a poetical fable, and
showed that the real meaning Of the
figure was lost. The story was that
on a rocky mountain near Tbebes
dwelt a creature with the face Of q
virgin, the body Of lion, the wings
of = bird, and the tail Of . serpent.
which bad been given a riddle by the
Muses., and had power TO destroy and
devour mankind till the riddle was
solved. Every traveller failing to
solve the riddle was devoured. and
this was the riddle: "What creature
is it that goes on fourl legs at daybreak.
on two at noon, and on three at
night?"
Finally Gdipus solved the riddle,
saying that man was the creature, for
as baby be crawled, in his prime be
walked, and in his old age be hobbled
along with staff. On hearing the
answer the Sphinx threw herself from
her rocky mountain and was killed.
The Sphinx continued for many
centuries a favorite subject Of art, and
is found on coins, in relief sculptures,
and az decoration Of arms and fur.
niture.-London News.