The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-29
by George AIDE.

Copyright 1905. by George Ade.)
~URINa the first three days in
Cairo brilliant and original
~ plan of action had been outlln,
ing itself in my mind. At last | coulq
not keep it to myself any longer, 80 L
told Mr.. Peasley.
doa''I asked. e .l..s'..
Mr.. Peasley did not.
ST am going to write up the pyraat.
mids. am going to tell; VINO pun
them and how long it took and how
many blocks of stone they contain. l
shall have myself photographed sitting
on camel and holding an american
flag. Also, I shall describe IN detail7
the emotions that surge within me as L
stand in the shadow of the SPHINX
and gaze up at that vast and lmpef-
turbablee expanse of face. -
cts a great scheme, said MI.
Peasley, n6ut you we been scooped.
They've been written up already" - =.
care you sure s'' 1.-
eyes, sir, the whole outfit OF pyra,,
mids has been described in special
article by a man named Herodotus."
"How long sinceY,, :. -'%+ =
"About 40 B. G."
He produced a guidebook and proved
that he was right All the things that
I had been getting ready to say about
the pyramids had been said by, Herod-
otus. He had got there ahead OF me
lust 1876 years ahead of me. In
daily newspaper competition, when
some man gets his news twenty four
hours ahead of another one he Is. proud
Of his cheat and is the hero of the
office for fifteen or twenty minutes
But think of trailing along twenty-fourI
centuries behind a Greek space writer!
It took all the starch out Of lne. .
Mr.. Peasley suggested that inasmuch
as considerable time had elapsed since
possibly the average reader would have
only dim recollection OF It and accept
. nv account as brand-new stuff. But I
knew better. / knew that some old
subscriber, with complete file : put
away in the bureau, would rise up and
draw the deadly parallel on me. All l
can safely do in regard to the pyramids
is touch up few points overlooked by
my predecessor. ---- -.,-s. ..
Herodotus, by the way. had quite a
time in Egypt. De-. At that time. Shep-
heard's hotel was not in operation, al
tho it must have been under way and
NO round-trip tickets were issued by
Cook, so HercIotus had to do his own
booking and put up at a boarding house.
In Memphis, which is now frag-
mentary suburb Of Cairo, Herodotus en-
gagged O. guide He does not tell us
what he. paid but he does give us. a
line on the character of the drageman
who was full Of .superfuous and IN;
desirable information, but who fell
down when asked to divulge facts OF
real Importance. This proves that the
breed has not changed since 500 B. @.
The guide took Herodotus out to the
pyramids and filled him up. 1t is now
believed that most of what Herodo tus
sent back was merely hearsay,; but il
made good reading. The pyramids
had been standing some 1000 years
and any: information in regard to theil
origin could hardly come under the
ever Herodotus has to say about tn,
pyramids is now accepted as gospel, ii
spite of the fact that~ahe never saw
hem until twenty centuries after thi
asst block of stone had been put IL
place and Cheops had taken possession
If the tomb chambers Rather lat,
:or grand opening: -'~; - - =
When he arrived at the great ,pyra
mid he stepped it off and put down thu
Emensions. and then he remarked Il
'eme of the natives standing areune
hat is must have been quite Job t,
)uild tomb of that SIZE, They sal,
-~@res; it had been a big contract, and a
he thing had been completed only 2,0O'
,,earss, they We're enabled to go int
letails ,ss5 ID: >.#s-sss
They gave Herodotus fine layout O
ound figures. They said that 100 90,
nen had worked on the Job and that tn
sears- to build the, road and the hug
incline for bringing the blocks of ston
nto the place, and then twenty year
quarry the stone and transport i
cross the Nile and the valley. TIL
tonecutters worked all the year, an
Turing the three months inundatior
1 when farming was at standstill, tn
'ntire rural population turned out, Jus
IS they would at husking bee. or .