Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-06-14
A Southern Pilgrim in Eastern Lands

dirt was taken away, leaving the pyra-
mid standing out in all of its majesty
Either this was true or the old Egyptians
must have had derricks or elevators CT
/ some kind more powerful than any now
in the world. and certainly more power
! full than they now possess. 1t is easier
to believe the former theory than the
latter. As TO how they got the large
| stones used in the outer casing across
= the river, it must have been done either
over a bridge or on fiat boats construct
ed for the purpose.
THE PLAN OF CONSTRUCTION.
A more important question has arisen,
| though, as TO the plan of construction
of this pyramid, and OF all the pyramids
Was the plan of each complete at the
beginning of the construction, or did they
] start on a small scale at the beginning
of the reign of each king constructing
them, and then grow something like a
tree grows during the progress OF his
reign? IL the former, how would a king
know that he would live to complete II!
If he died before its completion, could
and would his successor complete 1t and
build one for himself at the same timer
II the latter, why did not Pepi II, who
! reigned about 400 years after Khufu or
Cheops. and who reigned 80 years-from
2576 to 246s B. C.-the longest reign record
ed in history-build a far larger and
! grander pyramid than that of Cheops?
Why should not Ramses II-who reigned
from 1892 to 1925 B. c., and TO whom this
and other pyramids were familiar sights
during his long reign of 81 years, who
was a great builder, and erected statues
and other monuments to himself all over
Egypt-have erected a pyramid far sur
passing that of Cheops built nearly 1000
years before him?
Dot, Of he
advanced and defended with arguments
pro and con. The weight of argument
seems TO favor the latter theory, despite
the difficulties in the way
WHY THE PYRAMIDS?
A still more important question,
though, is why were the pyramids built
at all? Why should the old kings of
Egypt have gone to the trouble and ex-
pense of erecting such great and mag
nificent structures? Why should so many
of them have done so? Everything must
have what the French call a raison
d'etre, a reason for existence. What was
the reason for the pyramids? What the
idea back of them, the purpose of their
construction? These questions might be
answered in one expression. A longing
after Immortality. But that is too vague
This longing after Immortality was ex-
pressed in the pyramids in two days: l.
They were monuments to the king erect
ing them, through which his name and
memory would be perpetuated. Such mon
uments are erected to distinguished men
now, such as Washington, Lincoln, Gar
field, Forest, Grady, Carmack, etc., In our
own country, not to speak of those erect
ed to distinguished men in other coun-
tries But with us, others erect the mon
ument, usually after the person is dead,
nd H.
ration, to perpetuate his memory, that
future generations may know of his char
acter and accomplishments and be led to
initiate his example. In the case OF these
old kings of Egypt, though, they were
afraid to trust to others to erect the
monuments. And so they did II tnem-
selves for themselves, TO be sure that
II should be done. They were probably
right II they wanted such monuments
because most of them were such selfisn'
sordid. cruel wretches that after their
death no one felt like honoring their
memories, and If they had been conf
neIled TO depend on others. none OF them
;n all likelihood would have had any mon
unoent at all, and certainly no sucn mag
nidcent structures as these pyraInfos'
Q But a still more potent reason prop
ably for the pyramids Is rouno IN the oiu
Egyptian belief that every man mao
double, which they called the ka' some
what similar in their thought 10 our
spirit or soul. This Ka they believed
would some day enter the body ana reani-
mate IT, The body must therefore De
preserved until the time came for the
Ka To enter it. This was the reason
thew had for embalming the body so Skill
fully. so as to preserve 1t indefinitely an
act now lost to the world. This was why
they built their tombs so caretuily aho hiu
awav the bodies so thoroughly, so as TO
nrevent their being destroyed before the
Ka could enter them. In order to make
assurance doubly sure, they placed I'M
ages Of the body, made OF wood or mar
bic. in the tomb, so that the Oooy
should in any way be destroyed the ma
could enter the image. They also put
a. the tomb food with which the Ka
could refresh itself And thus you see
tbere was the dual idea of immortality as
the reason for the construction or these
nvramids-an Immortality OF memory ana
an Immortality of body to be united with
the Ka-
CLIMBING THE PYRAMID.
cne Of the most interesting, as 1T is one
NJ the most unique experiences In the
world IS TO climb the great pyramid or
Cheops. AS you may imagine from the
height. 451 feet; from the SLOPE Oh oe-
ereeS and oil minutes, anu OSP0NINJ
from the size Of the stones each from
2 to 4 feet in height, usually about D. IL
Is no easy task. 1t is so difhcult, Ill
fact. and at the same time so danger
Gus. that no one is allowed to attempt
n nv himself There are NUMBER or
Arabs who make it their business to as
sist the traveller to ascend the pyramid
The rivalry between these Arabs for the
privilege of escorting the stranger TO the
top of the pyramid is very intense When
our party of 81 arrived they seemed TO
feel that II was fat picking for them.
They gathered around us, seized us by
! the arm, one on either side, others tried
TO get hold, they jabbered excitedly' ges-
| ticulating wildly, one old man struck
younger man; they cursed out our guide
Solomon, so he afterwards told me, be-
cause he would not let them skin" US.
Not all Of the party, however, wanted TO
climb the pyramid. In fact, OF the a. only
attempted it, and only Of US reached
the top, 4 men, boy and 1 young lady.
One lady and one gentleman got about
halfway up, but turned back.
MY EXPERIENCE.
1 presume that my experience Is typl-
cal one. Two Arabs seized me. one on
either side, an elderly man and young
er one They hurried me to the corner
| MT which the ascent