Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-10-01
GORGEOUS coTF1Ns.

! Many of the mummy caskets are
splendid, They are made Of fine woods
painted inside and out with pictures
| describing the life OF the owner. Some
are covered with carvings. and some
win heads which may have been like
nesses Of those who lay within. 1t
costs much to die now. It must have
cost more to die then. The expense
or making mummy was 81 200. and
money was then worth ten times what
IL Is now. The caskets were more ex-
pensire than any of tho collins we
have today, and they were incascd In
great sarcophagi OF stone or wood,
some single ones of which must have
cost fortunes. In the Gizch museum
there Is one room called the Hail Of
the Caskcts. 1t covers, Judge about
one-fourth Of an acre, and 1t Is filled
with collins and caskets. There are
enough sarcophagi in Ito form wa
tering trougfs for the largest of the
Chicago stoekyards. and many of them
have been cut out OF solid blocks OF
red or gray granite. the sides being
so smooth that YOU can see your face
In them. Others are covered with
hieroGlyphcs, and all are constructed
with an art equal to the finest stone
cutting of today,
HOW MUMMIEs WERE MADE.
I have asked the psychologists here
as to how, the Egyptians made the
mummies which are now being dug
from the earth. Their reply was that
the desire for naturalization came from
the religion of the ancient Egyptians.
who believed In the transmigration of
souls. They thought that the spirit
wandered about for several thousand
years after death and then came back
to the home 1t had upon earth. For
this reason 1t was desirable to keep
the body intact, and every one looked
to his mummhood as his only chance
of recreation hereafter.
When the art Of embnlmng began
no ono knows. but 1t Is supposed to
date back to the time of the pyramids.
We know that Joseph, when his ia
Their, Jacob. died down in Egypt. had
him embalmed and the Bible says II
took 40 days to properly cure him. 1t
also relates that when Joseph died the
Egyptians embalmed him and put him
away In a coffin. Herodot,is, who was
one of the best travel writer's Of all
time. describes how embnlming was
done and tells all about the making of
mummies. He says the art was carried
on by special guild, whose members
were appointed by the government and
who had to work at fixed prices. The
bodies were mummifled in three diff
ferent ways. In the first and most
costly method. the brains were extract
ed through the nose by means Of an
iron probe and the intestines were
taken out through an incision made In
the side. Tile .lntestines were then
cleaned and washedin palm wine: rheS
were covered with aromatic gum and
set aside in Jars. The cavity Of the
body was now filled with spices. in
Guiding myrrh and cnssia and other
fragrant substances, and 1t was then
sewn up. After this the body was
soaked In a solution Of natrpn, kind
OF carbonate Of soda. being allowed to
lie In 1t for n couple OF months or
moro. i was then taken out and
wrapped In fine linen 80 smcared over
with gum that 1t stuck to tho skin,
when the mummy was ready for burial.
The second process was cheaper, but
1t took about the same time. In this
tho brains were left in and the body
was so treated In the solution that
everything except the skin and bones
was dissolved. There was third proc
ess which consisted of cleaning the
corpse and laying 1t down in salt for
20 days. The first process cost about
$1,000. the second 800, and the third
considerably less.
Other authorities relate different
methods of naturalization. The most
OF the mummies discovered. however.