Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-06

with antique figures give light. but are
apologized for by the constructors Of the
place as being slightly out Of keeping with
the ora The figures are smblematic OF
the Mexico OF a later date than the Militia
temple. They we're put IN because It was
absolutely necessary 20 make some con-
cession to modern needs in the way Of light
and air.
The furnishings Of the place. necessarily
conforming TO the preseut-day needs, are
free from any startling anachronlsms While
chairs are unknown at the epoch repre-
sented. the museum chairs made Of heavy
tropical wood duplicate the angular archi-
lecture Of the temple stools and the center
table, a single enormous slab Of wood. Is
supported by rough pedestals Of shortened
tree trunks, This table slab Is Of Seduoia
glgantia redwood, made from a single
tree and lie part OF the excess Of the
Philippine exhibit Of woods sent by the
museum authorities to the Seattle exposi-
ton, the most complete exhibit ever gath
cred, it is said, for such a purpose. The
chairs are also manufactured from this
o%versupply. The table slab is about ten
inches thick and weighs approximately
300 pounds and the chairs are Of CORE
spending weight.
There is no intention expressed by the
head caterer, Robert Moulder, who was
at one time connected with the Department
Of Instruction Of the museum to supply
curiosity seekers with duplicates Of Next
can menus. Their taste for the curious
must be satisfied by the eye alone, but
the power OF environment has weakened
this original viewpoint and he finally
admits, driven to the nearest Mexican cor
ner, that he has a regular order with q
maker Of tamales to furnish him that
catable whenever required and chill con
carne, ~frijoles, mole OF chicken may be
had IL the order is placed long enough
ahead to give him time for the necessary
preparation.
The mole Of chicken as prepared in the
kitchen Of the establishment is certainly
a chef d'oeuvre. 1t consists Of the breast
and wings Of chicken, practically all white
meat, which are boiled I'm a special pot,
iointed and cut and then cooked anew, the
final touch being given by a marvellous
sauce made Of the hot chilis. The ingre-
dents are one of the secrets OF the place.
Simple and severely plain as the Militia
restaurant is to the casual glance, it really
represents the work of several months,
preceded by that Of years when data were
gathered in Mexico, photographs taken and
preliminaries perfected by the staff Of
museum workers under the direction and
part of the time under the personal super
vision of Prof. Marshall II. Sayille Of
Columbia university and curator Of Mexi-
can and Central American archaeology for
the museum.
Every one Of the several thousand bits
of plaster in the mosaic of the restaurant
was manufactured In the department of
preparation situated in the museum, and
one of the helpers says that while the
architecture is generally spoken OF as AZ
tee" in design it Is really of a period pre-
vlous to the Aztec influence, previous even
to thai of the MonteEumas, and that the
most interesting data came to them from
old manuscripts written by the Jesuits,
In these writings the Militia Temple is
spoken Of as being in existence when Mon
tezuma reigned. To its great age and the
mystery of its inscriptions and the use TO
which a great part of it's enclosed courts,
secret chambers and underground corridors
was put is added the fact of its wonderful
preservation, utterly unexplainable by any
ciimatic reasons, for ruins of later date
have cPumbled and worn away.
Mr.. Higgins, who had charge of the con-
struction OF the Militia restaurant, comes
covered with plaster from the workroom,
where q sheath down is being fitted to the
Iife-size plaster cast OF a zebra, and lead
Ing the way by a section Of globe on which
are placed some hundred or so tiny sheep