The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-01-25

tinent as we'll as the African. centur
les before the construction OF any
thing now above ground In Egypt
l have never heard this theory ad
vanced before. but pursuing the Idea
still further, l would say that these
colonizers, settling In the rich Nile
valley and prospering from the start.
built for time conformably with the
architecture of the homeland Allan
It's, and then gradually evolved the
later style Of pyramid with straight
sides SO common to Egypt today.
This change in architecture might also
indicate throwing of Of the yoke OF
home government and a gradual de-
velopment into the Egyptians of his
tory while their great island father.
land sank beneath the waters of the
Atlantic in the most awful cataclygm
OF all time.
went over the Step" pyramid
very carefully. as well as an extreme
ly ancient city which Is being exca-
waited nearby and from which ] Sc
cured several genuine curiosities. In
this vicinity ] also visited and exam
ined the tombs of Mera, Ptah-Hetep
and ThI. with their wonderful cary
ings and paintings, and the pyramid
of Unas, sepulchre OF the king whose
mummified remains In the Cairo mus
oum are labelled. fragments of King
Unas" He was killed In battle and
the body was mutilated.
The Serapeum or tomb OF the sacred
bulls is also near these other mohu.
ments and is an intensely interesting
place The sacred bulls were mum.
mified and deposited here In great
stone sarcophagi from the eighteenth
dynasty to the time OF the Ptolemles
The weight Of these gigantic collins
is estimated TO average about Go tons
each They are about 15 feet long, :
feet wide and IL feet high, each oc-
cupying separate chamber cut out
OF tho rocky sides of the tomb.
The temples surmounting this place
have long since vanished and the site
was only discovered in 1860 by eNca-
waiting deep Into the desert sand. One
stumbles about through the inky
blackness with candles. lighting up
the various sarcophagl with burning
magnesium wire and trying TO picture
the pomp and ceremony with which
the giant mummieS were installed
! ago
In the tomb of Mera, saw a reliet
carving of King Mera playing chess
which puts the antiquity of that game
back some 5000 years or more. | saw
innumerable things of interest in these
various tombs. hut shall have to ne
glect them in this letter as you Will
probably expect me TO at least men
tion the Great Pyramid OF Ghizeh
This marvellous structure is as mys-
terious as 1t is unique among its fel-
lows and | visited 1t again and again.
each time finding something addition.
al to ponder over AS said before,
II is about 451 feet high and covers
an area of 535,S2i square feet, or 13
acres II is composed Of enormous
blocks laid in cement and was at one
time covered with n casing OF beautI-
ful white limestone. The latter was
torn of TO supply building material
for the old Cairo mosques. only three
OF the original casing stones being suf-
fered to remain These were discov.
cred on the north base line by a mod
ern excavRtor and by their angle fur
nished Egyptologiets with a means of
determining the original size OF the
| pyramid the cap stone and some OF
| the apex having also been removed.
| The casing stones wore great blocks
weighing several tons each and were
apparently laid without mortar or ce
ment Their surfaces. however, We're
| so skilfully cut and fitted so perfect.
ly that II is still impossible TO in.
sert the thinnest knife blade into any
of the joints Of the reluaining blocks
! just mentioned.
I visited the top several times, the
ascent necessitating only stiff climb
of Is minutes or more The descent
is rather dangerous as slip or false
step would send one hurtling down
some 100 feet of 3-foot steps Several
travellers and natives have met tragic
deaths in this way
few days following my first visit
to this pyramid. ] viewed most
beauptiful sunset from the top. being
! pulled and boosted upward by three
natives in time to catch the last
slanting rays OF the sun as It sank
slowly into the desert to the west
was with a party OF English people
returning from India and we had
brought a big hamper of lunch with
| us. The servants prepared Turkish
coffee and after dining on this unique
| pedestal we waited for the moon to
| rise
Words are pitifully inadequate to de
scribe the marvellous beauty of the
scene or the weird stiffness which
seemed suddenly 10 prevail as the
great orb slowly lifted from out the
horizon. the faint glow OF the sun
still reddenlng the western sky and
the thousand lights of Cairo twinkline
In the distance We tried to start o
song. but somehow the melody would
not harmonic with the surroundings
and "Auld Lang Syne' was little bet.
ter than dlrge floating out over the
sand-swept ruins so far below.
Upon gaining tho ground again we
strolled over TO the Sphinx and stood
for GONE time contemplating the huge
mutilated features by moonlight Ol
all the impressive sights in this
strange land. this is the clImax-the
Sphinx by moonlight To stand before
this gigantic figure when night has
dispersed the clamoring mobs of day
and nothing but the soft sand-creel
breaks the awful stiffness, and to re
fleet that for 5000 years those eyes
have ga2ed out over this field Of mys
terry and ancient life. feeling OF awe
and littleness comes over one which
cannot be shaken Off
Ny letter is already too long and
| / have said nothing OF the interior