The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-16

and not always for the best. but women
are the same as ays-indispensable,
lovely, capricous and all that.
In the university museum is the por-
trait bust of woman of about the Or
ainary type OF the ancient Egyptian era,
winch has unusual interest. 1t is modelled
IN cay and painted to have some reseln-
blance to the living creature. 1t is not a
notable piece of sculpture or painting, ac-
corning TO our STANDARDS, but II does give
US what is undoubtedly a very lfelike
portrait, in spite of its artistic defects.
1t IS not likely that many persons would
ever identify this woman as an Egyptian
of any period. In spite of scientific
knowledge to the contrary, most persons
insist on thinking of Egyptians as ne
sfoes or at least as very dark skinned
persons with thick lips. They were Moth
ing of the sort, not even the fellahin who
i've today along the Nile in much the
same way as their ancestors did in the
days Of Moses, Joseph and perhaps 10000
Years before them. These are not ne
groes nor negroid, and they represent the
very lowest stratum OF Egyptian society,
now as at any and all times in unknown
thousands of years. Nowhere in the
world has a race lived so long as this
in the same place and under the same
conditions-at least not so far as we
Ledger.
Examinations of papyri, hieroglyphic
inscriptions and relics found in various
palaces give us fairly good idea of. the
Egyptian woman. 1t appears that she
was not universally the slave of man by
any means; that then, as now, women
had power and authority largely acord-
ing to their intellectual abilities or in
tluence, according to their beauty, tact
and charm. Many of these women were
possessed of great influence. which they
welded in politics and social life as do
their sisters of today. Many were vapid
society queens, who cared only for the
objective side of life. Many were mere
creatures of mans whims and some were
in all society SO far as history has re-
vealed to us.
Cosmetics Discovered
And nrst, 1t ought to be mentioned
Egyptian women were as attentive to
style and fashion as In the present, and
probably a great deal more SO. In those
days men also went In for fine raiment
and jewels, and they loved to deck out
their wives and sisters In the same fash
ion. There may, of course, have been
men of that day who grumbled at ex-
trayagance of womankind In fact. we
know that Cleopatra was not the first
FOOLISH and extravagant Egyptian, al
though she was a parvenue and a for
eigner. having a family record that only
reached back 800 years in Egypt.
The tombs of the Egyptians are par
ticularly instructive because of the re-
ngious or archaeological beliefs of the
people They held that man was a three
1old Identity, and some think that the
doctrine of the Trinity came from this
source. He consisted of the body and
two spirits within. When he died one of
the spirits went to a sort of heaven and
one remained with the body in the tomb
For this reason 1t was necessary to take
great care of the body and it was pre-
served with all possible skill, as the
mummies of today show. But In addi-
tion, 1t was necessary to do something
for the spirit or shade which remained
In the body, and SO lot of things were
put in for its entertainment. According
to the financial ability of the relatives a
mummified corpse was given toys, arti-
cles of use and pleasure for Ii sentertain-
mant during the centuries to come be-
fore 1t should be released by some vandal
breaking the tomb, or time destroying il
when oblivion followed. This was some-
what the idea OF masses of the Egyp-
tians, although 1t varied In different
places and in different ages ut it ex-
plains why jewels and glassware useful
utensils and household goods and the
like were placed beside the dead body.
Had it not been for this idea we should
not in this day be so well informed as to
their manners and customs.
Jewels of that age were extremely
beautiful Although the diamond seems
to have been unknown, they had many
other Ncut stones, while their work in