El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-29

SHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 29.-
AA/ Sprinkled all over the earth are
stone giants, which are among
the most interesting of all relics OF
antiquity. They are found In many
countries, md both in the new and tie
old worlds. Science drawn from pro-
longed study Of the subject is that they
represent not gods, as was formerly
supposed. but human beings. In other
words, they are images OF national
heroes or other important personages-
a fact that tends TO confirm this idea
is that such gigantic figures, wherever
they may be fOUnd. are commonly as
ISOLATED with tOmbs or burial places.
They are obviously connected with the
cult" or worship of the dead Thus,
for example, in China, 40 miles to the
north OF the city OF Pekin. is the IA
nous road that leads TO the tOmbs OF
the monarchs Of the old time Ming
uynasty--an avenue guarded by colossal
stone men, elephants, camels, griffins,
and turtles, arranged in pairs.
Nearly always associated with burial
mounes are the so-called -grannies," or
old women" found all the way from
Mongolia TO the banks OF the Danube.
These crudely-carVed stone images,
many Of them Of gigantic seize, are
probably Of MOngOl origin It is to be
presumed that they were inferred with
The dead, and that they have some re-
lation to ancestor worship
Egypt Leads in stone Giants.
Egypt Of course, is par excellence
the country Of stone giants. For ex-
ample, at Thebes are the so-caned
status Of the vocal Memnon, which
though IN a seated posture, are each
OF them 50 feet high. But these are
small compared to the great image Of
Rameses II, which, now lying prone
and IN fragments. measures over p feet
across the shoulders. Careful estimate
shows that this statue of the Pharaoh
OF the Oppression must originally have
WGlEle0 less than EGT
The Sphinx at Ghizeh, which is the
most celebrated of all stone giants.
represents human being with the
body OF a lion II is $50 feet long The
legs and paws, stretched out in front
are so feet in length: the head mea-
sUres 80 feet from neck upward: the
face is Il feet wide, and the whole
figure is y feet in height
2Iyster Of the Sphinx.
For more than 1000 years there has
been discussion Of the Sphinx and It's
supposed mystery. - whole library Of
books has been written about il Com
monty 1t has been understood to rep
resent a woman But inscriptions
found on the walls Of the temple which
lies underneath the image have shown
that IL IS in reality a statue Of Ra-
-ConquerOr OF Darkness" Hence it
faces the r q sJn-
The Sphinx, however, is not to be
classed properly with stone statues in
Of bare rock rising out Of the desert
Very likely the shape Of the rock sug-
gested the form Of the image into
which II was converted by the sculp-
tors art; but. TO make its outlines per
feet much sandstone was built into
IL after the body and head had been
hewn out and the whole image was
finally covered with a porcelain-Iike
enamel fragments Of which still adhere
10 II in spots There is reason 10 be
heTe that a royal helmet carved in
stone POSSIBLY gilded) surmounted the
head, with the sacred asp on the fore
head.
Was Used as SepuIcher.
The Sphinx was a sepulcher. Hewn
out Of the rock beneath il were tombs
Of kings and priests devoted to the
worship Of the gods. The image is al
most incredibly ancient. Inscriptions
found in the temple show that it was
old at the time Of Cheops who built I
the great Pyramid 300 years before
Christ be made many repairs in the
temple and upon the figure OF the di-
yinity, and left a record Of that fact.
inscribed on tablet Another tablet !
tells that king Thothmes " (1533 B.
c. taking an after-dinner nap. had !
dream in which the god Ra-Harma- /
CHS appeared TO him and complained !