Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-14
cHEFREN.

one of fulfilled content. Cloaked in the
mystery of ages, he smiles criptically
at those who surround his case and
cape at him. An old man. visiting the
archaeological division the other day,
stopped before the specimen and
studied it curiouSly.
Looks like he'd been in a wreck" he
said. 1t was explained to him that the
bandages were not occasioned by any
sudden injury, but were u part of a
great lost art. AS the eXplana ton
continued the old mans chin dropped
lower and lower
You say he's been dead about 1000
years, he said. when the explanation
ended His voice was aWestricken.
That is the way the mummy strikes
most of the visitors Also one wonders
what the feelings of the old undertakers
who did this work would be We're they
permitted to leave the spirit land long
enough to visit the New National
Museum and gaze once more upon the
departed.
The art of preparing mummies reached
its height during the centuries elapsing
between 1900 and 1900 3. C., and con-
tinued until about 500 A. D.
In the Egyptian religion the human
being was divided into three parts-his
body, his soul and IA" his genius or
personality which survived after death.
ka, the personality, might wander in
the land of the dead but from time to
time desire might come upon him to
this notion was upon him he must be
made comfortable Everything that
could be done to this end was consid-
cred the duty Oi me relatives. So food.
clothing, wine, Statuettes. even a chair
were provided for him
"kas' acquainta noes in his wander
inSs were curious gods, sometimes
having the physical characteristics of
An animal or bird There was the
touch of personality running through
n Ri
birds all having qualities which were
associated with those of humans In
deed there is reasonable ground for
the contention that ancient Egypt was
the true democracy of the animal
kingdom
Copies Of Two Egyptian gods are to
he seen at the New National Museum,
not far from the mummy cases They
are Horus and Hapi. standing behind
their battered lecterns with the evil
dent intention of delivering addresses
The originals of these statues are in
the British Museum
Horus. the smaller god vas the son
OF Oslrls, who was god of the other
world. His was the job of taking the
dead by the hand and leading them
to his father, occasionally intervening
for them when it was necessary His
symbol is d winged sun disc The lee
tern from which he is preaching bears
a message in hierogiyphics. Water
fowl. fruit and lotus leaves are among
the other decorations.
When he was himself Horus used to
wear a long-hawked beak in place of a
nose. In the museum statue, however.
he is not himself. Something has hap
pened to him. His nose is missing
and so is a portion of the reading
stand. Like SO many of the ancient
Egyptians, he wears a set of rural chin
whiskers, which are a cross between
the heritage worn by Uncle Sam and
a corrugated iron ash can. They have
all of the solid, unyieldiug appearance
Of the latter article.
Hapi, it seems, was the name of the
god of the River Nile and also the
name of the river itself The Nile
of course, meant life, death to the
Egyptian. Plenty of famine, drought
or flood all depended upon the whims
of this river. Naturally Sapi con
siderably looked up to. since it was
try.
In the statue at the museum, erected
about 900 b. c., in honor of the SUI
preme god Ra, shows Hopi with hand
corn, waterfowl and vegetables The
statue like the one of Horus. is slight
ly mutilated. 1t was erected by
Shoshenk II, whose grandfather, Shes
henk j, IS mentioned in the Bible.
The Egyptian of the better class,
when entombed, appeared DESTROYS of
having images to guard him. And with
that curious imagination that contin-
ually related man and beast, he in
sisted that one of those creatures be
carved at his door. The winged bulls
of Assyria, the sphynx. the chimera.
even the cherubin, guarding the gates
of Eden Genesis: 3, 2D are believed
by some to have resenbled beasts and
men.
The winged bull exhibited in the
archaeological collection Is fair enough
example OF the type of creatures de-
sired by the ancients. He wears a hat
and a set of curly whiskers, appears to
have been clipped like poodle dog
and possesses five legs-four for profile
view and an extra one when beheld
full face.
One of the most interesting objects