San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-21

amidst all the splendor of pomp OF
state During his life, this Pharaoh had
carefully arranged all of the details so
that the splendor of his having been,
would never perish, as he fondly
imagined, from the pages of history.
Alas for all his glory. Forgotten and
unknown for centuries, buried under the
dust of the ages, submerged by desert
sands, his body remained until modern
world dug it out. One OF the first to
enter his tomb was member Of royal
family of today. But not in reverence
for his majesty and position but cut Of
idle curiosity to look at the quaint
trappings of by-gonc age and to marvel
at the childish things that in his day,
this dead king thought so worth while
Tutankhamen was laid away with
much pomp and ceremony no doubt
His deeds and doingS were inscribed
upon the walls of his burial vault TO
tell to all the world, his greatness But
again alas for human power, today those
hieroglyphics of writings. are practically
unintelligiblc. Archaelogists and stud
ents OF such things make SHIFT to read
them after a fashion or at least they
profess to do 50. Nobody can question
their version because the language like
the king. has been dead for many CEN
turtles. The language like the monarch
and all his tribe, has been forgotten COM
pletely.
The throne, the silken garments, the
gems and insignias of office that to the
mind OF this once powerful monarch,
signified his greatness, convey today no
such impressive message to those who
gathered at his tomb. Rather are they
now regarded as curios, fit for NIT
scum, interesting as showing something
of the handicraft of men in the very
distant past but otherwise of no mo-
ment.
No better sermon could be preached OH
the futility OF all things human. We
may believe what we please as to the
hereafter. We may hold that it ends
with the grave or we MAY believe that
there is spirit life into which we enter
at death. But this much we arc posi-
tive about and that is, neither man nor
the works of man amount to much be-
yond the few short years when each
individual lives his little life. Measured
by the 5000 ycars-30 ccnturics-that
look down upon the tomb of Tutankha-
men, the individual. no matter what So
cial. financial or political altitude he may
attain, is small and insignificant fac
tor. He may prepare for eternity by
laughter anc pleasure. by fasting and
prayer by murder pillage and crime, or
he may go aimlessly on his way as many
men do until death ovcrtakes him but
whatever course he chooses to run. he
wastes his time indeed who seeks to
build an earthly monument to his per
sonal glory.
OF all the long array of monarchs
that preceded or followed Tutcnkhamen,
OF mighty rulers and mighty generals,
nothing much is left except the bare
records OF the deeds they did, good and
evil, in their times. And so it will al
ways be so long as men are human be-
ings. King Tutankhamen had his wish
after all, but not as he expected. In
stead OF imprcssing the world adown
the ages with his might and power, he
lett IN his tomb, the proof positive that
earthly glory is a fleeting thing. His
much priced trinkets will soon rcpose in
musty museum, mute evidence of the
puny powers of man in attempting to
DEFY time, the great leveller. A con-
temptation of King Tutankhamen's his
tory should serve as an excellent antidotc
Tor men and women Of today afflicted
with exaggerated ego Who wants to
look upon himself as an exhibit in a
museum?