The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-10
To DRAW
ON ART OF
EGYPT
Garden of Allah Planned to
Portray 1000 Years Of
Ancient History.

One Thousand years of the art
of ancient Egypt, the mother OF
all the arts of the occidental world.
will be re1igiously reproduced in
the magnificent Garden of Allah
now being prepared for the coming
Shrine session.
The garden will thus not only
carry message Of beauty to all
who see but will be continual de-
light to the artist and archeologist.
AT the entrance and end of the
Garden, at Fifteenth and Seven
teenth streets northwest, will stand
immense reproductions Of the "a.
nous lotus blossom pillars of kar.
max, each fifty feet high. At Madi-
son place will be four massive phi
lars forty feet high bearing the
sacred emblem of the papyrus bud
taken from an Egyptian temple OF
slightly later period. The final
stage of the art development will
be in the four pillars at jackson
place, which will be of the palm
type.
Huge Sphinx at Foot.
At the foot OF each pillar will
crouch a huge sphinx, about TWEEN
ty-five feet long, those at the ends
facing East and West and those at
the inner groups of pillars facing
inward Concealed floodlights will
throw the pillars and their guard.
ians into bold relief
Each pillar will be the most
precise reproduction Of the art OF
ancient Egypt It is possible to pro
duce. The work is being carried
out under direction Of Frederick y.
Owen, of the Office of Public Build
ings and Grounds, who is chairman
Of the subcommittee on the decora-
ton Of the Garden of Allah.
The art and archaeological work
will be handled under direction Of
Mortimer Clarke. famed artist and
archeolOgist, who will have staff
of eight of the nations leading ar
lists and archaeological students to
assist him. Clarke has spent years
in Egypt studying every temple,
ruin, and tomb which has been
discovered. He has made an es-
pecial study of the pigments used
by the Egyptians, and will himself
superintend the mixing OF every
color to be used.
Messages in HierogIyph.
Each pillar will bear message
in hieroglyphics which win strike
home to every member of the
Shrine and every American. These
messages, unless read and revealed
by some outside archaeologist, will
remain secret until the close of the
session, when their full force will
be brought home to every visitor,
| Owen plans.
The central motive of the Garden
| of Allah win be the Federal Temple,
represented by the President
stand. which will be the center and
the climax of the entire scheme.
Between the pillars will be rows of
festooned poles, bearing lights and
Shrine colors. The lighting scheme
on the Road to Mecca is horizontal,
consisting of the split necklace
arches stretched across the Avenue,
while that of the Garden Of Allah
will be parallel.
I'VE will bring the finest ex-
amples of Egyptian art to America, .
explained Owen. I'VE will repre-
sent, in almost chronological order,
as one enters the Garden of Allah,
the art of the 1000 years from 1900
B. c. to 800 B. C.
Flowers Emblematic.
''In the floral decorations we will
use only emblematic plants. Hun
dreds of huge palms from Florida
are being sent here, and we will
make use Of the lotus, the truly
typical flower of Egypt"
In order that the children of
Warrington may be given an oppor-
tunity to view the wonderful his
torical pageant, one of the most
thoroughly accurate and, therefore,
one of the most educational of it's
kind ever staged in America, Super
intendent of Schools Ballou will be
asked to permit the pupils in all
the schools to fill the stands along
the Avenue Friday morning, when
the pagent of Thursday night, June
u, one of the closing events Of the
session, will be reproduced for their
benefit.
Between fifty and sixty men are
at work on the floats at the Wash
ington navy yard. Alladin, Mecca
and Buomi Temples will each send
one magnificent float, bringing the
total number to thirty-one.
Plans for Children.
Brig. Gen. Amos T. Fries, chair
man Of the pageant committee, is
extremely anxious that the Wash
ington school children be given an
opportunity to see these floats,
which tell the story of American
history in the most impressive and