Evening star., 1924-04-06

three chambers through which was
conducted were simply small rooms
cut out Of the limestone rock-aad
with their dirty white walls and
ceilings they reminded me more than
anything else of an empty Harlem
flat-only not as good.
As l had arrived at Luxor during
the dispute between Howard Carter
and the Egyptian government over
the control OF the tomb. there was
no one at work in il. Even Mr.. Carter
and his British assistants were not in
evidence. The custodian informed me
that all the Itinerary equipn ent
found in the tomb had long since
been removed. Some of the most re-
Gently discovered articles were in the
nearby laboratory, tomb of Set II.
where they were being prepared for
shipment to Cairo, but because all
work had been temporarily suspended,
l was unable to see any OF them.
:; :: ::
THE only interesting sight in the
tomb was the so-called outer
shrine protecting the sandstone sar-
cophagus of the boy king, which was
found intact in the sepulchral cham
ber The walls of this chamber were
decorated with paintings and hero
glyphics, but the ceiling was bare.
And the chamber was SO small that
the outer shrine filed the greater
part Of il. Its sides were gilded and
elaborately decorated with inscrip-
tions and figures, but its top was less
than four feet from the bare CELL
ing of solid rock.
/ was not allowed to make any
notes or sketches in the tomb, and
even in the Cairo Museum I was not
allowed to list the articles taken
from il.
If / had been an Psychologist I
pobably would have been greatly i'm
pressed by this view of the exterior
of the royal scarcophagus of Tut
ankh-Amen. But, frankly. was not
moved. Memories OF the gorgeous
tomb of Seti 1 made me sec this tomb
in it's true light
1t is remarkable only because OF
or less intact. II the protecting
shrines are removed, the sarcophagus
opened and the mummy exposed TO
view, it will be worth visiting, but
until then the tomb ITSELF am not
speaking of its treasures-wiu rank
far below the tomb of Seti 1 and of
Amenhotep II, where the royal mum
my can be seen in his open granite
sarcopha gus. his face upturned to the
starry ceiling of his beautiful burial
chamber The story of the "Destruc-
tion of Mankind" in the walls Of the
former tomb is of greater historical
value than anything discovered in all
the tombs put together.
/ appreciate the great educational
value of the articles discovered in
the tomb, but L am writing from the
standpoint of the tourist and traveller
not of the Psychologist and ar
cheologist. And so I say frankly, a
visit to the tomb of King Tut is de-
cided disappointment. The daily
newspaper accounts of it's splendors
for the last year and a half-most of
them pure press agentry-have given
Il large part of the reading public q
false impression Of it's Importance
Judged strictly on its merits, it is
one of the least :ateresting sights
in upper Egypt.
When the tomb is opened to the
general public next winter-or the
year after-thousands will flock to il
to be disappointed by the barrenness,
just as thousands of tourists this
winter have been disappointed, by
being refused admission to it. But
those who alreaay have been denied
admittanoc ~s'l have a decided ad-
vantage over those who see it In the
future|for their illusions viii not
be shattered.
What say is that the Importance
q th4 dlgeOVlly and alMOgt tVlr'l
thing connected with it have been
oyerestirnated-
Copyright, 1so4-)