Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1935-07-25
BRITISH MUSEUM
lBy DR.. Howard H. scottl


Peterborough, England, June 20,
1895. Dear Democrat Readers:-A
stranger surely could not long visit
British museum. The priceless
treasures of the world are gathered
here. For 1872 years collectors have
stored here their precious discov-
cries. What day the visitor has
who comes to this place, and no one
can see much of it in less than a
day The worlds history, art.
achievements of hand, heart and
brain, thoughts, conceptions, relig-
ion, are massed here together. All
the pathetic and feeble efforts of
our race to cope with nature and
life are illustrated in this treasure
house. One must include also pre-
historic man, of the stone, IRON
and copper ages.
To sally forth in London, entering
this intellectual arsenal, is one way
of acquiring a liberal education by
the visual method Out of million
things let us select a very few
First, Egypt, for probably Egypt
was the cradle of much of the arts
ion.
l must say it, one is overWhelm-
ed at the start when he reaches the
Egyptian sections. Temples, vast
and endless inscriptions, all read
able; the mummied dead, connect-
ed too, with so much that is every
day knowledge and history to all OF
us; the relation of all this to the
Bible account, and world events;
the effect of the impression is tre-
mendous. Realize what Moses and
the children of Israel saw every day.
Every obelisk and temple was COW
cred with pictorial literature, which
told the stories of ages and ages.
These hieroglyphic chapters are as
plain to the reader, today, as they
were then, if he is prepared to read
them
You come upon a black basaltic
stone as large as half length mir
ror, called 1.-The Rosetta Stone" 1t
is written in three forms, Greek,
common Egyptian (demotic), and
hieroglyphic. Here was the way to
translate this strange picture writ
ing, using the Greek as the key. All
the mummy cases, manuscripts,
obelisks, and portions of temples,
shown here, covered with the beau
tiful picture writing, are eloquent
with meaning.
In 1899, French officer of Ma
poleon found this stone at the Ro-
setta mouth of the Nile. Scholars
toiled over it for years, and now
here it is, the stone belonging to
Britain, taken from Napoleon, and
given to the world, with all this
mass of knowledge revealed in this
great collection. Here is the Book
of the Dead. Oldest in the world.
Here are pictures of the Hall of
Amenti. The judgment Of Osiris is
shown as the souls of the departed
are weighed in the balances. (Re-
member Belshazzar.)
AS art progressed in Egypt, they
painted most accurate and beautiful
portraits on the mummy cases
One that haunts me still is inscribed
"Oh, Artemidorus, Farewell" The
features, eyes, mouth and nose, are
so human, so intelligent, refined
and communicative, that you think
of the agony of the wife and loved
ones, as they gave up their beloved
dead. Immortality is everywhere
in evidence, the beetle (this is too
long a story to tell) is on the breast
of every mummy. The manu-
scripts, especially the Book of the
Dead, make constant references to
this.
Another great triumph was scor-
ed when they secured the Elgin
marbles Lord Elgin was the
ambassador to Turkey in 1893,
same date as the discovery of the
"Rosetta Stone,'' by Bouchard. He
realized the priceless value of the
sculptures of the Parthenon being
wasted by the Turks. They will tell
you that Britain stole these art
treasures. Elgin paid for them
10000 pounds, s350,000. Here
comes in the Age of Pericles, who
hired Phidias, 474 B. c., to build
the Parthenon. (The virgin Athena
is meant in the name, Parthenon) :.
The destroyed pediment of the
Parthenon, celebrated the birth Of
Athena from the brow of Zeus, an
other long story which please look
up and read.
On the left of the pediment,
Helios (sun) is rising with his char
lot from the sea, and on the right