The San Francisco call. [volume], July 01, 1900, Image 5

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
gown should show above the sagging flag,
as in many a thoughtless drapery. Draw
up the flag to the bottom of the coat of
mail and let the white robe show around
the feet.
There Is nothing that offends the eye
more than seeing the flag drawn tight. It
was never made to do anything but hang
loosely.
The American flag should never trail.
You won't need an artistic eye to see
that; your own patriotic heart should tell
you. Draw.it up to the shoulder and
catch It there so that Its corners shall
not touch the dust. At . ¦V'«>- three points
should the flag be caught iOi graceful ef
fect. Clasp the. starry corner at the right
shoulder, where a rosette may hide the
fastening. I>et it droop below the waist,
then catch the other upper corner, at its
very tip to the left shoulder. 'One more
fastening— at the waist — is quite enough.
The liberty, cop, the spear and the shield
should be part of Aliss Columbia's trous
seau. Without them she lacks part of her
significance. As well might any other
belle go to the opera without a class or
to the ballroom without a fan. For she
must be ready to, defend when others at-
Does this solve
the Mystery
of the Pyramids?
in order that the intellectual treasures
of Egypt might be preserved in them, and
during recent years more than one sci
entist has expressed, though somewhat
guardedly, ;;the opinion that the secret
chambers might have been used for pur
poses of initiation.
A key to this entire mystery has now
been, found In that wonderful work, "The
Book of the Dead," -which Richard Lep
sius, a distinguished German Egyptolo
gist, discovered some years ago In the
tomb; of a priest named Auf Aukh," the
original papyrus of which is now pre
served in Turin. Scholars who examined
It soon after it was discovered said that
it was an exposition, more or less fan
tastic, of the life led by Egyptians after
death. ¦ .Th^igod Thoth wasj believed to
be the autlLr; and according. to Eber3 the
book tells us much about tha God lOoa.
tack: to fight herself If the need is crv
lng; and she must be crowned by the em-'
blem of freedom that gives her a reason
for being. :; f
Besides her costume her pose matters
much more than ?ome people seem to
think. Columbia should never be posed
with arms folded. When did she ever
have time to fold her armn? She has re
pose 1 of manner, to be sure, but she Is al
ways ready to be up and doing:.
Hands demurely clasped- is just about
as bad. Xot that she is a forward lady,
ever; but demure is certainly not the
word. Her eyes are never downcast, for
there is too much going on that she needs
to be alertly looking after.
Nor does she simper.
N'or do her hands take on coquettish
quires and fancy flourishes. She is
straightforward and frank and earnest
and she will have none of these.
Hands on hips is bad, too. That again 1
looks much too restful. Let her hold tha
shield easily with the left hand and clasp
the spear with the right (not. however. at :
the spear's point). Then, Indeed; ¦ she
stands In true dignity and freedom and
strength, as becomes a lady In honor cC
wnore birthday more small Americans ara
blown to pieces than on any other occa
sion the year through.
of the Egyptians as well as about their
dogmas, their interpretations, their myth
ology, their morals and their faith In im
mortality. A copy "of the work, it is said,
was placed In the graves of those who
died, and portions of It were Inscribed on
many tomb?, with the object of pointing
out to the dead the right road through,
the other world ami of keeping ever in
their ' memory the "right word." whicH
alone could serve them'as a weapon.
'.'A recent and a more thorough examina
tion of this book, however, shows that
it Is far more than "a strange collection
of figlous and magical tests," or than a
mere exposition of the views of Egyptians
In regard to a future life, and that Lep
1 sius erred somewhat In entitling It "Tha
x^pok of the Dead." Instead of being a
book of instruction for the' dead, it is, wa
are told, an authoritative text book lot
those who intended to be Initiated Into
the higher mysteries of the Egyptians.
That the pyramid of Gizeh was used for.
the purpose of Initiating candidates la
this ;. manner Is very evident to those who
have studied "The Book of the Dead" un*
der the new light' that has been - thrown,
on It. ' .
EVERT time \hat the Fourth of
July comes around Miss Columbia
, comes likewise In many forms and
: In many places. She gazeswaxen
ly from store window?. She ap
pears !n printers' Ink .on periodical, covers.
She rises In flesh and blocd from the ped
estals of living pictures.
One might think that, being the belle
of a whole continent, she would pay more
attention to the matter of dress. She is
oddly negligent about 1L Xobody asks
that her clothes should come from Paris —
Buch garments would be in the worst of
bad taste for her— but she might at least
be a little more careful about the way
she "drapes her flag. It Is not once In a
dozen times that she does it correctly.
Mrs. Anderson, the vostumer, has made
a study of Columbia's clothes. In the first
place, she says, the flag should never be
cut and sewed into a garment. It should
be draped In one piece. For this reason
ell' the figures having sleeves or skirts
made of the flag are Incorrect. Compare
them with the perfect arrangement and
you will see how much dignity the stripes
have lost by being slashed and run
through with a gathering thread.
As the flag should not be cut for a skirt,
the figure representing Columbia must
wear a robe beneath It. All the laws of
grace forbid that a patch of this white
rOR centuries Egyptologists and
archaeologists have been trying to
find out the exact significance of
the great pyrairjds.of Egypt. Now
at last the problem ste'ms to be solved.
This statement Is especially true in re
tard to the pyramid of Gizeh,\otherwise
.known as the* Cheops or Chufru pyramid.
Hitherto it has been supposed that this
immense structure was designed as the
mausoleum of its royal rounder, but
ample evidence Is now forthcoming that
It was primarily designed to serve as a
temple In which candidates for Initiation
into the higher mysteries of the Egyptians
might perform the requisite rights.
Many years ago the question was asked:
If the pyramid of Gizeh is merely. a royal
mausoleum, v/hy does It contain so many
¦tately halls and corridors, and why was
•a. secret chamber constructed under
pround s!ncc the up^er chambers would
have sufficed as a vault for the remains
of the great king? On the other hand,, If
it was ever anything else than a burial
place, why is an Immense granite sar
cophagus the . most conspicuous object in
it? There Is an Arabian tradition" that
the pyramids wera built /before the flood
THE SUNDAY CALL.
5
THE CORRECT DRAPING
AND POISE FOR COLUMBIA