Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 163, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1913 — Page 2

“Temple in Sphinx” Found To Be Hoax

Diagrammatic View of the Discover! as Reported to Have Been Found in the Sphinx and Which it Now Appears Was a Great Hoax.

OKT T is not often that the Bell rious science of archaeology J| is enlivened by a hoax, but 1 one of k daring kind has recently caused considerable annoyance to Egyptologists -sjSftT''' in general, and to one well- ) known scholar, Dr. E. Reissner, in particular. Some weeks ago there was printed «11 OTer the world an account of some ■astonishing discoveries made In regard to the famous Sphinx at Gizeh. It stated that Dr. Reifsner, who has for some years been working on behalf of the University Of Harvard, had made some most astonishing discoveries in the interior -of the great statue of the Sphinx, which for centuries has been the guardian of the royal necropolis at Gizeh. Had it not been for the unjustifiable use of the name of Dr. Reissner, who is well known aq an explorer and ■one of the great authorities on the prehistoric antiquities of Egypt, the account would have, been treated with the ridicule it deserved. According to the account published extensively in England and America Dr. Reissner bad discovered a large temple over 100 feet long within the body of the Sphinx, and, connected with this by a tunnel, a second nmall temple, some 60 feet long by 14 .’feet wide, in the head of the Sphinx. The larger temple was described as ■the tomb of Mena or Menes, the first •of the Pharaohs, and a drawing was given of an ebony tablet inscribed in Archaic characters which was said to have been found in the temple. The announcement of this startling discovery caused immediate Inquiry. The chief authorities at the Cairo museum. Prof. Sir Gaston Maspero and Captain Weigali, the inspector of antiquities for the Cairo district, both denied the slightest basis for the report. No attempt to explore the inferior of the Sphinx had been made, nor would any such explorations be Allowed, as the nature and character •of the monument are . already well Iknown. Moreover Dr. Reissner has not been working in the Cairo prov„tince this season, having been, as for -the last few years, in Nubia and the ! Sudan. The absence of Dr. Reissner (from Cairo was no doubt the reason •for the selection of his name in contnectlon with the hoax.

STUCK IN TELEPHONE BOOTH

tP«t New York Doctor Had to Be Chopped From Narrow Doorway by Hie Friends. In Joseph Burger’s case at 20 Avestne C, ft group of men who call them•elves “The Midnight Students of Btfrger College.” were feasting, when « telephone call came for Dr. Isidore Zippert es 351 Bast Fourth street, one the students. Dr. Zippert. who weighs 306 pounds, hurried to the tele-

The true story of the Sphinx, which is vgry simple, remains, therefore, unchanged. The great limestone block out of which the colossal figure is hewn forms the eastern. termination of the limestone platform on which the pyramids are built No doubt in the remote prehistoric times the projecting rock had become weathered into the rude outline of the human head and face. There are many similar wind worn rocks to be seen on the banks of the Nile, and there is usually a superstitious sanctity attributed to them by Arabs, no doubt inherited from the old Egyptians. In early historic times, certainly before the. age of the pyramid builders, some 4,000 years before our era, the figure was improved by human hands, the headdress and beard being carved, while in later ages the whole was painted red, which gives it the appearance of sandstone. ' Portions of the serpent which adorned the forehead of the Sphinx and of the beard are to be seen in the British museum. The nature of the stone and painting are clearly to be seen. The Sphinx of Gizeh figures little in Egyptian literature, the chief reference to it being in the time of Thothmes IV, of the eighteenth dynasty, B. C. 1450. It was this monarch who built or restored the small temple between the fore paws. In the large tablet at the end of the temple Thothmes tells an interesting story. The king had been hunting in the district and, being tired at noonday, lay down to rest beneath the shadow of the Sphinx. During his siesta, the god Ra Heru Khuti (Harmachis), to whom the Sphinx was sacred, appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to clear away the sand which had then, as now, been wipd driven to such an extent as to bury the temple. This task Thothmes accomplished, but by the time of Rameses 11. the temple was again burled in the sand. In recent years it was cleared by M. Mariette but is now nearly buried by the desert dust again. A strange romance of the east lies hidden behind the history of a collection of Persian lustre tiles that will be on exhibition in London next wehk. In the Maidan Mosque, at Kazan, there once stood a great Mih-

phone booth and managed to squeeze inside. The call was .from one of Dr. Zippert’s patients and the physlican told him that be would viist him at once. When he tried to get through the narrow door of the booth Dr. Zippert discovered that it was much harder to get out than it had been to get in, and afted several minutes of frantic efforf his body was wedged fast in the door frame. Dr. Zlppert's cries brught several of his friends to his aid, who after a vain

rab, or praying niche, that was made by the most cunning artists of the thirteenth century. Fifty years ago the tiles, which were made by a prooess of which the secret has long, been lost, began to disappear. One by one they passed out of the mosque at irregular intervals. No one knew how they vanished or who took them, and when a guard was set to watch over the sacred treasure by night he was found is the morning strangled in front of the Mihrab. Far away, in Teheran, an Englishman, who was interested in Persian pottery, received occasionally" beautiful glazed tiles from a mysterious native who could not or would not tell him where they came from. He continued to buy ihese tiles for fifteen years; one day he discovered that some of them, when placed next to one another, had readable Kuflc a!nd Neshky inscriptions from the Koran. He began a great game of jigsaw with the tiles, and ultimately built up, with but few tiles missing, the famous lost Mihrab. The collection, which belongs to Mr. John Richard Preece, the Englishman in question, contains some other extraordinary relics,,including a part of the tomb of the Prophet Daniel, covered with crude carvings, and an Armenian altar piece of twelfth century workmanship, in which all the divine and human\ figures are splashed with blood. v One of the most valuable things in the exhibition is a carpet made for the Shah Abbas, who reigned from 158? to 1628 A. D. This carpet is thirtyone feet long by twelve feet wide, and its pattern reproduces the features of an old-time Persian pleasure garden. It is said to be insured-for £5,000.

They Hate to Think.

“If a man will only keep his wits about him, he can avoid many unpleasant experiences,” “Perhaps so, but keeping their wits about them Is in,itself a very unpleasant experience for some people.”

Insinuation.

She —The speaker at our club today told of a lot of things we poor wives go through. He—Did Rhe mention their bus band’s pockets?

attempt to pull him through, got an as and chopped the frame out, nearly halt an hour after he entered the booth. The physician was ffint from his exertions, hot hastened to his patient— New York Times. .

Time's Inequality.

Dolan —Phwat are ye* settln’ dthere fur? Phwhy don't ye* git to wor-ruk? Clancy—Oi was finkin' what a foine country this wud be If Saturday noight kim round as afn as Afoaday marnln’.—Puck.

MAKES GREAT RECORD

That of George Mcßride Unequaled by Any Player. v For Three Full Seasons Clever Wash*, ington Shortstop Never Missed a Game and Hat* Never Been Banished by an Umpire. George Mcßride, shortstop of the Washington American league team, has made one of the most wonderful records in major league baffeball. In the five years that he has been with the Senators he has taken part in more games than any player in either of £he big leagues. During that time the team has had the name of only one shortstop, Mcßride, in the official averages. . . ~ - . r. - v - Joining Washington in the fall of 1907, he started active work in 1908, mid took part in every game played by the team that season. He duplicated his record in 1909 and 1910. During the seasons of 1911 and 1912 he failed to take part In only five games. Only once in his professional career has he been banished by an umpire. Mcßride’e fielding average since joining the team has been in a plass by itself so far as the shortstops of the American league are concerned. Hlb average since 1908 runs between .%39 and .948, and his errors range from 52 to 58. The only players approaching this reoprd are Honus Wagner of Pittsburgh, and Doolan of Philadelphia, but neither of these National league stars has taken part in as many games. In any one season as McBride. ' ." . Only Mcßride’s batting keeps him from being classed as the equal if not the superior of the great Honus Wagner. Even in this, however, he shows consistency, as his averages for the last five years range between .226 and .235. In spite of hils low batting average, however; he is considered one of the most timely hitters on the team. Mcßride “broke” into the National league in 1906, when he was purchased from the St. Joseph team by the Pittsburgh club. Later in the season he was traded by’the Pirates •to the St. Louis Cardinals for Dave Brain, the third baseman. In 1906 he was tied with Tinker of the Cubs for first place in fielding, but because of

George McBride.

his weak hitting was traded, with Egap, a pitcher, for Bill Phyle to the Kansas City club of the American association. In the fall of 1907 he was purchased by Washington. Since the passing of Ganley, in the summer of 1909, Mcßride has been field captain of the Senators, under three managers—Cantillon, McAleer pnd Griffith. When McAleer bought an interest in the Boston Red Sox he offered the Washington club SIO,OOO for Mcßride, but the offer was turned down.

OLD PLAYER MORE VERSATILE

Pitchers Worked In the Outfield and Catchers Filled in Infield—Many Men Now Needed. t ■ One marvels how major league teams a»few years back managed to go through a season with 12 or 13. players when today the average team finds itself pushed for material even though It carry 25 players on its list In the old days few players were ever idle. Pitchers played the outfield when they were not pitching, while catchers were constantly being used in the infield when they could be spared behind the bat. It would seem that the players were more versatile in those days or the standard of play was not as high as It Is today. The average pitcher nowadays can pitch, and that lets him out He could not fill any other position satisfactorily. and is idle about five days out of every week. When the pitchers were forced to play other positions they naturally acquired ability aside from pitching, and this made them of more value to their teams.

Cause for High Sky.

Josh Devore of the Giants complained about the high sky-that made fiy balls difficult to judge in Knoxville in a spring training game. Josh had an explanation that satisfied McGraw. “They have the high sky here all the time," said Devore; “It has to be high or else they couldn’t get these mountains under it" Can you imagine anything quite as bad as this?

Chance Wants Hosp.

Manager Chance offered sl,ooo’foi the release of Shortstop Hosp of the Venice team of the Paotflo Goaat

MANY NATIONS REPRESENTED BY PLAYERS

Pitcher Charley Hall of Champion Red Box.

Baseball, long styled the national pastime of these United States, has become an international event. The score of battles that are waged by teams on diamonds aye now common in France. The game has taken a? firm hold on the natives of Manila. College teams in the middle west'are now engaged in playing an all-Chi-nese organization which shipped from Honolulu, and only a few seasons ago invading athletes from Japan treated the palefaced Americanos to # some first-class surprises Wfhile appearing in these parts. Big league baseball does not boast a Chinese topliner, the Japanese nation Is yet to enter a representative in the American or National circuit and the Filipinos have not produced a recognized nfarvel for organized ball. However, by perusing the dally lineup, It can be noted that major circuits are well fortified with full-fledged stars from all nations. Mexico is represented by Charley Hall, slab artist of the world champion Boston Red Sox. His right name is Carlos Clolo, and he was bom of-Mexican parents at Kerrville, Tex. His backstopper in this case would be John (Tortes)' Meyers, a Mis-

Ed Konetchy, St. Louis First Bassman. slon Indian from California, now starring for the New York Giants. Edward Konetchy, a Bohemian, wearing the cardinal of St* Louis, has been assigned to, first base, with Napoleon Lajole, a Frenchman, with Cleveland, and considerable swatter, on second; Honus Wagner, Pittsburg's great warrior, representing Germany, on short, and a Scot, Bobby Byrne, also of the Pirates, on third. Put Ping Bodle (Frank Plssola),

Italian, of the White Sox, In center field; Armando Marsans, Cuban, of the Cincinnati Reds, in left field, and Olaf Henriksen, a'Boston Red Sock, dall- , ing Denmark his native land, in right field, and you have the outfield. With, John J. Walsh, a Celt, for boss and: manager, this troupe should show some speed.

Among the Baseball Players

i * Christy Mathewson, the star of the Giants’ pitching staff, claims that he never pitched Sunday ball tor any baseball team. • .♦ * ’ Now we get word from James McAleer of the World’s Cham-" pions that he denies the report that he has given up hope of again winning the pennant • * * ... Pitcher Falkenberg of the Naps in of opinion that ball players, especially pitchers, should not smoke. This prohibition includes pipes ahd cigars aa well as cigarettes. • * * Exhibition games for the Cincinnati Reds, so dear to the heart ot Business Manager Bancroft, have passed off the Cincinnati list this season, owing to Manager Tinker’s objections. • • • Hotel proprietors all over the country have noticed that a lot of people are registering from Brooklyn, N. Y. Formerly they put themselves down from New "York.—New Globe. • 0 . 0Olaf Henrlksen, the little outfielder who has been subbing for Duffy Lewis of the Red Sox, is justifying the faith Jake Stahl has had in him. .He Is batting right up there with the best of them. * S' * Jack Barry, formerly of the New York Giants’ outfield, has purchased an orange grove near Redlands, Cal. He will remove his family from Buffalo to what he calls the beauty spoil of the world. ‘ . e • • The good pitching Mains has given Buffalo is the big reason the Olsons are at the top. . Mains was with Jersey City and lost his only start there, but it seems impossible to beat him now that he is with Buffalo. a. • • Washington scribes write that Dan Moeller is playing a better game tor the Senators than his fellow outfielder, Milan. ‘Moeller is on his way to win himself a position among the jcrack outfielders of the league thin season," says on* . *