score.

Here chance gave a startling and most singular discovery. A zealous groper wishing to put both hands to his work, stuck his candle into a slit of stalactite column and therein espied the edge of a bronze blade. This proved a perfect Mycenæan knife. But except by human agency it could hardly have come into that crevice. Crevice after crevice was discovered to be stocked with blades, pins, tweezers and here and there a votive ax. Often it was necessary to smash the stalactite lips that in long ages had almost closed upon the objects. Here, then, after all, was the real Holy of Holies. In this most awful part of the sacred grotto it was held most profitable to dedicate in niches made by nature herself objects fashioned expressly for the god's service. In these pillared halls of unknown extent and abyssmal gloom undoubtedly was laid the scene of Minos' legendary converse with Zeus. That here is the original birth-cave of Zeus there can remain no shadow of doubt. Among the holy caverns of the world this on Mount Dicta in virtue of its lower halls, must stand alone, unrivaled. One seemed in this dismal chasm to have come almost to sight and speech of the men before history. As we saw those pillared aisles so the last worshiper who offered a token to Zeus saw them 3,000 years before."

In another part of the island Mr. Evans has been digging out the buried glories of Minos, the son of Zeus. By purchase from the Greek Government he obtained the hill known as Zephla overlooking the ancient site of Cnossus. Excavations began at once and the result has been the uncovering of a large part of a vast prehistoric building, Minos' palace, with its numerous dependencies. About four acres of this has been unearthed and by an extraordinary piece of good fortune the remains of walls began to appear only a foot or so below the surface. This dwelling of ancient kings has been overwhelmed by a great catastrophe. Everywhere there were traces of a mighty conflagration. Burnt beams and charred wooden columns lay within the rooms and corridors. There was here no gradual decay. The civilization represented on this spot had been cut short in the fulness of its bloom. The palace showed frequent stages of remodeling and its early elements may go back a thousand years or more before its final overthrow, some 3000 B. C. On the walls of the corridors were still preserved the lower part of a procession of painted life-size figures, in the center of which was a female personage, probably a queen, in magnificent apparel. Along nearly the whole length of the building ran a spacious paved corridor lined by a long row of

fine stone doorways giving access to a succession of magazines. On the floor of these magazines huge stone jars were still standing, large enough to have contained the Forty Thieves. One of these jars, found in a small chamber, was nearly five feet in height and profusely carved. Only a few of the jars were open and they proved to be empty, but there is but little doubt that they were constructed for the deposit of treasure.

The frescoes discovered on the palace walls constitute a new era in the history of painting, the finest of these being that of a youth bearing a gold-mounted silver cup. The colors are almost as brilliant as when laid on over 3,000 years before. For the first time a true portraiture of a man of this mysterious race is pictured to us. The limbs are finely molded, though the waist, as usual, in Mycenaean fashion, is tightly drawn in by a silver-mounted girdle. The profile of the face is pure and almost classically Greek. The profile rendering of the eye shows an advance in human portraiture such as was achieved by the artists of classical Greece in the early fine art period of the fifth century B. C. A transition from painting to sculpture was supplied by a great relief of a bull in hard plaster, colored with natural tints. It is unquestionably the finest plastic work of the time that has come down to us, stronger and truer to life than any classical work of the kind. In the palace King Minos had built the dancing ground of Ariadne and the famous "Labyrinth." A great part of the ground of the palace, with its long corridors and repeated succession of blind galleries, its tortuous passages and spacious underground conduit, and its bewildering system of small chambers, presents many of the characteristics of a maze. Excava

tions are still in progress in the palace area and additional finds will undoubtedly be brought to light in the near future further illustrating this mysterious civilization.

No prehistoric monster holds a greater fascination for the public mind to-day than the mylodon -a member of the sloth family, and a contemporary of the megatherium. For the astounding. theory has recently been put forward that the mylodon still exists in South America.

South America has always been a favorite hunting ground for palæontologists, and many interesting deposits of fossil remains have been brought to light. It was while exploring in Patagonia, a practically unknown land, that Dr. Moreno, of the La Plata Museum, made a discovery which may prove one of the most astounding of recent times.

Near the entrance to a huge cave he found a piece of dried skin hanging on a tree, which was - quite unlike the skin of any other animal he knew. It was covered with coarse, greenish brown hair, and contained several small bones. A search in the cave brought to light much larger fragments of the skin, together with bones, skull, and teeth; relics, probably, of the same animal.

Neighboring natives suggested that the remains were probably those of some enormous seal, while others thought that the skin was the skin of a cow.

But Dr. Moreno, after examination, came to the conclusion that it could not belong to any animal known to be living, and the precious relics were finally classified as those of the giant sloth. The skin is now in the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, London.

The mylodon, or giant ground sloth, of course, was thought to be as extinct as the mastodon, or other antediluvian monsters. But evidence has gradually come to hand which seems to indicate that the 'mylodon may still be roaming at large in the unexplored Patagonian solitudes. In the same cave where the remains were found, part of a human skeleton was discovered. Further investigations brought to light the remains of rude. walls built by human hands, and also a deposit of chopped hay; details from which some authorities deduced a stable of mylodons kept in captivity by man.

Experts, judging from the extraordinarily fresh appearance of the skin, and from other corroborative details, became inclined to believe that the particular specimen discovered by Dr. Moreno could not have ceased to exist more than, at the very most, fifty years ago, probably very much less. Now many men of science are in favor of the hope that the sloth may some day be found alive. Speaking before the Zoological Society of London, so high an authority as Professor Ray Lankester, for example, recently said: "It is quite possible-though I don't want to say more than that-that he still exists in some of the mountainous regions of Patagonia."

It is hoped that all doubts upon this most interesting question will be settled definitely one way or another by the Pearson expedition which has recently set out for Patagonia, under the command of Mr. Hesketh Prichard, to search for the giant sloth in the untrodden forests and mountains of the land.

Probably no expedition of the kind has ever been so well equipped, or has had such high hopes of success. The explorer's staff numbers some sixty members, including representatives of all the sciences likely to benefit by the exploration

geologists, biologists, anthropologists, naturalists, experts on fossil remains, and others-all thoroughly armed with the latest scientific instru

ments.

The goods and chattels of the expedition, including large supplies of compressed provisions, will be borne on the backs of fifty pack horses, which will probably be useful later in bringing back the bones of extinct animals, fossils, and other discoveries that may be made.

As Mr. Prichard is leading his expedition through a country hitherto unexplored, but known to be rich in treasure of all kinds, his expectations are unlimited; for even if he should fail in his main object of finding the giant sloth alive, it is more than probable that other strange forms of animal life will be encountered, to say nothing of strange forms of human life-of unknown tribes and peoples inhabiting the Patagonian solitudes.

Buried Babylonian Books....Franz Delitzsch....Berlin Kreuz-Zeitung

Babylonia is the native land of the clay-tablet literature, of the pictures made in burned clay, of the angels of the Cherubim and the Seraphim. Some of the pictures found on these tablets correspond exactly to our Biblical conception of these beings. Demons, too, and devils are pictured in the most abhorrent shapes and forms. Then, too, contests between the angels of light and those of darkness are vividly pictured. Of inestimable value are the royal libraries which have been unearthed, the royal archives, and other remnants of important literature. On eight, and even ten-sided clay prisms the kings caused the history of their reigns to be impressed; but everything else was described, written by a fine stylus on moist and soft clay, which was then hardened by being burned. The private library of King Shalmaneser shows that the people of that period thought and felt much as we do now. One courtier assures the king that he daily prays for his prosperity and for his life and that of his royal mother. An old servant asks the king, on two tablets, to appoint his son a page, and assures his royal master that, if this wish is granted, he will do obeisance, prostrated on his face.

On the large tablets of the public libraries we have the whole wisdom of the Babylonians. In the epic of creation we have essentially the same ideas that are found in Genesis, and the Babylonian story of the deluge makes the impression of greater originality even than the Biblical report. The same fundamental ethical thoughts, the same wails of sorrow and repentance, the same searching for grace and redemption which we find in the Psalms of the Old Testament we

find also in the hymns of the Babylonians. As is the case in the Old Testament, the priest asks the man who is suffering from disease concerning his sins, whether he has approached the wife of his neighbor or has failed to observe the law of love.

Then we find an abundance of business and marriage contracts, and of learned discourses, which give clear idea of the culture of that age. We are told that the son-in-law of a man receives not only the daughter, but also a number of head of cattle. House rent at that time was quoted at prices ranging from 12 to 89 marks ($2.94 to $21.80). One of the most valuable finds of art was made in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, namely, of the image of a white lion with a yellow mane burned in clay, the image being formed of a large number of tablets.

Very remarkable is the fact that Babylonian civilization remained practically at a standstill for more than seventeen hundred years. Most remarkable, too, is the fact that the Babylonians, who, like all Semites, were originally monotheists, for more than three thousand years practised the worship of images and the most pronounced polytheism. This is to be attributed to the influence of the Summerians, to whom also we are indebted for the division of the hour into sixty minutes, and for the division of the zodiac into 360 degrees. We can survey the evidences of this culture up to the fifth millennium before Christ by the light of this wonderful cuneiform literature. As if from the top of the tower of Babel, we can look upon the nations of the earth; but we see especially in His heavenly glory that God before whom a thousand years are as one day which passed as yesterday and as a watch in the night.

The Tombs of Beni-Hasan....Marie N. Buckman... Boston Transcript Fairy tales usually begin with "Once upon a time there lived," and in this way we may preface this story, more interesting than any tale from the Arabian Nights because it is as true as it is wonderful.

The scene of the story is laid in Egypt, even then an "old settled country," although to reach it we must go back through all the years of Christianity, past the splendor that was Rome's and Athens', and on 500 years before the days of Abraham, to 2600 B. C. It was in the days of the Middle Kingdom in the XII. dynasty, and Amenemhat II. and Usertesen II. were the reigning Pharaohs. In the Oryx nome of lower Egypt lived Chnemhotep II., a feudal prince whose genealogy is now well known enough to entitle him to membership in any patriotic society of his day. A great man was Chnemhotep (pronounced

Nem-o-tep), and not less great after he had taken his place in the magnificent mausoleum which he prepared for himself. And that the people of later generations-did he in his wildest fancy dream how much later?-might know his name and rank he had his artist paint upon the walls his names and titles, thus:

Erpa-prince, Ha or throne prince,

Sahu or treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt, Confidential friend of the King,

True royal acquaintance,

Throne prince of the great house,

Chief of all princes, He who belongs to the double house of Geb,

Chief of the city of Necheb,
Superintendent of the priests,
Priest of Horus,
Priest of Anubis,

Priest of Pacht,

Chief of the offices of the temple of Pacht, Chief of bringing the goddess into the house of Pacht,

Chief of the divine secrets,

Master of all the tunics, and Lector.

And what of the story of his life thus pictured on the walls of his tomb? And what of this tomb cut in the rock so many centuries ago?

To-day the visitor to that tomb must go to the little Arab village of Beni-Hasan (literally, sons of Hasan), 170 miles above Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, half way between the modern towns of Nunyeh and Roda. There, excavated in the white limestone of one link of the long chain of cliffs that bound the edge of the Nile valley, is a series of about forty tombs, averaging 4,400 years old and now known by the name of the Arab family that lives in squalid savagery near the last resting place of these once mighty princes.

These tombs of Beni-Hasan are not indeed among the later discoveries, for during the first half of the nineteenth century Champollion, Rossellini, Wilkinson and Lepsius visited them, and some of the most striking pictures were noted. But none of them seemed to realize the tremendous importance of the pictures as a whole. It must be remembered, however, that there were very few hieroglyphists at that time, and everyday life did not seem so important. Moreover, until the day of the camera and magnesium light all copies were necessarily very imperfect. Not until 1890-91 was any systematic effort made to obtain a complete transcription, and the lack of funds has prevented the publication until now of this necessarily expensive volume with its manycolored plates, from facsimiles by Messrs. Howard Carter, M. W. Blackden, Percy Brown and Percy

Buckman. Mr. Percy E. Newberry was the Egyptologist in charge, assisted by Mr. G. Willoughby Fraser. This work was one of the latest interests of Miss Amelia B. Edwards, founder of the Egypt Exploration Fund, and the inception and prosecution of the survey was largely due to her enthusiastic initiative and support, and it is pleasant to know that Mr. Newberry had the satisfaction of showing her the first rough results, which are now for the first time clearly published. The startling discoveries by Mr. Petrie at Abydos and by Messrs. Grenfell and Hunt in the Fayoum have somewhat overshadowed the work of the survey, but for the student of social science this is incomparably valuable.

All these tombs bear a general resemblance to one another, the façade cut into the side of the hill giving an imposing architectural front with semi-Doric columns the most striking features.

In this tomb of Prince Chnemhotep the flat surfaces of the door posts and lintel were originally painted pink, splashed with black, red and green, to imitate rose-granite, showing clearly that imitation is by no means a strictly modern vice. The incised hieroglyphics were picked out with green. The interior of the tomb was most elaborately decorated and with such skill that we lament that the artist's name is lost, although that of the contractor is plainly written.

The inscriptions on the walls include a biographical sketch and prayers to those "who love life, who hate death," to give offerings to the Ka (immortal part) of the deceased on stated festivals. The biographical sketch says that he appointed a Ka priest and endowed him with land and vassals that he and his successors might make offerings at every feast of the living and the dead. "Moreover," he continues, "if any priest or any person disarranges these festivals, may he cease to exist, and may his son cease to exist upon his seat," a good round general curse that might cover all lapses.

Chnemhotep then goes on to say that he made his tomb "in order that it might establish his name to eternity and make it endure forever; also that it might establish the name of his staff, being arranged in good order according to their rank, the established ones, his household officers and all artisans one after another." It is to this praiseworthy resolution that we owe the privilege of seeing an account of the everyday life of a high-class Egyptian of so many years ago, together with a series of named portraits representing the owner of the tomb, the members of his family and of his household. Alas, many of these pictures are now to be seen only in the reproductions, as even since these tracings and

copies were made much of the plaster coating in which they were painted has fallen away. Indeed, one reason the publication of these wonderful plates has been delayed was the imperative necessity of fixing others for us by means of camera and tracings before it became forever too late. The limited supply of funds at the disposal of the survey makes it impossible to do much, as there are heavy expenses to be met, even though the direction and scientific work be largely a labor of love. The amount of work necessary to make these reproductions cannot be appreciated except by actual knowledge. Days are often spent trying to piece together fragments that have fallen, in order to complete some inscription in which there is a tantalizing hiatus in the most interesting part. The amount of work may be judged when it is known that one year's work covered 14,000 square feet of tracing paper.

In this tomb of Chnemhotep we find the fullest representations of the daily life of the Egyptians of the Middle Kingdom. All the trifling operations of ordinary life are depicted, even those of the barbers and the chiropodists, the fan bearers, mirror bearers, and women carrying ointments, linen and jewelry, goldsmiths, potters, weavers, glass-workers, metal-workers, bakers, rope-makers, laundresses, carpenters, artists and sculptors are shown at work. Our friend was evidently an enthusiastic sportsman, as much space is given to his hunting expeditions, and in one singularly fine painting he is shown in the act of spearing a fish with a bident. In one place the line is clearly fastened to a reel as in modern fishermen's outfits. Nor is this all. Many, if not all, the games of the time are plainly pictured, from draughts to ball playing, showing the amusements of the people of 4,500 years ago. Battle scenes and processions are also given, but the other records of Egypt have those also, for history has never spared the accounts of such things. It is in the events of everyday life that these pictures are singular, and as such invaluable to the student of manners and customs. Possibly Solomon wasn't altogether wrong in his famous generalization, "There is nothing new under the sun." We are accustomed to quote him a little patronizingly, but it may be that he spoke more truly than truly than we think. They played ball in Chnemhotep's grounds 4,500 years ago. Checkers they knew. Chiropodists they had-is it not more than likely that there were manicurists? It remains for the artists of to-day to so delineate our daily life that the dwellers on earth A. D. 6401, say, may read the details of our occupations as clearly as we do those of 2600 B. C.

If a History of Horticulture should be ever written in future years, one of the most interesting subjects with which it will have to deal will be the change, during the latter half of the nineteenth century, from the merely empirical methods of preceding years to the truly scientific methods that have been framed in accordance with fuller knowledge of plant life. The strides that investigation has made and is now making in the interests of horticulture are many and great, and it is no slight matter in estimating national greatness that in this country such investigation is regarded as of national importance and one of the national duties. It may with truth be said that in this the United States of America stand at the head of all the nations. This is indeed remarkable, for in no other land is there such a craving on the part of the younger generation, at least, for "a business life." Wiser heads, however, are at the helm, and under their guidance we shall at least be in no very evil case, when the time comes for men to realize that they must "go back to the soil." Modern tastes are already drifting in that direction, and anything connected with plant-growing always commands the attention. Personally, it is a long time since I have read anything so suggestive and interesting as the following passage. It is so simple that one can only repeat the old saying: "Why was it not thought of before?" It is so reasonable that it becomes at once of universal application, and is as important to the owner of a city back yard as to the farmer on a vast western prairie:

Plant study, in the past, has been mainly above ground, and all our ideas concerning the wisdom of planting corn and potatoes in rows and hills has been derived from observations of how the portion above ground thrived under varying conditions. It has required root-study, of the kind now inaugurated, however, to discover why we should plant as we do, as well as why we should not do in the future as we have done. For instance, the recent investigation of corn roots conducted by Hays, King, and others, under the Government, has revolutionized the methods of cultivating corn among intelligent farmers. They have proved that to grow corn most successfully, it must be planted more shallow than formerly, and also that the ground must be ploughed deeper than ever. Their reasons are very simple. They found by experimenting with corn, potatoes, clover, peas, and different grains, that under conditions, in which the growing plants were exposed freely, as in the field, they required, on an average, 325 pounds of water in one season to produce one pound of dry matter. Four stalks of corn, as they were coming into tassel, and as

their ears were forming, used 150.6 pounds of water in thirteen days.

Now, they also found that any given area of soil, almost anywhere, did not possess onetwentieth part of the moisture required by an average crop. They also found that so slow was the method by which all roots obtain water, that nothing short of an enormous root development, presenting an immense root surface, could do the work. In the case of close, ordinary planting the whole burden of success was thrown upon the providential rains. In the case of wide planting, the great root development, by searching far and near, could almost find enough moisture to get along, in a meager way, without rain. With ordinary seasonal showers they stored up enough to produce extraordinary stalks and imposing fruit. Hence the theory concerning wide and shallow planting. This was learned, however, from roots-not stalks.

It has long been thought that much would come of a careful scientific study of roots if some way of getting at them could be devised, but so delicate is the nature of most root systems that it was found impossible to uncover, without destroying, the major portion of them. It remained for A. M. Ten Eyck, a member of the Dakota station, to devise a method which is as interesting as it is satisfactory. He dug a trench two feet wide about a block of earth in which were growing some plants, the roots of which he desired to study. When the block stood out quite clearly, alone, he made a light wooden frame to fit around it, and covered this with common wire poultry netting. This held the earth in place and allowed him to pierce it through with small wire rods, which were then fastened at both ends to the netting. When enough of these thin wire rods had been run through, to hold up the roots nicely in case the earth were washed away, he covered the top of the ground with a thin plaster of Paris paste, which soon dried, holding the plants he desired to examine firmly about the base. Then he began washing the earth from about the roots with soft, warm water, leaving them wholly exposed and neatly suspended upon the wires which had been forced through the earth. It was very easy then to lift the cage, with its plaster of Paris roof holding the desired plants, to such a place as best suited his further studies. He was invariably careful to dig the surrounding trench deep