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Show Ancient Caricature, l The fnl ilea of yEsop prove that, t cm nr ;, ' v cienl were not without liking for fun. And the remains of ancient it rt tell thai e.ime story. Examples of artistic humor lire more common than is supposed by most jiersoiis. The ancients led a jolly life on the whole, and human nature lias not changed much iu the course of 5,000 years. A drawing on a tile in the New York museum represents a cat dressed as an Egyptian lady of fashion. She is seated ) languidly in a chair, dipping wine out of a small bowl and being fanned nnd offered of-fered dainties by nn abject looking tomcat tom-cat with his tail between bis legs. Tho cat figures largely in tho ancient comic groups of animal life. In a papyrus pap-yrus iu tho British museum a flock of geese are being driven by a cat, and a herd of goats by two wolves, with crook? and wallets. One of the wolves is playing play-ing a double pipe. - t i There is in the Mnseum of Turin a papyrus roll wljich displays a whole series of such comical scenes. In the first place a lion, a crocodile and an ape are giving a vocal and instrumental concert. con-cert. Nest comes an ass, dressed, armed and sceptered like a Phuraoh; with majestic ma-jestic swagger he receives the gifts presented pre-sented to him by a cat of high degree, to whom a bull acts as proud conductor. A lion and gazelle are playing nt draughts, a hippopotamus is perched in it tree, and a hawk has climbed into the tree nnd is trying to dislodge him, Another picture shows a Pharaoh in the shape of a rat drawn in a carriage by prancing greyhounds. He is proceeding proceed-ing to storm a fort garrisoned by cats Laving no arms but teeth and claws, vhereas the rats have battle axes, shield! and bows nnd arrows.- " |