Show MUMMY STUDY AT THE FAIR how calm how self possessed is ah is he dead this is the first line of thought that comes into ones mind on seeing the crush about the mummy preserves in the glass cases of the colorado collection in the anthropological building these mummies studies leg apparently in brown putty and withered leaves have a marvelous power in attracting people especially women and the uglier more repulsive these postmortem post mortem souvenirs are the larger more continuous the crowd of women clustering about those cases as though they could never see enough it is as though the uncanny looking things were a beauty and a joy forever these relics of the predecessor of the aztec were dug out and scraped up from the graveyards in the cliff dweller country in southern colorado utah and they aie are in all positions and no positions at all but principally bunched as though having died of cramps that tangled them up like a corkscrew cork screw this supposition is is sustained in the facial expression which suggests anything but complacency and resignation our deceased friends long ago lost their shrouds if they ever had such clothing or any clothing at all living or dead and modesty continues as in life at a large and healthy discount once in a while a figure is seen partially concealed in a feather blanket that is a dress suit made of hawk and eagle feathers but this desperate effort at concealment of natural beauty does not seem to have been catching and perhaps it is just as well as were more of these dear old things wrapped up there would have been a rebellion among the women visitors at the worlds fair columbian exposition some of the late lamented must have had pretty decent heads of hair judging from this postmortem post mortem exhibit and one dude in particular has his or her or its tresses skewed up with bean shaped beads in a really attractive style bits of pottery and other articles of vertu accompany the more or less segregated remains having been buried with kith them for the use of the soul on its return from the happy hunting grounds the mummies maybe may be all right in chicago as appetizers rs and bonanzas for the worlds fair and the dime museums objects f semi veneration of the morbidly curious but down in the durango silverton country they have ceased to be even an attraction in the lager beer saloons and what is more the irrea irreverent er r colorado ranchman with no respect for hoary white whiskered antiquity utilizes mummy finds for fuel and this kind of fuel burns like tinder if not like thunder but there is another bone orchard of later date in the peruvian section this is even more horrible than the pre azeta pre historic pre outfit in t the e colorado exhibit A company of irresponsible ethnologists and overenthusiastic savants savanis have been down on the west coast of peru resurrecting not merely individual bodies but whole graveyards and they have made in ade as 1 much fuss over the performance as a boy over his virgin pair pair of pants in fact these enthusiasts in cadaver stud study have transplanted rans planted bodily two ancie ancient nt y peruvian cemeteries to this country and planted the whole carrion crow business in the worlds fair the corpses were found done up in sacking of jute or some apparently imperishable material as neatly as packages of prize candy but these learned body anat snatchers snatch chberg ers in the interest of science have demud ed part of tae the outfit to show visitors how the game was worked and these thes a horrid remains are stuck up there in the reproduced graveyards in all positions of distress parodies of the human forro form divine in their chocolate colored ghastliness some of the bodies are quite well preserved others are fragments frag fragmentary menta r y like the fag end of many good resola reso lu eions but all have that well done on both sides appearance that distinguishes the genus man species mummy like their colorado utah brethren the peruvian indians left a wide ana and varied assortment of crockery for the soul to take take postmortem post mortem morteen life easy on and the same has been scattered abouna around the anthropological building cemetery with the same commendable object in view of course a multitude of people are hovering continually about the peruvian antiques and horri bles never tired of trying to stare them out of countenance but men often hang back they prefer to study nature or native beauty of a much later date native beauty unadorned med very much so in large photographs from Oc eanica as displayed ostentatiously in another part of the building and would rather camp over there but their wives mothers sisters and lady acquaintances dont care for the Oc eanica belles they prefer to memorize every hair roo root ti tingling ng in g detail of these dreadful murn mummies that they may chatter about them at home for the next two years yes if youve any real nice fresh corpses just trot them out but do give us a rest on these sere and withered chestnuts ROBT J JESSUP |