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Show WHAT IS A MOMMY t 5-Cliapter of Interesting Information About Some Egyptian Customs. "When a member of an Egyptian family fam-ily died, all the relatives put on mourning mourn-ing and abstained from baths, wine and delicacies of all kinds from 40 to 60 days, according to the rank of the per-Bon per-Bon deceased. Death in one respect put an end to all distinctions that had prevailed pre-vailed in life, and king and slave wera subject to the same law. The record of the life of the deceased had to be examined by a tribunal of 43 judges before he could be given burial with his ancestors. If the deeds of his life proved that he was worthy of burial, his body was carried across tha sacred lake, of which each province had one, and was there permitted to rest If the judges found him unworthy, even though he belonged to the highest rank, he could not be buried with his ancestors. ances-tors. The body was returned to his relatives rela-tives and was buried on the Bide of the lake opposite to the burial place of the just The belief of the Egyptians in a future fu-ture state of existence gave rise to the practice of embalming the dead. They wished to carefully preserve the body, bo that the bouI upon its return to its former abode at the end of all things might find it ready for its reception. Bodies were embalmed in three different differ-ent ways. The most expensive and magnificent mag-nificent method was used upon the bod ies of kings and other persons of distinguished dis-tinguished rank, the cost amounting to a talent of silver, or $610. A number of persons were employed in the process of embalming, and they were treated with great respect They filled the cavities of the body with myrrh, cinnamon, spices and many kinds of swtet smelling drugs.. After a certain time had elapsed the body was swathed in lawn fillets, which were glued together with a kind of thin gum, and then crusted oyer with costly perfumes. By this mode of embalming the shape of the body, the lineaments of the face, the eyebrows and eyeiashea were preserved in their natural perfection. perfec-tion. Bodies thus embalmed are what we now call Egyptian mummies. Philadelphia Phil-adelphia Times. |