The Paducah Daily Sun

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SOCIETY.

The excavations and explorations of Neroutasas Bey, Brugsch Pasha, and, more recently, of Dr. Morgan and Flinders Petrie, have thrown so much light upon ancient Egyptian society that we now know more about the toilet, wardrobe and daily habits of the princess who found Moses in the bulrushes than we do of the early citizens of England and France.

Strangely enough, the difference between the ladies of that early period and of today seems to have been less in social matters than between those of the court of Queen Elizabeth and today. An Egyptian lady of quality had a suite of at least three rooms for her own use-one a boudoir or reception room, a second a bath or dressing room, and a third a dressing room. She had a dressing maid, an assistant maid or fan bearer, a bath maid, a seamstress and a manicure. The manicure seems to have been a chiropodist as well, because the belles of that period used sandals and bare feet, and not only bestowed the greatest care upon the nails of the toe, but in many cases put rings on the toes and magnificent anklets around the ankles. They took the same care of their hands and nails as the women of today, and for ornament employed rings, thumb rings, bracelets and armlets.

The hair was dressed in many conventional forms, and the hair pins were quite costly. The cheapest were made of bronze or brass, and the most costly of gold and silver. Many of these were stick pins, with ornamental heads, the latter being made of precious metals, of enamel, carving, of precious stones and semi precious stones, such as cat's-eye, firestone, carnelian and carnelian. On the dressing table of the Egyptian ladies there was powder, rouge, polishing powder, for the nails and teeth, antimony, for darkening the eyebrows, another preparation for making the eyes lustrous, a scarlet paint or dye, for staining the lips, and many more accessions to the toilet as a modern belle.

Her bath room was the one joy of her life, and the height of luxury was obtained by an Egyptian princess in taking a bath as hot as she could possibly bear it while immersed to the neck in water, having her attendants fan her with great palm leaf fans.

She loved flowers, and had jars full of choice blossoms in all of her rooms as well as pots of growing plants. In the animal kingdom she had many favorites, including song birds, parrots, owls, birds of brilliant plumage, monkeys, wild cats, ordinary tabbies, terriers and even tiger cubs.