1899.] MINUTES. 7'd 



hidden by the overlying soil and fine debris that the localities of the 

 famous city were but vaguely known. This stone stela was found in 

 the region of the temple of Astarte, and by many of those who examined 

 it the relief was considered to be a figure of the Goddess Astarte feeding 

 carnivorous, and presumably sacred, animals with the entrails and 

 genitals of the victim of a sacrifice. 



I was discouraged at the very meagre results obtained by antiquarians 

 who had studied the locality, and shocked to contemplate how entirely 

 that great city was obliterated. Once she claimed to control the whole 

 western Mediterranean Sea so effectually that "no one could wash his 

 hands in it without her permission." Her fleets and armies, her agri- 

 culture and pomology, her stock raising and her temples are only known 

 to us through her enemies, the Romans ; but these naturally biased his- 

 torians freely acknowledged that she excelled the world. At the time 

 of our visit only mounds of earth were to be seen there, covered with 

 very small fragments of different-colored marbles, some fine large pieces 

 of marble steps that evidently had formed portions of a great stairway to 

 the sea gate, and a number of large subterranean reservoirs supposed to 

 have been used for water storage, these being in pretty fair condition, 

 and in strong contrast with the utter and absolute ruin of all else. 



Which was followed by a verbal communication by Dr. Mor- 

 ris, as follows : 



It has been said that Abdel Kader when brought as a prisoner to Paris 

 was taken to Versailles and asked his opinion as to the celebrated paint- 

 ings of the battles in Africa, where he had borne such an heroic part. 

 He replied that "if an Arab had portrayed them he would probably 

 have done so very difi'erently." It is well for us to remember that nearly 

 all we know of the Carthaginian empire, people or customs has come to 

 us through Roman sources, and that the "Punica fides " which we have 

 learned of in our childhood might seem very difierent if heard of from 

 the other side. While I would not be considered as an apologist for the 

 worship of Astarte, which we know of from Syrian and Phcenician as 

 well as from Greek and Roman sources, passing as it does into that of 

 Aphrodite and Nero, of Venus and Juno, or of sexual love, whether 

 normal and pure or abnormal and illicit, it still remains true that 



C'est toujours ramour, I'amour, 

 Qui fait le monde a la ronde. 



Human nature has been and is the same in all climes, ages, civilizations 

 and religions ; and it behooves us in inquiring about them to treat them 

 fairly as we would seek to have done to our own views. It is in this 

 manner I would study this relic, all too rare, as our friend, Dr. Thomas C. 

 Stellwagen has just shown us, of Carthaginian civilization. It is a white 

 sandstone slab, the lower part of which has been broken off and the 

 upper corners sloped nearly but not quite to a point. It is 2 feet 5 inches 



