1871J The Great Pyramid of Egypt. 25 



That is, the Prussians, if they will enter the competition, 

 must not stop until they have made Cologne Cathedral 

 exceed every other building of the world infinitely, both in 

 height and every other good mechanical quality, and can 

 likewise guarantee that it will be lasting and in sound condi- 

 tion 4000 years after everything that is at present standing 

 has returned to dust or mud. 



But as it is evident they will never do that, the Great 

 Pyramid remains untouched in its isolation as the most 

 solemn of all architectural works ; and if, before many more 

 years pass by from the present date of the world, some 

 modern building shall at last be raised to the same, or even 

 a greater height in inches, it will be merely to show all men, 

 and in the most practical and lasting of all the arts and' 

 sciences, that human progressive development in mind and 

 education, combined with national growth in population and 

 wealth, after a painful schooling of full four thousand years, 

 has at last only just succeeded in enabling man, slowly and 

 with the utmost difficulty, to creep up to again, and touch once 

 more, that towering height from which he once fell morally ; 

 when refusing to profit by knowledge as it was then commu- 

 nicated to the patriarchs of his race, full, complete at once, 

 and perfect at all points, — he went off on his own founda- 

 tion, and to indulge in his own inventions. 



5. The Argument of the Early Wooden Theory. 



There is, indeed, another architectural argument occa- 

 sionally resorted to, in order to tone down the almost 

 evidently supra-natural manner in which the Great Pyramid 

 takes its place suddenly and absolutely in the history of 

 man, as thus : — 



" The previous architecture may have been of wood, and 

 has therefore perished." 



" Well !" we may answer, indulging in our turn for a while 

 in using as history what some term only human fable, 

 " very likely it was of wood :" for not only must all men's 

 minds in that early day have been still most notably impressed 

 with the majesty of that gigantic work of naval carpentry, 

 whose dimensions to be were given to Noah by Divine 

 inspiration (and which has never been successfully exceeded 

 since) ; and of course weaker minds were always showing 

 their admiration by imitating its style, though in ever so 

 distant a degree ; — but the earliest existing stone architecture 

 of most countries does imitate forms and constructions of 

 pure wood. 



Nay, indeed, round about the Great Pyramid itself there 



VOL. VIII. (O.S.) — VOL. I. (N.S.) E 



