jf'RFDERtoK A. LYONS. 
m 
ship this image. Thousands traveled over land and sea, and un¬ 
derwent incredible hardships to stand in overpowering awe before 
it, and pay their tributes of devotion and respect. Many spent 
their whole lives in trying to catch a glimpse of her features, and 
penetrate the mystery o£ those words that seemed so pregnant 
with meaning. Numerous priests devoted themselves to the rites 
of her worship, and to the instruction of those who were still un¬ 
initiated but wished to be enrolled among the legions of her 
votaries. 
In those days it was considered a title to honor to be a priest 
devoted to this worship, and many years of hard and earnest pre¬ 
paration were necessary to fit the devotee to become worthy of 
the dignity. . But, it is said, that after he was once admitted, the 
pleasure of the pursuit of his vocation, and the joy of the posses¬ 
sion of those secrets reserved for the ardent followers of the cause, 
fully compensated him for all his previous hardships. 
Thousands of years have elapsed since then, but things have 
not changed. We to-day are, in this respect, the ancient Egyp¬ 
tians, and still stand before the mysterious figure, wrapt in awe 
and admiration, and marvel at that sublime inscription, ■“ I am 
what I am , and no mortal has ever yet uncovered my face. Who 
can say that he has penetrated the secret of nature, that he has 
uncovered her face, that he has as yet lifted that veil which con¬ 
ceals the spring, the source, the cause of what we to-day call na¬ 
ture, and that they symbolized by the statue of Isis! 
To-day, in the nineteenth century, the same conditions exist. 
We recognize above, beneath, and around us an all-pervading 
force that is shrouded in mystery. On every hand we behold evi¬ 
dences of a material universe of which we ourselves constitute but 
an insignificant fraction. We know that there are vast worlds 
and systems of worlds in space. We observe the earth composed 
of land and water, varying in its surface and undergoing modifi¬ 
cations of form, immense changes occurring even in a single gen¬ 
eration. We see myriads of plants of all forms and sizes spiing- 
ing forth from the ground, blossoming, and then falling into de¬ 
cay. Under our eyes are millions of animal beings possessing the 
characteristics of life and motion. All of these wonderful things 
