The Semitic Museum.

Any one who has failed to visit the new Semitic Museum should certainly go there while Professor Lyon is in attendance to explain the various collections. On the left as one enters is a series of large relieves representing different scenes in the life of Assurnazirpal, king of Assyria from 883-859 B. C. In the first the king is seated by the sacred tree, holding aloft in adoration of the gods, the sacred cone. He next appears in a hunting scene. As a priest performing the rites of sacrifice, he is represented with wings showing the tendency of the Assyrians to associate their kings deities. On other tablets his warlike nature is expressed.

In addition to these is a set of tablets which are connected with the Hittites. The writing is hieroglyphical and has never been deciphered. The sarcophagus of Eshiminazar II, king of Sidon, (300, B. C.,) is a cast, the original of which is at the Louvre. It is Fgyptian in style and was probably made in Egypt. The inscriptions give among other things the genealogy of the king, with the addition of territory during the reign, and calls down curses on any who may dare to open the tomb.

The original objects are, perhaps, even more interesting than the casts. These consist of clay tablets, containing records of ancient life and customs; amulets, written in Syriac and worn to keep away evil spirits; Babylonian and Assyrian seals which were used as charms and for stamping written documents; and ancient Persian coins.

There is a valuable collection of manuscripts in Hebrew, Arabic and Syriac, written on parchment and rolled in the characteristic way of the Hebrews. Among the manuscripts are passages from the prophets, Pentateuch, the Shofar, which is used even now in the Jewish services, and the Book of Ruth.

Nearly 1,000 photographs of Semitic scenes complete this excellent collection.