But when the country grew older and better roads had been built and the Egyptians had begun to travel, the old "fetishes," as such chunks of stone and wood were called, lost their importance and were thrown away or were left in a neglected corner or were used as doorsteps or chairs. Their place was taken by new gods who were more powerful than the old ones had been and who represented those forces of nature which influenced the lives of the Egyptians of the entire valley. First among these was the Sun which makes all things grow. Next came the river Nile which tempered the heat of the day and brought rich deposits of clay to refresh the fields and make them fertile. Then there was the kindly Moon which at night rowed her little boat across the arch of heaven and there was Thunder and there was Lightning and there were any number of things which could make life happy or miserable according to their pleasure and desire. Ancient man, entirely at the mercy of these forces of nature, could not get rid of them as easily as we do when we plant lightning rods upon our houses or build reservoirs which keep us alive during the summer months when there is no rain. On the contrary they formed an intimate part of his daily life--they accompanied him from the moment he was put into his cradle until the day that his body was prepared for eternal rest. Neither could he imagine that such vast and powerful phenomena as a bolt of lightning or the flood of a river were mere impersonal things. Some one--somewhere--must be their master and must direct them as the engineer directs his engine or a captain steers his ship. A God-in-Chief was therefore created, like the commanding general of an army. A number of lower officers were placed at his disposal. Within their own territory each one could act independently. In grave matters, however, which affected the happiness of all the people, they must take orders from their master. The Supreme Divine Ruler of the land of Egypt was called Osiris, and all the little Egyptian children knew the story of his wonderful life. Once upon a time, in the valley of the Nile, there lived a king called Osiris. He was a good man who taught his subjects how to till their fields and who gave his country just laws. But he had a bad brother whose name was Seth. Now Seth envied Osiris because he was so virtuous and one day he invited him to dinner and afterwards he said that he would like to show him something. Curious Osiris asked what it was and Seth said that it was a funnily shaped coffin which fitted one like a suit of clothes. Osiris said that he would like to try it. So he lay down in the coffin but no sooner was he inside when bang!--Seth shut the lid. Then he called for his servants and ordered them to throw the coffin into the Nile.