The doors opened this morning to what is probably the greatest art exhibit ever to be displayed in Chicago. I'm, of course, speaking about the "Treasures of Tutankhamen" show at Chicago's Field Museum.

Estimates are that about one million will view the display here before it moves on in August. As high as this number sounds, large crowds and excitement have surrounded King Tut for hundreds of years. There have always been tales told about him through the ages. When his tomb was accidentally unearthed in 1922, the world went crazy with excitement and anticipation.

Many items were found untouched by time. Most of these were made of gold and alabaster and withstood deterioration. However, items made of leather and cloth rotted away.

There seems to be many reasons for such excitement over an otherwise unimportant ruler. Nothing spectacular occurred during his rule, and there are no huge statues carved in his image such as in the case of more powerful pharaohs. One of the reasons for the excitement is that Tut's tomb was unearthed with most of its treasure intact. Before this, archeologists were lucky if even the mummy itself still remained in other stripped tombs. Another reason could be that King Tut ruled as a boy from nine until his

untimely death at only 19. Even today we don't know why he died. The third reason is that his tomb was discovered during the Roaring '20's. This was a time when the sensational newspapers blew any story out of proportion no matter how important or unimportant it really was. It was a way to start yet another fad of Tut fashions in dress, along with other fads like mah-jongg and crossword puzzles.

If you miss this exhibit, you'll miss a bit of ancient Egypt itself. When you look at the artifacts and see the intricate designs carved in them and then realize that they were made by a socalled less advanced civilization over 3,000 years ago, you begin to wonder how they were able to perform such feats of artistry.

The cost seems to worry everyone, especially these days; but a surprise will greet you as you reach for your wallet or purse. For an adult the cost is only $1.50. For people up to 17 it's only $.50, and all students with ID's pay only $.50 also. There's no charge to anyone on Fridays.

You TV freaks who can't tear yourselves away from the screen don't know what you're missing in life. Seeing this exhibit might break up an otherwise monotonous routine of sleep, work, eat, TV, and sleep again. We urge you to see the exhibit so that you get a feeling of what life was like in an ancient desert civilization called Egypt.