Ode to a Grecian Urn

I accompanied by son's sixth-grade class on a trip to the Princeton University Art Museum today, which provided quite a study in contrasts between the young and the . . . ancient. The museum has small but impressive collections of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Medieval art, and it was interesting to observe these kids' reactions to the mummy cases, nude statuary and bloody crucifixes. Unruly and giggly before they entered the exhibit rooms, they quieted down considerably once inside. There's something about standing over a 5,000-year-old pharoah's coffin or gazing at a perfectly preserved vase from 350 BC that seems to bring out a certain reverance in everyone, it seems--even gum-snapping preteens. Still, they enjoyed the lunch break in the university's ultra-modern cafe the most, I think--an entire wall of the dining area is covered by a liquid crystal display that alternates between astronomical photos and excerpts from various artistic websites.