The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-23


Gave way beneath me. Then q sense Of shame
Aroused me- | advanced. stretched forth my
And pushed the shapeless mass; and at my
touch
1t yielding swung-the branch above it
Creaked-
And back returning struck against my face.
human bodyl Was 1t dead or not2
Swiftly my sword drew and eutit down.
And on the sand all heavily it dropped.
| pucked the robes away. exposed the face
Twas Judas as feared cold. stiff, and dead
That suffering heart of his had ceased to beat"
Thus Lysias spoke, and ended. | confess
Ibis story Of poor Judas touched me much.
Whist horrible revusions must have pTssed
Across that spirit in those few last hours!
What storms. that tore up life even to its roots
Say what you wil-graut all the gult-and still
What pangs of dread remorse-What agonies
OF desperate repentance, all too late.
In that wild interval between the crime
And its last sad atonementl-llfe. the while.
Laden with horror all too great to bear,
And pressing madly on to deaths abyss:
This was no common mind that thus could feel
No vulgar villain SHINING Tor reWardl
Was he villain lost to sense Of shame?
Ay, so say John and Peter and the rest:
And yet-and vet this tale that Lysias tells
Weighs with me more the more ponder it.;
For thus put 1t: Either Judas was.
AS John affirms. villain and a thief
Or else. which is the view that Lysias takes.
He was a rash and visionary man
Whose faith was firm, who had no thought of
crme
But whom terrible mistake drove mad.
Take but Johns view. and all to me is blind.
Call him villain who, with greed of gain,
For thirty silver pieces sold his Lord
Does not the bride seem all too small and
He held the common purse and were he thief
Had daily power to steal. and lay aside
SO doing. h5 had nothing risked Of fame.
While here he braved he scorn OF all the world.
Besides. why choose they for their amoner
a m "a N ar prpnH2
Or why. from some five score of trusted men,
Choose him as one apostle among twelve?
Or why, Ii he were known to be SO vile,
And who can hide his baseness at all times?
Keep him in close communion to the last2
Nsanght In his previous lifs Or acts words
Leaps all at once to such q height Of crime.
Again how comes it that this wretch, whose
Is cased to shame filings back the paltry bribe9
And, when he knows his master is condemned,
BUSHES in horror out to seek his death?
Whose fingers pointed at him IN the crowd?
Did all men fee his presence till he found
Death came too close upon the heels of crime.
He had but done what all his tribe deemed Just:
All the great mass mean the upper class
| The Rabbits. all the Pharisees and Priests
| Ay, and the lower mob as well who cried
| Give us Barabbasl Christus to the crossl'
These men were, all of them on Judas side,
| And judas had done naught against the law.
| We're he this villain he had but to say,
| Il followed Chrstus till found at last
| | did the duty of an honest man.
| Itraitorl-you are traitors who reprove"
Besides. such Williams scorns the worlds re-
| proof.
Or he night say. You call this act crime?
! What crime was it to say know this man?
| | said no i'll of him. If crime there be.
Twas yours. who doomed him unto death: not
mne.'
| A villain was he? SO Barrabbas wasl
But did Barrabbas go and hang himself
Weary OF life-the murderer and thief
| This coarse and vulgar way viii never do.
| Grant him q villain. all his acts must be
Acts of villain; if you once admit
Remorse 50 bitter that 1t leads to death,
| And death so instant on the heels OF crime
| You grant spirit sensitive to shame,
So sensitive that life can yield no Joys
| To cOunteTbalance one bad act: but then
| A nature such as this. though led astray,
When, greatly tempted. is no thorough wretch.
| Tempt such nature to a crime like this?
l say, to me it simply seems absurd.
Peter at least, was not so sensitive.
| He cursed and swore. denying that he knew
| Who the man Christus was: but after all
He only Wept-he never hanged himself.
But take the other view that Lysias takes,
| All is at once consistent clear, complete
| Firm in the faith that Chrstus was his God,
| The great Messiah sent to save the world.
He, seeking for a sgn,..not for himself.
Conceived this plan. rash if you will, but grand.
| Thinking him man." he said. mere mortal
man,
| They seek to seize him-I will make pretense
To take the public bride and point him out.
| And they shall go, all armed with swords and
| staves
| Strong with the power of law, to seize him
| And at their touch he. God himself. shall stand
| Revealed before them, and their swords shall
| drop.
And PROSTATE all before Him shall adore,
| And cry. Behold the Lord and King of allH
| but when the soldiers laid their hands on Him
| And bound him as they would prisoner vile.
With taunts. and mockery. and threats of
| death
| He all the while submitting-then his dream
| Burst into fragments with a crash aghast
| The whole world reeled before him: the dread
truth
| Swooped like sea upon him. bearing down
| His thoughts in wild confusion He who
| dreamed
| To open the gates of glory to his Lord,
| ODened in heir stead the pris on's Earring door
| And saw above him his dim dream Of Love
| Change to a Fury stained with blood and crime
| And then madness seized him. and remorse
| With pangs of torture drove him down to death.
| Conceive with me that sad and suffering heart
| If this be true that Lysias says-Conceive!
| Alasi Orestes. not so sad thy fate.
For thee Apollo pardoned. purified
Thy Furies were appeased, thy peace returned ;
But Judas persisted tortured unto death.
Unpardon'd. unappeased. unpurifed.
And long as Christus shall be known of men