Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-01-23
THE LEGEND OF CURTlUS.
ny HENRY PETERSON.


languor oppressed The souls OF all.
In the West black mass OF cloud
lay piled heavily, IL had been creep,
ing, like some here beast, slowly and
Stealthlly up the SKY since morning.
Now, like some huge thing OF evil
some demon or afrte OF the air, i
stood above the Forum and gloomed
sternly down upon Tue heart OF Rome
l. That heart was beating more fear.
iully than was us wont, ior the OLD
men said "lt IL like the stiffness that
precedes an earthquake
"Or IKE when NINA vomlts iorth It's
red-hot lava, and yesuyius finigs up
It's ashes and scuiih, rs u u would des-
olaIe the world
Inc people leit INC open spaces OF
the Forum they clustered IN the
vaulted oasllicas, and under the arches
OF triumph
And IN the sacred temples Oh ths
gods Tor tnougn tney worsn'ppeu
blindiiy, they aiso really worsnipeo 'he
One Father seeing hin' 10 many INA
ges, as through clouded glass.
But the All Father reJecls tne SIN
cere worship ol no nulha'' sou'' ne uc,
cepts inc giit' even "neh onerou
through ignorance IN tue name OF 1u'
plter ana Apollo s,
suddenly oolt OF ilpnlhlhg snoi
from out "hat seenleu ,hv rsn' uanu
OF inc ciouu ueinon' anu tno s'atuo VI
homuius, the iouhuer' 'u"o'eu IRON
its peuestai =, -,
lneh tuo ci,y was snahen WIN .n9 '
SHOCK OF sar.niuaAe 'ne .lu"'P""'
arones ana l1e temples quiScreu' s
Inc Psop,o nas'enou M ,ro''i tnol' i
houses lhto Tue streets l"cy 'hp'or.
Gu WIN c,les anu prayers '"0 "'''y
Oh .no gouS' -, -. ,.,...,
anu III Tue ioru,r e,e"' ouns'i,
was seen 10 open " hen 'noy ga,neu
courage 10 approach ''s sues anu 'ooh
uoWh 'ncy coulu 1'Sceril no oo',o'i.
ana from tue cnas'' asconueu " va
por oi snlphurous smoke us u IL might
DC inc forming crater OF volcano;
lheh the senators OF nome ga.ner'
ca together snc they asked oi W .ne
hogurs ana ooo'hsayerS "na' 'nese
thil'gs coulu mean :,
ana now the terrlole onasm coulu
DC closed, that IL misnt not grow t ,nto
volcano oelchlhg iortn nro ana 'aVa
and ashes.
Ahd the OWNERS ana ooothsayers
looS couhsel toge'ner' ana 'nus 'ney
'laue answer
The gods are angry win US on
ConScrlpt fatners, because we nave
neglected TO pay them que homage
NOW, iet inc most precious tn'hg
IN Rome he thrown INTO tne chaSm'
ana we shall thus appease the WRATH
oi the great gods,
Then the question ran from mouth !:
10 mouth, ~ nc most precious tnlhg IN
home! W nat II the most precious
thing IN home
And some SAID 1t was the pubiie
treasure But others sa'd !, was the
ia'rest womancJnl'a' the oniy daugh'
ter oi Marcus Cnruus;
And the people smiled approvln,g'y'
YES, The sacrihce o' a beautiful virgin
had ever been the most precious glii
that could De offered 10 an onehdcu
goo:
"Ibus, HeslOne, the daughter OF La
omedon, King Of Troy, had been offer.
cd by her father to the sea monster,
TO assuage the righteous wrath OF Nep-
tune.
"For Neptune had built the walls OF
his city, and yet he refused TO pay
him his just due.
"And lphigenla bad been offered up
by her father Agamomnon, when the
Grecian fleet lay idle, becalmed at
Aulis, that the offended goddess Diana
might be appeased."
But the father OF Julia, Marcus Cur
thus, reputed to be the bravest man in
Rome, giving short sigh, stepped for.
ward, aud thus addressed the people
mo, my felIow-citizens and Romans
neither is the public treasure, nor a
iair, weak girl, the most precious
thing in Rome.
"That thing is surely the most pre-
cious which Rome could not be Rome
a SINGLE year without.
at is not the gold of Rome were
that wrastad fran' "a, Que s.-onB arms
could easily procure us more.
at is not our beautiful maidens, for
were they all dead, the sons OF those
who took the Sabine women could not
long want Tor wives
"rhe most precious thing IN Rome
must be It's noblest citizens; dlstln'
gulshed above all the rest for wisdom
or for daring
And the Angurs said HE has spo
ken truly. The bravest and noblcst
citizen OF Rome IL the most precious
thing within its walls, And thou,
Marcus Curtius, art the man
And the people oil joined III the yer.
dict, shouting, Thou hast spoken tru-
ly and thou Marcus Curlius, art the
man.
Then Marcus Curlias looked on bis
daughter, ana snilieu triumphant
smile
And as she icl' BACK senseiess, ho
caught her III DIS arms, ana Kissed her'
ana oaue MS servants pear her 10 'helr
home.
Ihen he arrayea himself IN his hnes,
SUIT OF armor ana LOOK n's SWORD ana
his shield ana mounted his iavor''e
war horse
And ut'er'ng prayer 10 'he gods
w'ih a PROUD, sweet % s'n'le on nus ., lacO,
bis horse to take the fatal spring.
Down he plunged into the uniath-
,...ll.. ..,1f nua ,on,..,t to ,u.u