Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-11-29
Roman ssruR1ry.


which, according to JuveuL, had be
come as much necessaries of life to tn,
people as their daily bread. supplies O
itself most remarkable illustration o
the particular phase of human nature
That In an advanced period of material
civilization spectacles whereof the one
grand interest consisted IN the elaborate
and wholesale torture and carnage O.
men and animals should not only have
been tolerated with scarcely protest
for centuries, but should have formed
the chief and indispensable amusement
OF both sexes and all classes of the
population, including the highest-this
appears at first sight to modern think
ers a moral fact almost incredible in its
arroclty. And so firm, moreover, was
their hold ON popular sympathy that
they lasted long after the conversion Of
the empire to Christianity. Constan-
tine, to be sure, issued an edict suppress
sing the gladiatoriaI shows, but it was
suffered to remain dead letter, and it
was not until nearly century later,
when the Asiatic monk Telemachus
leaped into the arena and separated the
combatants at the cost of his own life
he was stoned to death by the indignant
spectators-that thes games were finally
polished. Something may be due to
the religious origin of the custom, which
Is commonly alleged to have sprung out
OF rite of human sacrifice offered at the
tombs OF great men, though some scho
lars, ike Mommsen. deny the existence
OF human sacrifice. Later on motives
OF policy conspired to sustain the prac-
tice, both Us means of keeping up the
military spirit of the people aud as OF
ferlng the sole opportunity under des-
potic Emperor for the thousands OF ciu-
zens then assembled in presence of their
sovereign and his Ministers to present
petitions and make known their griev-
ances. Still these explanations do not
carry Us very far, Theatrical entertain
ments such as the Greeks delighted in
would have answered the latter purpose
at least quite as well, but for appreclat-
ing such refined amusemeDts these
CHASTITY orgies of blood quite untitled
the Roman populace. And it is a curl
GUS fact noticed by a distinguished
modern writer that, as different kinds
of vice which might appear TO have NO
mutual connection do yet act and react
on one another, to here the intense crav-
ing after excitement engendered and
gratitied by gladiatorlal combats
served to stimulate the taste for such
orgies of sensuality as are described by
historians like Tacitus and SQetonius.
And hence not only was Hercules burn
ed on the stage, not In efiigy but in the
person OF condemned criminal, but
the deeds of the gods and heroes were
represented, as Juvenal says, to the
life. Nor can it be questioned-and
it is chiefly in order to illustrate that
terrible lesson that we have referred to
the subject here-that the gladiatorial
shows betrayed NO merely Indifference
to human suffering, but that capacity
for real and keen pleasure IL the con-
temptation OF suffering, as such, which
many are 10th for the credit OF human
nature to admit. Suetonius, Tor IL
stance, tells us that it was the special
delight OF Claudius to watch the faces
of the expiring glsdlators, as he had
come to take kind of artistic pleasure
In observing the variations of their
agony. Heliogabalus and Galerius
used to regale themselves while at the
table with the spectacle of animals de-
voured by the Wild beasts, and Lac
tantius says of Galerius that she never
supped without human blood" And,
what is more horriable still, beautiful
eyes, trembling with passion, looked
down upon the fight, and the noblest
ladies' In Rome, even the Empress her.
self, had been known to crave the VIC
tors love-" A'story told by st. Au-
gustine exhibits the CHASTITY fascination
of the spectacle. A Christian friend OF
his had someh w been drawn INTO the
the amphitheaire, which Christians
were strictly forbidden to enter, and
resolved to guard against thetemptation
to sinful injoyment by keeping his eyes
closed; a sudden cry led him to look up,
and he was unable to Withdraw his gaze
again