St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-08-21
Mars Hill.
REV. DIR. C. L. GooDELL IN THE AD-
VANCE.

REV. DIR. C. L. GOODELL IN THE AID
, VANCE.
We>IAe made no more interestin,
Ust to sacred places outside Jerusa
lem-rhan to the Areopagus, where st
Paul preached the Gospel to the Athen
ians- The plan of our travels ha,
taken us past the leading places il
connection with his history. We saw
Tarsus where Paul was born KedrOn
where he witnessed the death of the
first Christian martyr near st Stephens
gate; the plain near Damascus where
he was led to accept the Christian life
Ephesus, where for the space of three
years he preached salvation from house
to house with tears; the waters neal
Mlletus where his shipwreck occurred
Puteoli, where the Castor and POHul
first landed him in Italy; the Manner
tine prison where he was confined in
R4me and the sacred, sad spot where
his execution took place.
Bnt there was IA charm and reality
in xSrS Hill which made the visit verv
de- ID. 1t was a sunny spring day.
and the sea and plains round about
Athens were aglow with light and
beauty which have been the fascina-
tiOn of generations of men. 1t was
also the fifth of May, the twenty fifth
anniversary of our wedding ;iay. 1t
was very happy and appropriate way
TO pass such an occasion. | recon-
mend to any who desire an especially
happy silver wedding to spend the day
on Mars Hill, Notwithstanding Panl
was IL bachelor.
Mars Hill is large natural rock
with neither buildings upon it nor
around it near at hand. 1t is reached
by stone steps cut in the native rock.
The top is spacious and nearly level,
where many may stand or sit. On the
east of il, only few rods away, is the
Temple of Jupiter and the Prison of
Socrates on the South and much lower
the bema of DemOsthenes, from which
the great orators of Athens addressed
the multitudes. This also rs native
rock, somewhat uneven at the top, but
very broad, accommodating thousands.
Formerly the orator stood facing the
sea, which is seen only Il few miles
away, with his back to the people, but
in succeeding times he turned his back
to the sea and spoke to the people di-
rectly; as, in the Roman Forum, the
speakers in early history addressed
the Capitol with their faces from the
people, but later on they turned around
and spoke to the popular heart. On
the west is the Temple of Theseus and
the modern city of Athens; on the
north the AcropOlis, the wonderful art
center of the ancient world, its mas
sive gates facing Mars Hill, and upon
its summit the golden statue of Mi
nerva, and the Parthenon with its in
comparable grace and beauty.
Mars Hill is not nearly as high as
the Acropolis, and a wide road-space
separates them; yet Mars Hill seems
high, and the view from it is command
ing and impressive. More ages of
culture and art and thought gather
about this spot than any other in his
tory. 1t is where the ancient world
reached its highest point. 1t would
require n thousand wedding days to
take in tie full splendOr of the scene
DR.. Constantine told us that Joseph
Cook came to Athens to spend nine
days, and remained nine weeks.
Solomon saw the end of all perfec-
tion, but no man has seen the end of
fine art in Athens. Paul preached here
on Mars Hill in presence of Areopagite,
philosopher and poet, and curious
crowd who chad nothing to do but to
hear and to tell some new thing" 1t
was the supreme point of refined, sub
tile, intellectual culture, where all the
graces of art met; yet here the great
Apostle won two converts for his Lord,
and an invitation to preach again.
DiOnysius' heart yielded to the story
of the cross, and Damaris, an hOnora-
ble woman, heartily received that faith
which was to conquer the world; and
others, unnamed, date their new life
from that hour. This was good be-
ginning for that masterly discourse
recorded in the Seventeenth Chapter
of Acts, which has been preaching the
foundation principles of the Gospel to
the unbelieving down eighteen cen
turies.
When philosophy had lost its way
in Athens among its thirty thousand
gods, Paul lifted up the Unknown God,
the God unknown to them, and declared
his power and wisdom and providence
and resurrection glory, as the morning
sun rises on the darkness of the night.
Paufs spirit was stirred within him
when lie saw the city wholly given to
idolatry. The sight of men lost in
spiritual dearth and death and with
holding from God the glory which is
his due, kept the great Apostle to the
white heat of missionary endeavor.
While men were estranged from the
bOunteOus and loving and glorious
Lord, Paul must warn them of their
danger, and teach them that it was in
Him whom they rejected, that they
lived and moved and had their being.
There has been bright book re-
Gently published in America, entitled
"a Day in Athens with Socrates"
read it with much interest on the
steamer outward bound, but day in
Athens with st. Paul, enjoyed more.
COnstdntinOpLe, June.
Raphael's famous cartoon representing Paul
speaking on Mars Hill is misleading. in that it
sfpws fine buildings and works Of art crOwning il
4 hereas the hill is simply nature-pOnderous