The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-11-10
A lironf Picture.

fr@torlGm, SO long on exnlDltlon IN
London, is from the pen of Margaret J.
Preston, and was published in the
Sunday School Times:
The moment of action is, believe, en-.
tirely original in its conception. 1t repre-
sents Christ decending the broad marble
staircase leading from the pratorium, just
after His fna! condemnation by the
Roman governor. This broad staircase
occupies the centre of the picture, and
down its shallow steps our Lord descends.
The august figure moving forward in its
awful solitariness is the central point
towards which every face in the multi
tude Is directed, and which holds the
eye of the spectator with fascinating
gaze. He is clothed, not in the dead
white of linen, but in the softer-hued
undyed woolen toga. There is not an
acces ;ory about Him to divert attention
from the Divine humanity of the straight
orward-looking face. The arms are
dropped on each side; there is no aureole
about the head, or, if any, it is so faint
as not to attract attention. There is a
total avoidance of that meek beauty,
that feminine auburn hair, that delicacy
of complexion and feature, and that
characterless softness, which mark all
the heads of Christ in the pictures of
the old masters, not even excepting
RaphaePs.
On each side, separated only by the
balustrades of the stairway, surge and
seethe the shrielzing, excited multitude,
who cry. "Away with Him! away with
Himl Cruelty Him! cruelty Him" -
who clnch their fists across the railing,
and with demoniac rage fling upon Him
their ribald revilings, and gloat over
His condemnation, with faces of fcnd
like vengeance; on the other side crowd
the callous hearted, Indifferent Roman
officials and soldiery, too much &C.
customed to the sight OF cruelty, woe,
and blood to be in the least moved by the
majesty of the Innocent Sufferer.
It will be remembered that at the feast
of the Passover almost ever nationality
of the then known word was accustomed
to be represented, and consequently we
have here field for the ARTISTS pencil
the proud Pharisee, the scowling Scribe,
the bowling Jewish populace, the refined
Greek, the stately Persian, the Arab of
the desert, the scoffiog Roman, the
gaping African, and the philosophic
Egyptian. On these faces every possible
passion is depicted-hatc, vindictive
wrath, exulting vengeance, solid salts
faction, naughty Indifference, scorn,
vulgar curiosity, depreciation, cold
wonder, and here and there, upon some
startled female face, the yearning OF q
fathomless compassion. Between these
two opposing throngs moves the Christ.
in the >lime dignity of His God-hood,
with majesty as calm as the unap-
proachable heavens overhead. There is
an infinite unconsciousncss of the shrick-
ing multitude around Him. He sees
nothing, He hears nothing. He is alone
between the etcrnities. His unblench-
ing eye is fixed upon the inexorablc
Justice that sits upon the everlasting
throne. Hc seems to say, II shall sec
of the travail of My soul, and shall be
satisfied" The superhumau dignity,
the unshakcn serenity, the loftiness Of
purpose, the majestic acqulcsccncc, the
transcendent sorrow of the Son of Man,
surely were never so portrayed by mortal
pencil. The sense of scparatcncss (the
threading of tine wine-prcss alonc',), the
miracle of that faraway gaze, the susges-
ton of awful solitariness, arc insrira-
tions. We felt as if VIC must veil our
eyes, and shrink back from sight OF
such sacred awlulncss!
Say to the powers of thy soul and
members of thy body, as the mother of
Jesus said to the servants of the house Of
Cana of Galilce, "Whatsoevcr He saith
unto you, do it." All the powers Of thy
soul should wait on Him; thy under
standing to get light and direction from
Him; thy will to obey Ills will; thy af-
fections, like so many messengers, to run
whittier and when He commands them;
thy outward senses that arc the ports by
which infection comes into the soul, and
by which affection goes out to tcmpta-
tion-will then be subjected TO Christ's
power and command. When king is
received into city, the keys of the gate
arc delivered unto bim. So heart that
hath received Christ, prays earnestly to
him that lie would set strict watch over
its senses, that no thought come in or go
out without his special warrant. --Col-
rille.
A man in Boston hotel recently Or
dered beer at dinner, then seeing that the
lady near him wore the white ribbon, he
recalled the order and apologizcd, say
ing: "Excuse me, madam, dld not OBJ
serve that you wore the white ribbon