The Press., 1888-11-01

gathered to see the sports. Foot and char lot races, wrestling matches and all forms of the old oiympian games follow, ending with gladiatorial contest, in which fighting to the death is the rule. A large share of the contestants are the christian prisoners. When all but two of the combatants are slain, Thirza suddenly discovers that they are Salinus, her brother, and Spalatro, her protector. She entreats Nero to put an end to the contest, but he mercilessly orders # to proceed to the death. Where upon Thirza rushes frantically from the box, only to reach the combatants just as Spalatro falls pierced by her brothers sword. With a shriek of agony she falls on his dead body. At lNeroIs orders the guards rush forward and seize the Rirl, but Salinus throws them off and frees her. Falling on her knees. she prays her brother to slay her, to save her from Neros impure advances. He hesitates, but as the guards attempt to seize her the second time he stabs her to the heart. Raising her clasped hands to heaven she falls dead. Then fol- lows the slaughter of large number of christians, among them all that are left of Thirza's family some of them are wrapped in inflammable materials, fastened to high posts and set on fire, while by the light of these human torches Nero's fiendish sports are carried on.
 The scene again changes and the interior eff Nero's magnificent palace is shown dur ing grand festival. To exquisite music, large numbers of knights, gladiators and dancing girls come forth, forming a line several hundred feet in length. The danc- ing girls are in front, each company dress- cd in different colors, costumes of rosc- color, blue and gold and purple. Back of hn Enf nd olo ranged, bearing aloft large arches of starry white flowers, which wave and rise and fail in harmony with the music and the move ments of the dancers. Hands, head and feet, waving wands, fiuttering silken drap- cry, glittering armor, and snowy flower arches glide together in graceful, rythmic movements, while over all play softly vari- ous colored lights, forming a picture of wondrous beauty, which dazzles the eyes and enthralls the senses of the spell-bound spectators. The long line breaks up, and they mingle in numberless intricate dances, the perfect movements and wonderful oom- binations seeming to have exhausted hu- man ingenuity to devise another figure.
 Suddenly the lights are extinguished and the stage is left in darkness. Our from every part of it pour the dancers bearing lighted torches. In and out, up and down and across, interlacing, separating, gliding hither and thither in perfectly intoxicat- ing, bewildering revel of torches. But the torches suddenly fade before the fierce glare of light behind them.
 Rome is on fire
 Palaces and temples are wrapped in flames. The air is full of the shrieks of the frightened inhabitants, the crash of falling buildings and the roar of the flames. Then in the center the smoke clears away and there is revealed tableau of what the near future is to bring-Gslba proclaimed emperor, and Nero, the tyrant, murderer and persecutor, hunted to the death, stabbed to the heart to escape the fury of his en- ragged people; while high above the dead tyrant's head suddenly flashes out an i'm mense cross. Against the darkness of the heavens iD the background it's stars gleam with the brilliancy of millions of jewels, fit symbol of the light then rising, which was to shine upon the darkness of organism and superstition-the dawn of christianity.