The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-03-27

credit, has exercised greater power for the
infatuation Of the other sex than perhaps
even the more orthodox and classical iAs-
citations Of the Helens Of history.
"Cleopatra, ct any rate, -pncceeded In,
demonstrating her possession n . more
potent wand Of enehantmapt-judgins
BY those whom che eaptivpipd74ha ban any
other mythical or historical heroine ofkhe
past. Helen's conquests, after all, and
for all their important consequences, will
not bear q -momsnts comparison with
those Of the Egyptian queen. Paris was
. poor creature, In whatever way We con-
slider him-not by any means remarkable
either for bravery In the6eld or iorahility
in the council chamber; and, in fact, %
farss can b a~sceElAiDed, he ives very
much what an American would describe
asA %no-account man" among his peers
Of windy Troy, Menelaus, perhaps-the
petitioner-was hardly better. He Ger
tainly cuts no conspicuous figure BY the
side either Of Achilles or Of his own
brother and the mere fact that the famous
beauty contriyed 10 ensnafs two such or
binary admirers proves but little aS 10 her
destinations. Besides which, Il must al
ways be borne In mind that she was a.!
sisted by the gods. and thus .enioyedan
unfair advantage over all compositions.
With Cleopatra the case was different.
Marx Antony himself, though wanting in
the sterner qualities Of Q leader, was Ger
tsinly no inconsidsrable man, aud Il must
never be forgotten that . much peatSr
parsonage than Antony fell . victim 70.
the Egyptians viles. Julius Cesar was
very ''hard hit' by her ct their first meet
ing In Syria after the battle Of Pharsalia,
and she followed him 10 Rome with
the evident intention Of retaining hor ~
tendency. There IL no saying what fu-
tufe she might have created for herself
had notthe daggers Of BEutus and his TEL
low eonspiratoFs cut short her ambitions.
Nothing, however, % toFcIbly illus
trates her mastery over men a the story
Of her relations with Anthony. There
Is evidence that he saw her for the first
time in Egypt when she was barely Is
years Of age, and she was . woman Verg
ing upon 30 and charged with the crime
Of numbering her brother when She ap-
poarod before him again and bound him
finally to her car. ThsncefOrth his his
tory became the leading case. col 10 speak,
in the lnfatuatiOn Of love, Just q Cleo
patra herself became the monumental
example Of the power Of woman over
man. THE World Well LOST b the
second title { .thAt great SeTsO-tragSdy.0f
Dryden, which only does not shine out
among the brightest lights Of our dra-
matte Literature because IT, rays are
swallowed up and lost In the Tesplendence
Of it, shakspsarsan rival end The later
drama has bean well named. A larger
stake was never aet in history than that
Tor which Antony and 0ctavius played ct
Actium; andthOugh Il might betoo much
TO say that the former could In any Gaze
have won the day, II b certain enough
that all his chances Of victory were a.
completely squsnderOd y The arms al
CleOpatrA asihaiamOuA psarlWasmslted
in the goblet Of his paramour. Vast -
the sacrifice was, however, 1t seems nat
uraland plausible 10 this Day. No more
picturesque figure than that Of the woman
for whom Il was made has appeared from
heIOwntime down. 10 that Of Mary St1aEb
whom, indeed sheraSembleS 10 her brss-
eIy. her Tpsonres, he paSsiOnsiatempera-
ment, her power over men, her dramatic
and pathetic death, and, No must add
AID. In thaassOsiGtiOns Of crime and vio-
lence, which still cling 10 her name.