Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1891-12-02
MARS HILL
DR.. Talmaee Describes His Visit to
tho Acropolis,
The Center OF Athens. OF Greece. OF tho
Worid-Marbio Architecture That Has
stood for Ages-A Monarch
OF All Ruins

49,
OF All Ruins
DIR. Talmagc's sermon Sunday was
taken from Acts xviii, 10: "Whilc Paul
waited for them at Athens his spirit
was stirred in him when he saw the
city wholly given 20 idolatry."
1t seemed as II morning would never
come. We had arrived after dark in
Athens. Greece. and the night was
slcepless with expectation. and my
watch slowly announced to me
and and 8 and o'clock; and
ut the first ray of dawn / called
our party to look out of the win
dow upon that city to which Paul
said he was a debtor, and to which the
whole earth is debtor for Greek nrchi-
lecture, Greek sculpture, Greek poetry,
Greek eloquence, Greek prowess and
Greek history. That morning in Attn
ems we sauntcred forth armed with
most generous and lovely letters from
the president OF the United States and
his secretary OF state. aud during all
our stay in that city those letters caused
every door and every gate and every
temple and every palace to swing open
name on earth to-day is America
The signature of an American presi-
dent and secretary of state will take n
man where an army would not. Those
names brought US into the presence of
n most gracious and beautiful SOW
ereign. the queen of Greece, and her
cordiality was more like that OF q sister
than the occupant of q throne room
No formal bow as when monarchs are
approached. but n cordial shake of the
hand and earnest questions about our
personal welfare and our beloved coun-
try far away. But this morning we
pass through where stood the Agora,
the ancient market place. the locality
where philosophers used to meet their
disciples, walking while they talked.
and where Paul. the Christian logician.
flung many n proud Stole, and got the
laugh on many an impertinent Epi-
curean.
The markct-place was the center of
social and political life, and it was the
place where people went to tell and
hear the news. Booths and bazars
were set up for merchandise of all
kinds, except meat, but every thing
must be sold for cash. and there must
be no lying about the value of com
modities and the Agoranomi who ruled
the place could intlict severe punish
ment upon offenders. The different
schools of thinkers had distinct places
set apart for convocation. The Plateans
must meet at the cheese market, the
Decelians at the barber shop. the sell
ers of perfumes mt the frankincense
headquarters. The market place was
n space $50 yards long and $50 wide, and
was given up to gossip and merchan-
disc, and lounging. and philosophizing.
All this you need to know in order to
understand the Bible when it says of
Paul, Therefore disputed he in the
market daily with them that met him 4"
You see it was the best place to get an
audience, and if man feels himself
called to preach he wants people TO
preach to- But before we make our chief
visits of to-day we must take a turn at
the Stadium. 1t is little way out, but
go we must The Stadium was the
place where the foot-races occurred.
Paul had been out there, no doubt,
for he frequently uses the scenes of
that place as figures when he tells us:
Let us run the race that is set before
u.s." and again: "They do it to obtain
corruptible garland, but we an incor-
ruptible." The marble and the gliding
have been removed, but the high
mounds against which the seats were
piled are still there. The Stadium is
ESQ feet long, $50 feet wide and held
40. 900 spectators There Is to-day the
very tunnel through which the defeated
racer departed from the Stadium and
from the Kisses of the people, and there
are the stairs up which the victor went
to the top of the hill to be crowned
with the laurel. In this place contests
with wild beasts sometimes took place,
and while Hadrian, the emperor, sat on
yonder height 1000 beasts were slain in
one cele bration.
But it was chiefly for foot-racing. and
so i proposed to my friend that day
while we were in the Stadium that we
should try which of us could run the
sooner from end to end at this histori-
cal ground, so at the word given by the
lookers-on we started side by side, but
before / got through l found out what
Paul meant when he compares the
spiritual race with the race in this very
Stadium, he says: Lay inside every
wright vi HedNy ONeICOaJs ana my
friends freedom from such encum Der.
ance showed the advantage in any kind
of a race of laying aside every
weight"
We come now to the Acropolis. 1t is
n rock about two miles in circumfer.
cnce at the base and 1 900 feet in cir
conference at the top, and 500 feet
high. On IL has been crowded more
elaborate architecture and sculpture
thanin any other place under the whole
heavens. Originally fortress. after
ward a congregation of temples and
statues and pillars, their ruins an en-
chantment from which no observer ever
breaks away No wonder that Aris-
tides thought it the center of all things:
Greece, the center OF the world: Attica,
the center of Greece; Athens, the CEN
ter of Attica, and the Acropolis, the
center Of Athens Earthquakes have
shaken IL; Verres plundered It.
Lord Elgin, the English ambassador
Il COnstontinople, got permission of
the sultan 90 remove from the Acropo-