The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-12-09
MARS HILL.
Dr.. Talmage Describes His Visit to
the Acropolis,
The Center Of Athens, Of Greece, Of tho
World-Msrble Architecture That Has
Stood for Ages-A Monarch
of All Ruins.

OF All RUINS
Dr.. Talmage's sermon Sunday was
taken from Acts xvii, 16: while Paul
waited for them at Athens his spirit
was stirred h him when he saw the
city wholly given to idolatry."
It seemed as if morning would never
some. We had arrived after dark in
Athens, Greece, and the night was
sleepless with expectation, and my
watch slowly announced to me l
and Q and and 4 o'clock; and
at the first ray of dawn l called
our party to look out of the win
dow upon that city to which Paul
said he was debtor, and to which the
whole earth is debtor for Greek archi-
lecture, Greek sculpture, Greek poetry,
Greek eloquence, Greek prowess and
Greek history. That morning in Ath-
ems we sauntered forth armed with
most generous and lovely letters from
the president of the United States and
his secretary of state, and during all
our stay in that city those letters caused
every door and every gate and every
temple and every palace to swing open
before us. The mightiest geographical
name on earth to-day is America
The signature of an American presi-
dent and secretary of state will take a
man where an army would not Those
names brought us into the presence OF
q most gracious and beautiful SOW
ereign. the queen of Greece, and her
cordially was more like that of sister
than the occupant Of a throne room.
No formal bow as when monarchs are
approached, but 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 a proud Stole, and got the
laugh on many an impertinent Epi-
curean.
The market-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 infict 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 at the frankincense
Headquarters. The market place was
q 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"
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 turn at
the Stadium. It is little way out, but
20 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 a
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
$50 feet long, 1870 feet wide and held
20, 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
ana while Hadrian, the emperor, sat or
yondcr height 1000 beasts were slain in
one celebration.
But it was chiefly for foot-racing, ant
so l 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, 80 at the word given by thu
lookers-on we started side by side, bu
before got through I found out wha
Paul meant when he compares thu
spiritual race with the race in this very
Stadium, he says; Lay aside every
weight" My heavy overcoat, and my
friends freedom from such cucumber
ance showed the advantage in any kline
of race of ''laying aside ever.
weight"
We come now to the Acropolis. 1t i
a rock about two miles in circumfer
ence at the base and 1000 feet in cir
conference at the top, and 800 fee
high. On it has been crowded NOR
elaborate architecture and sculptur
thanin any other place under the who'll
heavens Originally fortress, after
ward a congregation of temples an
statues and pillars, their ruins an en-
chantment from which no observer eve
breaks away. No wonder that Aris
.ides thought it the center of all things
Greece, the center of the world; Attica
the center of Greece; Athens, the Ger
ter of Attica, and the Acropolis, tn
center of Athens Earthquakes hav
shaken it; Verres plundered it.
Lord Elgin, the English ambassado
at Constantinople, got permission @
the sultan to remove from the Acrope
lis fallen pieces of the building, but