The Bossier banner., 1892-01-21


in the Stadium in Ephesus the mis-
sionary Paul would, in the presence of
crowded galleries, fight hungry lion.
The people were early to get the best
seats, and more alert and enthusiastic
crowd never assembled. They took
their dinners with them. And was there
ever more unequal combat proposed?
Paul, according to tradition, small,
crooked backed and weak-eyed, but the
grandest man in the sixty centuries, is
led to the center, as the people shout:
There he comes, the preacher who has
nearly ruined our religion. The lion
will make but a brief mouthful of
him. 1t is plain that all the sympathies
of that crowd are with the lion. In one
of the underground rooms l hear the
growl of the wild beasts. They have
been kept for several days without food
or water in order that they may be es-
pecially ravenous and blood-thirsty
What chance is there for Paul? But
you can not tell by a mans size or
looks how stout blow he can strike
or keen a blade he can thrust. Wit
hess, Heaven and earth and hell. this
struggle of Paul with wild beast.
The coolest man in the Stadium is
Paul What has he to fear? He has de-
fed all the powers, earthly and
Internal, and if his body tum-
BILE under the foot and tooth of
the wild beast, his soul will only the
sooner find disenthralment. But it is
| his duty, as far as possible, to preserve
his life. Now, I hear the bolt of the
| wild beasts door shove back, and the
whole audience rise to their feet as the
| fierce brute springs for the arena and
| toward it's small occupant. l think the
first plunge that was made by the wild
| beast at the apostle was made on the
point of sharp blade, and the snarl-
ing monster with howl of pain and
reeking with gore, turns back. But
now the little missionary has his turn
of making attack, and with n few
well-directed thrust the monster
| lies dead in the dust of the arena,
and the apostle puts forth his right foot
on the lion and shakes him, and then puts
his left foot on him and shakes him
a scene which Paul afterwards uses for
an illustration when he wants to show
how Christ will triumph over death
"He must reign till He hath put all
enemies under His feet" yes, under His
feet. Paul told the literal truth when
he said: 81 have fought with beasts at
| EphesVS." .h-d as the plural is used
| think he had more than one such fight,
Or several beasts turned loose upon him
at one time. AS we stood that Day in
the middle of the Stadium and looked
around at the great structure, the
whole scene came back upon us.
In the midst of this city of Ephesus
once fioated an artificial lake, brilliant
with painted boats, and through the
River Cayster it was connected with
the sea, and ships from all parts of the
known earth floated in and out, carry
ing Oh a commerce which made Ephe.
sus the envy Of the world. Great was
Ephesus! Its gymnasia, its hippo
drome, it's odeon, it's athenaum, its
forum, it's aqueducts (whose skeletons
are still strewn along the city,, its
| towers, it's castle of Hadrian, its
monument of Androcius, its quarries
which were the granite cradle of cities
its temples, built to Apollo, to Minerva
to Neptune, to Mercury, to Bacchus, to
Hercules, to Caesar. to Fortune, to Jupi
ter Olympus. What history and poetry
and chisel and canvass have not pre-
sented has come up at the call of arch
biologists powder blast and crowbar.
But | have now to unveil the chief
wonder of this chiefest of cities. In
1868, under the patronage of the En-.
glish government, Mr.. Wood, the ex-
plorer, began at Ephesus to feel along
under the ground at great depths fol
roads, for walls, for towers. and here il
is-that for which Ephesus was more
cele ebrated than all else beside-the tenn
pie of the goddess Diana, called the
sixth wonder of the world, and in 1873!
we stood amid the ruins of that tenn
pie measuring it's pillars, transfixet
by its sculpture and confoundet
at what was the greatest temple o.
idolatry in all time. AS | sat on piece
of one of its fallen columns, l said
What earthquake rocked it down. ol
what hurrican pushed it to the earth
or under what strong wine of centurie:
did the giant stagger and fall?' "Thert
have been seven temples of Diana, the
ruins of each contributing something
for the splendor of all it's architecture
successors. Two hundred and twent,
years was this last temple il
construction. Twice as long a.
the United States have stoot
was that temple in building
1t was nearly twice as large a.
st. Paurs cathedral, London. Lest i
should be disturbed by earthquakes
which have always been fond of max
ing these regions their playground
the temple was built on marsh, whicl
was made firm by layers of charcoa
covered by tieeces of wool. The stone
came from the quarry near by. Afte
it was decreed to build the temple
it was thought it would be necessar,
to bring the building stone from othe
lands, but one day shepherd by
the name of Pixodorus, while watch
ing his flocks, saw two rams fighting
and as they missed the interlocking O
their horns and one fell, his horr
knocked splinter from the rock ant
L,