The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-02-15

scum
Tho cruelties of the world generally be
gin in nurseries, and in home circles, and in
day schools The child that transfixes a
fly with a pin, or the low feeling that sets
two dogs into combat, OF that DULLES q
weak or crippled playmate, or the indiffe1
ence that starves n canary bird, needs only
TO be developed in order TO make first
class Nero or full armed Apollyon. It
would be a good sentence to be written on
the top line of a child's book and fit in
scription to be embroidered in the arm
chair of the sitting room, and an appropri-
ate motto for judge and jury and district
attorney and sheriff to look at in the court
house, blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercyy'
SOLEMN LESSONS FROM ROME.
And so the ruins of that Coliseum
preach to me. Indeed the most impressive
things on earth are ruins. The four great
est structures ever built are in ruins. The
Parthenon in ruins, the temple of Diana
In ruins, the temple of Jerusalem in
ruins, the Coliseum in ruins. Indeed the
earth itself will yet be a pile of ruins,
the mountains in ruins, the seas In rams,
the cities in ruins, the hemispheres in
ruins. Yea, further than that, all up and
down the heavens are worlds burned up,
WORLDS WrGCkcO, eAIlHcl, WOIlUS
abandoned. Worlds on worlds in ruinsl
But am glad to say it is the same old
heaven, and in oil that world there is not
one ruin and never will be ruin. Not one
of the pearly gates will ever become I'M
hinged. Not one Of the amethystine tow
ers will ever fall Not one of the mansions
will ever decay. Not one Of the chariots
will ever be unwheeled. Not one of the
thrones will ever rock down. Oh, make
sure Of heaven, for it is an everlasting
heavenl Through Christ the Lord get
ready for residence in the eternal palaces.
The last evening before leaving Rome for
Brindisi and Athens and Egypt and Pales-
tine l went alone TO the Coliseum. There
was not living soul In all the immense area.
Even those accustomed to sell curios at the
four entrances of the building had gone
away The place was so Overwhelmingly
silent could hear my own heart beat with
the emotions aroused by the place and hour.
paced the arena. | walked down into the
dens where the hyenas were once kept.
assembled to the place where the emperor
used to sit Iclimbed up on the galleries
from which the mighty throngs Of people
had gazed in enchantment.
To break the silence / shouted, and that
seemed to awaken the echoes-echo upon
to address me, saying: Men die, but their
work lives on. Gaudentius, the architect
who planned this structure, the GO,OOO en-
shaved jews brought by Titus from Jerusa-
lem, and who toiled on these walls, the
gladiatcrs who tonight in this arena, the
enperOrs and expresses who had place on
yOnder platform, the millions who during
centuries sat and rose in these galleries,
have passed away, but enough Of the Coli
scum stands 10 tell the story Of cruelty
and pomp and power. Five hundred years
of bloodshed."
Then, as ! stood there, there came to me
another burst of echoes which seemed
throbbing with tie prayers and songs and
groans Of Christians who had expired in
that arena, and they seemed to say, How
much it cost to serve God in ages past, and
how thankful modern centuries ought uo
be that the persecution which Redeemed Che
sands Of this amphitheater have been abol
ished."
The MIGHTY ONES ARE DUST.
And then ! questioned the echoes. say
ing, Where is Emperor Titus, who sat
hereg" The answer came, Gone to judy
ment." Where is Emperor Trajan, who
SAT here'" GONE TO judgment" Where
is Emperor Maximinus, who sat here?"
Gone to judgment" where are all the
multitude who clapped sad shouted and
waved Gags To let the vRnqUished up, or 70
have them slain put thumbs DOWN."
The echoes answered, Gone TO Judgment"
| inquired, "Alls" And they answered,
All"
And looked up 10 the sky above the ru-
ms, and it was fun Of clouds scurrying
swiftly past, and those clouds seemed as
though they had faces, and some of the
faces smiled, ald some Of them frcwned,
and they seemed TO have wings, and some
of the wings were moongilt and the others
thunder charged, and the voices of those
clouds overpowered the echoes beneath.
Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every
eye shall see him"
Aud as / stood looking up along the walls
of the Coliseum they rose higher aud high
er, higher and higher, until the amphithe-
alter seemed to be filed with all the nations
of the past, and ali the nations of the pres
ent, and all the nations of the future-those
who went down under the paws of wild
beasts, aud those who sat waving flags
TO let up the conquered, and those who
held thumbs down to command their as
sassination, and small and great, and
emperor and slave, and pastor and PEG
pie. and righteous and wicked, the am
phitheater seeming TO rise TO infinite
heights on all sides OF me, and in the
center of that amphitheAter, instead of
the arena Of combatants, a great throne
stood rising higher and higher, higher and
higher, ard on It sat the Christ for whom
the martyrs died aud against whom the
Dioclerians plotted their prosecutions, and
waving one hand toward the piled up splen-
dors to the right Of him he cried, Come, we
blessed" and waving the other hand to-
ward the piled up glooms on the left OF him
he cried, Depart, ye cursed"
And so the Coliseum Of Rome that even
ing Of 1889 seemed enlarged into the amphi-
theSteT OF the last Judgment, and l passed
nom under The arch CT that mighty struc-
ture, mighty even IN its ruins, praying TO
Almighty God, through Jesus Christ, for
mercy in that day for which all other days
were made, and that. Is / expected mercy
from God, | might exercise mercy toward
Others and have more and more of the
spirit Of Let him up, and less and less OF
the spirit OF Thumbs down"
We may not be able TO doa sum in higher
mathematics, but there is q sum in the first
rule Of gospel arithmetic which we all may
do. 1t is a sum in simple addition: add
TO your faith virtue, and to virtue knowl-
edge, and to knowledge temperance, and TO
temperance patience, and to patience godli-
ness, and 10 godhness brotherly kindness,
and to brotherly kindness charity"
AN EAST WIND.