Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-02-13

Coliseum. II sfitt<rtd and rss.hsd znd
ssoAs wiah hclp su;srlses and sunsess II
1azzl1n.ent After HE aEalleuee fzi 49,
seaab,ol aronatie liquids oozst from
ts1es 1ls1Iiel frsul pies 1aa rsla,i
rtNtiy GA the rlE.srSlcds ard nlis-t The
az xhh oaers e llsacin1h aud hei,o-
trope and frankinesnse and tAtsam and
nssrFh and -afron. - that Lacsn. the
rost. says u IL
~ os.es "a .A5a>~nd sifron eurrent> Soc
An4 rain snslF edof. 90 tie crowd l<l0w.
oasAxIxxD srRDER AND fokr-nk
Bat whers vas th4l sport - come frorr
Well. vent into The cellars opznlng OF
from the arena. and l ssw the places
where they kept the syenas and hons and
ranlhsrs and Wild hears and beastly VIZ
lsnces Of al sorts without food CT water
uarls rnzds fierce enough for the arena,
and saw the underground rooEns where
the giAfiafors were accustomed to wait
untsl the clspplng q thu people outside
demanded that they come forth armed
20 msraer or - murdered All the ar
Judgements were complete, A. enough of
the cellars and galleries 9Th remain 10
indicalr. What run they must have had
turning lions without food or drink upon
an unarrred disciple Of Jesus Christ.
40 the dedication ot this Coliseum
600 Wild beasts and 10000 immortal
men were slain. 60 that tho blood Of men
ant beast Was not brook. bet q river.
net pool, but lake. Having been in
that way dedicated. tc not surprised
when tell yon tha, Emperor Probrs on
enc occasion threw into that arena Of
the Coliseum 1.o0o stays. I 900 bosrs and
l.no0 ostriches. What fun 10 must have
been-the sonnd Of trumpets. the rear OF
Wild beasts and the groans Of dying men
while in the gallery the wives and chill
drrn u those down under the lon's paw
wrang their hands and shrieked out In
widowhood and orphanase. while l0o. 900
people clappea thar hands. and there
was HAL ha.' wide rs Rome and deep
- rrrtition'
The corpses Of that arena were put on
cart or dragged by hook out through
what was call 81 the Gate OF Death What
an excitement IL must have been when
two conhatants entered the arena. the
one with sword and shield and the other
with net and spear. The swordsman
str1kes at the man with the net and
SPEAR. Tie lodges the sword and then
filings the net over the head Of the swords
man and jerks hin 20 the floor of the
arena. aud the man who flung the net
puts his foot ON the neck of the fallen
swordspan, and spear in hand looks ur
10 the galleries. n much - 10 say, 'Shall
let him mp. or shall plunge this spear
into his body until be is desds"
The audience had two signs, either OF
which they might give. II they waved
their flags, II meant spare the fallen con
testant II they turned their thumb:
down, il meant slay him. Occasionally
the audience would wave their flags
and tho fallen would be- let up. but thai
was too eane sport for most occasions
and generally the thumbs from the gal
leries were turned down. and with tina
sign would be heard tho accompanying
shout OF Kilt XIII, Kill. KillF'
CRUELTY ADpED TO CRUELTY.
Yet il was far from being a monoton'
Of sport. for there was change Of pro
gramme in that wondrous Coliseum
Under strange and powerful machin
cry, beyond anything of modern inven
ton, the floor of the arena would bepl
to rock and roll and then give away, an,
there would appear lake of hrish
water, and on its banks trees woul'
spring up rustling with foliage, and Il
gers appeared amoas the jungles. ar
- 49,, ..-.s.,fl s...rn. forth or1 f1o,-
wonld be tiger hunt. Then ON the lax
in tho Coliseum armed ships would float
) and there would Be a sea fight. VIVA
fun. What lots Of fun, When pestilenc
came. in order 10 appease the gods, i
this Coliseum a sacrifice would be made
and the people would throng that grea
anphitheater. shouting. THE Christian
to the wild beasts and there would b
a cracking OF human bones in the jaw
OF ieonine fcrocity.
But all this was to be stopped. BY IA
outraged sense Of public decencyf Nc
There IS only enc thing that has eve
stopped cruelty and sin, and that
Christianity, and Il was Christianity
whether you lite its form or not, tina
stopped this massacre Of centuries On
dny while IN the Coliseum Roma
victory was being celebrated. and 100
COO enraptured spectators were lookir
down upon two gladistors in the aren
I sfabbing and siicing cacn other % death
an Asiafic monk of the name Of Tel'
riachus was 40 overcome by the cruelt
that le ioapsd from the gallery into th
arena and ran IN between the tw
srorlisuen and pushed first one bac
and then the other back and broke mp I'll
: contest.
Of course the audience was afronte
at havtlg their sport stopped. and the
3 hurled stones at the head Of Tesemachu
until fe fell dead ia the arena Bu
T. ! when TIE day was passed. and the IA
I sions - the people had cooled of. the
deplc-ed the nartyrdofn q tae brav
ard Christian Teiemachus. AID a. r
9 suit II the cverl0ne cruelty the huma
. sacrifices u tks Coliseum were foreve
! abolished.
TIVE sANE SPIRIT STILL sAvIrERTEp.
What good thing. say you. that enc
: c-uelt3ee have ceased. Nv friends. Il
I same spirit - ruiI.ous snussments 81
= of moral sacrifice Is abroad in the wos
; today. aithoakh IL taxes other shapr,
Last summer IA cur south west there q
) CURED a scene Of pugiiisrn Gu which a
E Cilrissendom looked down. for sa~ n
rspers On Tho other side a TIE Atlanfi
cccan Flvfnx whole columns of t. vi
4 ~nrae enc tell rae IN what respect tbs
brutality q lsst SKINNER Wa superior |