Connecticut western news., 1893-02-16

demanded that they come forth aramed- to murder or be murdered All the ar were complete, as enough of the cellars and galleries still remain to indicate. What fun they must have had turning lions without food or drink upon an unarmed disciple of Jesus Christi
 At the dedication of this Coliseum 5000 wild beasts and 10000 immortal men were slain, so that the blood of men and beast was not a brook, but a river: not pool, but lake. Having been in that way dedicated, be not surprised when tell you that Emperor Probus on one occasion threw into that arena of the Coliseum 1 ,000 stags, 1,000 boars and 1000 ostriches. What fun it must have been-the sound of trumpets, the roar of wild beasts and the groans of dying men while in the gallery the wives and chil- dren of those down under the lions paw wrung their hands and shrieked out in widowhood and orphanage, while 100, ,00O people clapped their hands, and there was Hal har' wide as Rome and deep as perdition!
 The corpses of that arena were put on a cart or dragged by hook out through what was called the Gate of Death. What an excitement it must have been when two combatants entered the arena, the one with sword and shield and the other with net and spear. The swordsman strikes at the man with the net and spear He dodges the sword and then flings the net over the head of the swords man and jerks him to the floor of the arena, and the man who flung the net puts his foot on the neck of the fallen swordsman, and spear in hand looks up to the galleries, as much as to say, ''Shall let him up, or shall I plunge this spear into his body until he is deadi
 The audience had two signs, either of which they might give. If they waved their flags, it meant spare the fallen con testant. If they turned their thumbs down, it meant slay him. Occasionally the audience would wave their flags, and the fallen would be let up, but that was too tame sport for most occasions, and generally the thumbs from the gal leries were turned down, and with that sign would be heard the accompanying shout of 'sKilll Kill Kill Killr'
 CRUELTY ADDED TO CRUELTY.
 Yet it was far from being monotone of sport, for there was change of pro- gramme in that wondrous Coliseum. Under strange and powerful machin- cry, beyond anything of modern inven- tion, the floor of the arena would begin to rock and roll and then give away, and there would appear lake of bright water, and on it's banks trees would spring up rustling with foliage, and t- gers appeared among the jungles, and armed men would come forth, and there would be tiger hunt. Then on the lake in the Coliseum armed ships would float, and there would be a sea fight. What fun! What lots of funl When pestilence came, in order to appease the gods, in this Coliseum sacrifice would be made, and the people would throng that great amphitheater, shouting, "The Christians to the wild beastsp and there would be 8 cracking of human bones in the jaws of leonine ferocity
 But all this was to be stopped. By the outraged sense of public decencyp No. There is only one thing that has ever stopped cruelty and sin, and that is Christianity, and it was Christianity. stopped this massacre of centuries. One day while in the Coliseum Roman victory was being celebrated, and 100,- 900 enraptured spectators were looking down upon two gladiators in the arena stabbing and slicing each other to death, an Asiatic monk of the name of Tele- machus was so overcome by the cruelty that he leaped from the gallery into the arena and ran in between the two swordsmen and pushed first one back and then the other back and broke up the contest.
 Of course the audience was affronted at having their sport stopped, and they hurled stones at the head of Telemachus until he fell dead in the arena. But when the day was passed, and the pas sions of the people had cooled off, they deplored the martyrdom of the brave and Christian Telemachus, and as re- suit of the overdone cruelty the human sacrifices of the Coliseum were forever abolished.
 THE SAME SPIRIT STILL MANIFESTED.
 What good thing, say you, that such cruelties have ceased. My friends, the same spirit of ruinous amusements and of moral sacrifice is abroad in the world today, although it takes other shapes Last summer in our southwest there oc- cured scene of pugilism on which all Christendom looked down, for saw the papers on the other side of the Atlantic ocean giving whole columns of it. Will some one tell me in what respect that brutality of last summer was superior to the brutality of the Roman Coliseum? In some respects it was worse by so mucl as the 18th century pretends to be more merciful and more decent than the 5tL century.
 That pugilism is winning admiration in this country is positively proved by the fact that years ago such collision was reported in half dozen lines o1 newspaper, if reported at all, and now il takes the whole side of newspaper to tell what transpired between the frst blood drawn by one loafer and the throw ing up of the sponge by the other loafer and it is not the newspapers fault, fol the newspapers give only what the peo pie want, and when newspapers put car rion on your table it is because you pre- fer carrion.
 The same spirit of brutality is seen to day in many an ecclesiastical cour when minister is put on trial. Lool at the countenances of the prosecuting ministers, and not in all cases, but il many cases, you will find nothing bu diabolism inspires them. They let ou on one poor minister who cannot defend himself the lion of ecclesiasticism, ant the tiger of bigotry, and the wild boa. of jealousy, and if they can get the of lending minister flat on is back som one puts his feet on the neck of the over thrown gospelizer and looks up. spear il t. IL