Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-02-13
AT THE TABERNACLE.
OR. TALMAGE ON CRuELTleS
AND MODERN PARALLELS.
Vivid and Realistic Sketch Of Q Gala Day the
Coliseum Of Ancient Rome-The Modern
Political and Pugilislc Arena.


text Romans (, Is, II am ready 20 prsach
the gospel 20 you that are at Rome also"
Romol What city IL was whom Paul
visited 81 What city u Is nowl Romci
The place where Virgil sang and Horace
Eatirizcd and Terence laughed and Cati-
line couspircd and Ovid dramatizod and
Nero fiddlcd and Vespasian prosecuted and
Sula lcgislatod and Cicero thundcrcd and
Aurclius and Decius and Caligula and Ju-
liam and Hndrian and Constantine and
Augustus reigned and Paul the apostle
preached the gospel
am not much OF draftsmon, but have
in my memorandum book sketch which
] made In the winter OF isSo, when went
out 90 the gate through which Paul entered
Rome aud walked up the very street hc
walked up 60 see somewhat how The city
must have looked to him az he came In on
the gospel crrand proposed In tho text
Palaces ON either side Of The strcOt through
which the little missionary advanced Piled
mp wickcdncss Enthroncd oocurscdnoss
Tempted ctueltics Altan to sham dcitiea
GluriGcd deludona plllarod, nrchcd,
dumcd, turrctod denominations Wicked
moss OF all sorts at high premium and
righteousness Q9A per cent OF. And now
he passes by the foundations OF building
which Ia TO be- almost unparalleled for vast.
ness You can SEQ by the walls, which
have begun TO rise, that here is 60 be some
thing enough stupondous 60 astound tho
centuries, Aye, IL is the Coliseum started
ANcIRNr AND SINFUL scESEs,
OF the thoater at Ehposus where Paul
fought with wild boasts, OF tho temple OF
Diana, OF the parthenon, OF Phamoh's PM
nee at Memphis and OF other great build
ings the ruins OF which have seen IL has
been my privilege TO address you, but a
member Of my family asked me recently
why | had not spoken TO you OF the Coli.
scum 40 Rome, since its moral and religious
lessons are so impressive
Perhaps while IN Rome the law Of con.
trust wrought upon me had visited che
MumcrtlnC dungeon whore Paul was incar-
caratcd / had measured the opening at
Che top OF che dungeon through which Paul
had been let down, and Il was gS inches 10y
~ Tho ceiling nc Sos highest point was
feet from tho floor but at the sides % the
room the ceiling was 8 feet inchcA The
room ~ the wideas rRs 10 feet. There waa
seat Of rock Pa feet high There was
shelf feet high. The only furniture was
spiders web suspended from the roof
which / saw boy tho torchlight ! Carried
There was tho subtcTaneoug passage from
the dungeon 10 the Roman forum, so that
the prisoner could DO taken directly from
prison % trial.
The dungeon was built out OF volcanic
stone from the Alhano mountains Oh, a.
was dismal and terrific place. You never
| saw coal hole 30 dark or 30 forbiddmg The
/ place was 10 me nervous shock, Tor Ne
mcmbCred that was the best thing the
world would afford the most illustrIous be-.
/ ing except one that 10 ever saw, and from
that place Paul went out 10 die From
that spot / visited the Coliseum, one OF
tho most astounding miracles OF architec.
ture that the world ever saw Indeed /
saw IL morning, noon and night, for Il
threw spell ON mo from which / could not
break away,
Although now n vast ruin, the Coliseum
IS so well preserved that we can stand iI
the center and recall all that IL once was
IL Is In shape ellipsoidal, oval, oblonR II
Is at It's greatest length 0l2 feut Aftu
IL had furnished seats for $1,000 people II
had room for 10. 900 more 20 stand, 20 thai
10000 people cohld 81 aud stand trans
fixed by It's scenes OF courage and martyr
dom aud brutality and horror Instead o.
our modern tickets Of admission, they en-
tered by ivory check, and e. check dug uI
near Rome within few years was marked
section 6, Lowest Tier, Sent No. 1877
You understand that the building WA
not constructed Tor an audience 20 be ad
dressed by human voice, although i testc,
Il with some friends and could be hcaU
across a., but IL WINS made only for secinl
and was circular and no any point nllowol
full view OF the spectacle. The arena II
the center la Oldon times was Btrewn will
pounded stone or sand, 10 Hs not 10 he To-
slippery with human blood, FOR II II wer
too slippery II would spoil the fun. Tn
sand flashed here and there with sparkle
of silver and gold, and Nero added cinnaba
and Caligula added chrysocolla.
The sides OF the arena were composed q
smooth marble II feet high, 30 That Tia
wild beasts OF the arena could not climb nj
into the audience, On the top OF these Bide
OF smooth marble was o metal railing hny
ing wooden rollers which easily rayoivcl
30 that II panther should leap high moug
10 scale the wall and with his paw touc
any one Of those rollers IL would rcyolv
aud drop him back again into the arena
Back Of this marble wall surrounding th
arena was a level platform OF stone adorne
with statues Of gods and goddessea and Oh
artistic enigos OF monarchsand conquerur
TuR TurHY ROMAN RULEns.
Hera were movable seats for the empera
and the imperial swine and witnesses wit
which he surrounded himself Before th
place where the emperor sat the gladiator
would walk nmediately after entering tn
arena, crying HAL, C8sGrl Those ahou
20 die salute theein Thedinerent ranks d
spectators were divided by partitions STUD
dcd with mosaics Of emerald and beryi an
ruby and diamond. Great mnsts Of WOO
arose from all sides Of the building, fror
which festoous OF flowers were suspended
crossing the building, or ia time Of raj
awnings Of silk were suspended, tho Col
scum having no roof.
Tho outside wall wna incrusted with ma
BILE and had four ranges, and the three Low
or ranges had so columns each and archie
after arches, aud on each arch an exquisit
statue Of q goa on a horo. Into $50 feet Z
altitude scared tho Coliseum IL glittQre
and flashed and shone with whole sunrisl
and sunsets Of dazzlement After the aud
ence had assembled aromatic liquids oo1e
from tubes distilled from pipes and njne
gently on the multitudos and filed Che a
with doors OF hyaUinth aud heliotrope an
frgnkinCGnse and balsam and myEh an
saffron, 80 that Lucan, the poet, nHya Of j
Al once ten thousand saffron garments flow
And rain their odors on the crowd below.
But where waB the sport 70 como from
Wen, l went into the cellars opening o
from the arena, aud ] saw the places whol
they kept The hyenHs aud lions and pan
] tl,,.rs "a r,-tl.f l,onre and beaqtlV violoncf