Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-02-18

Vhde SoOu Inlngs say you tadt 81 IN
cruelties have ceased. MY friends. the sans
spirit of runous amusensats ani Of moral
sacrifice Is abroad in the world to-day, al
though it takes other snaps Last summer
In our southwest there occurred scene OF
pugilism on which all Christendom looked
DOWN, for saw the papers on the other side
3f the Atlantic Ocean giving whole columns
Of it. VIII some one tell me in what respect
that brutality of last su nu:er was su oerior
to the brutality of a Roman Coliseum In
some respects it was worse by 50 much as
the Nineteenth Century pretands to be mors
nerciful and more decent than the Fifth
Century.
That pugilisn is winning admiration in
his country is positively proved by the fact
hat years ago such collision was reported in
half doz IN lines OF newspaper, il reported
1t all, and now it takes the whole side of
newspaper to tell what transpirsd between
The first blood drawn by one loafer and the
throwing up of the sponge by the other
oafer, aud it is not the newspap er's fault,
or the newspapers give only what the pso-
,le want, and whsn newspapers put carrion
~ your table it is because you prefer car.
ion.
The same spirit of brutality IS seen today
n many an ecclesiastical court When a min
srer is put on trial. Look at the counten-
,nces OF the prosecuting ministers, and not
all cases. but in many cases. you will find
nothing but diaboism inspires them. They
ct out on one poor minister who cannot de-
end himself the lion Of ecciesiasticism and
ne tiger of biggotry, and the wild boar OF
jealousy, and il they eau get the offending
minister fat OF his back sons ons puts his
ieet on the neck of the overthrown gospel
ger and looks up, spear in hand, to see
whether the galleries and ecclesiastics would
lave him let up or slain. Aud, 10! many OF
the thumbs are down.
In the worldly realms look at thu brutali-
les of the presidential election eight years
tgo. Read the biographies of Danisl Web
tier and Alex ander 81. Stephens and Horacs
Greeley and Charles Sumner and Lucius
yuintus Ciucinnatus Lamar AMI James G.
Blaine, and If the story OF defam alton and
alumny and standardization and diatribs
ind scurrility and lampoon aud billingsgats
md damnabie perfdy be accurately re-
corded, tell me in what respects our political
lrena and the bowling and disappearing
galleries that again and again look down
lpon it are better than the Roman Coils
cum.
When read few days ago that the Su,
preme Court of the United States had ap-
propriately adjourned to pay honors to the
two last distinguished men mentioned, aud
American journalism North, South, East
and West went into lamentations over their
departure and said all complimentary
things in regard to them, | asked: when
lid the Nation lie about these men? Was it
when during their life it gave them male
fiction or no v since their death when be-
slowing upon them ratification
The same spirit of cruelty that you de-
plore in the Roman Coliseum is seen in the
sharp appetite the world seems to have for
the downfall of good men, and in the divorces
Of those whose marital life was thought ac-
:ordant, and in the absconding OF a bank
cashier. Oh, my friends, the world wants
more of the spirit of "Lst him up" and less
Of the spirit of Thumbs downp There are
hundreds of men in the prisons of America
who ought to be discharged. because they
were the victims of circum stances or have
suffered enough.
There are in all professions and occupa.
tons men who are dominsersi over by
others, and whose life is stru sgle with
montrous opposition, and circumstances
have their heel upon the thro5b,ny AMI
broken hearts. For Gods saxe, let them
upl Away with the spirit OF Thumbs
DOWN. What the world wants is 1000 men
like Telemacaus to leap out Of the gallery
into the arena, whether he b5 a Roman
Catholic monk, or Methodist steward, or
Presbyterian elder, and go in between the
contestants. blessed are the p eacemakers,
One-half of the world is down and tbs
other hale is up, aud the half that is up has
its heel on the half that is down. IL you, as
a boss work nan, or as contractor, or as
Bishop. or as State or National official, or as
a potent factor in social life, or in any way
are depressing any one, know that the same
devil that possessed the Roman Coliseum op.
presses you. The Diocetians ara not all
dead. The cellars lea ling into this arena OF
life's struggle are not all emptied of their
tigers. The viviseetion by young doctors
of dogs and cats and birds most OF ths time
adds nothing to human discovery, but is
only continuation OF Vaspasian's Coils
cum.
The cruelties o. the world generally beyIp
in nurseries. and in home circles, an. m day
schools. The child that ty,ssi1sfixes a fly with
pin, or the loyHfeeling that sets two dogs
into combat, or that bulles a weak or Grip
Ped playmate, or the lndiference thst
starves canary bird, needs only to be de-
yeloped in order to make first class Nero
or a full armed Apollyon 1t would be a
good sentence to be written on the top line
of a child's book, and tit Inscription to be
embroidered in the arm chair OF the sitting
room, and an appropriate motto for judge
and jury and district attorney and sheriff to
look at in the court house, blessed are the
mercitul, for they shall obtain Inercy'
TO me. Indeed the most impressive things
on earth are ruins. The four greatest struc-
lures ever built are in ruins. The farthe'
non in ruins, the temple OF Diana in ruins
the temple of Jerusalem in ruins, the Con,
scum in ruins. Indeed the earth itself Will
vet be pile of ruins, the mountains IN
ruins. the seas in ruins, the cities in ruins,
the hemispheres in ruins. Yea, further
than that, all up and down the heavens are
worlds burned up, worlds wrecked, worlds
extinct. worlds abandoned. Worlds OF
worlds in ruinsl
But I am glad to say it is the same Old
heaven, and in all that world there Is not
one ruin and never will be ruin. Not one
Of the pearly gates viii ever become IN
hinged. Not ona of the amethystine towers
will ever fall. Kot one of the mansions WIN
ever decay. Not one OF the chariots viii
ever be unwheeled. Not one Of the throne:
will ever rock down. Do, MAKE sure o.
heaven, for it is an everlasting heaven
Through Christ the Lord get ready Tor
residence in the eternal palaces.
The last evening before leaving Rome for
Brindisi and Athens and Eyypt AMI Palej-
tine | went alone to the Coliseum. Theirs
was not a living soul III all the Immense
area. Even those accustomed to sell curIo
at the four entrances of the building haC
a
ingly silent | -ul hear my own heart bea,
with the emotions aroused by the place and
hour paced the arena. | walked dowr
into the dens where the hyenas were ono
kept. / assembled to the place where tbs
emperor used to sit. | climbed up on tn:
galleries from which the mighty througs OF
people had gazsd in enchantnent.
To break the silence I shouted. and tina
seemed TO awaken the echoes. echo upoi
echo. And those awakened echoes SCENE,
to address me, saying: Men die, but tneil
work lives on. eau ientius, the arcaltec'
who planned this structure; the 60, 600 en-
shaved Jews brought by Titus from Jerus
alem, and who toilad on these walls, th'
giadiators who fought in this arena, the EN-
perors AMI expresses who had place on yon
der platform, the millions who during cen
turtles sat AMI rose in these galleries, hav'
passel away, but enough of the Coliseum
stands to tell the story Of cruelty AM pom'
and power-50o years OF bloodshed-
Then, as stoo there, tlere came to IN
another burst OF echoes, which seeme'
throbbing with the prayers AMI songs an'
groans of Christians who had expired Ii
that arena. and they seemed to say, NOV
much it cost TO serve God in ages past, an.
how thankful modern centuries ought TO o.
that the persecution which Redeemed thf
sands of this amphitheater have been aboi-
ishedn
And then questioned the echoes, saying
''Where is Emperor Titus, who sat heref
The answer came, ''dons to judgment.
"Where is Emperor Trajan, who sat heref
"Gone TO judgment" where is Maximl
nus. who sat hereg' "Gone to Judgment.
"Hhere are all the multitudes who ciappst
and shouted and waved flags to let the van
pushed up, or to have them slam pu
thumbs down. The echoes answered, Ion
to Judgment" inquired, "All:' And the
answered ''AI."
"A T Iootad mn IN the SKY above tn