Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-02-24

sword and then filings the net over the head
OF the swordsman and Jerks him to the floor
OF tine arena, AMI the man who flung the
net puts his foot on the neck OF the fallen
swordsman, and spear In hanl looks uD TO
the galleries as much as TO say, "Shall let
him up, or shall plunge this spear into his
body until he is deads
The audience had two signs, either OF
which they might give. II they wave their
flags, it meant spare the fallen contestant
| IL they turned their thu unbs down, il meant
| slay him. occasionally the audience would
wave their fsgs, and the fallen would he let
up, but that was too tame sport for most oc-
casions, and generally the thu nbs from the
galleries were turne down, an | with that
sign would be heard the accompanying shout
OF xiii Kill Kill! Killr'
Yet it was far from beng a monotone OF
sport, for there was chsnga OF pro yrlmme
| In that won1rous Coliseum. Under strange
and powerful machinery, beyond anything
Of modern invention, the floor OF the arena
would begin to rock and roll AMI then give
away. and there would appear lake Of
bright water, and on its banks trees would
spring up rustling with foliage, AMI tigers
appeared among ths jungles, AMI arme
men would come forth, nni there would be
tiger hunt. Tnen on the lake in the Coils
cum srmed ships wouli float, AMI thers
would be a sea fight. What fun! What
lots OF funl When pestilsnce came, in order
to appease the gods, in this Coliseum a sacri-
fee would be made and the people would
thron; that great amphitheatre, shouting,
"fhe Christians to the wild beasts - and
there would be cracking of human bones
In the jaws of leonine terocitv.
But all this was to be stopped. By the
outraged sense Of public decency2 No.
There is only one thing that has ever stopped
cruelty and sin, aud that is Christianity. AMI
1T was Christianity, whether you like its
form or not that stopped this massacre OF
centuries. One day while in the Coliseum
a Roman victory was being celebrated, AMI
100, 600 snraptured spectators were looking
down upon two gladiators in the arsna stab.
bing and sliclng each other to death, au
Asistic monk of the name of Te.emachus
was SO overcome by the cruelty that he
leaped from the gallery into the arena and
ran in bstween the two swordsmen and
pushed first one back and then the other
back and broke up the contest.
or course the audience was affronted at
having their sport stopped, and they hurled
stones at the head o. Telemachus until he
fell dead in the arena. But when the day
was passed, aud the passions OF the peop'e
had cooled off, they deplored the martyrdom
Of the brave and Christian Telemachus, AMI
rs result OF the overiOne cruelty the
human sacrifices of the Coliseum were for
ever abolished.
What good thing. say you, tlat such
cruelties have ceased. MY friends the same
spirit OF rum ous a:nusements AMI OF moral
sacrifice is abroa in the world today, al
though it takes other shapes. Last summer
in our southwest there occurred a scene OF
pugilism on which all Christsndom 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 su inner was superior
to the brutality of a Roman Coliseum? In
some respects it was worse by 50 much as
the Nineteenth Century pretend Is to be mora
mercifu and more decent than the Fifth
Century.
That pugilism is winning admiration in
this country is positively provsi by the fact
that years ago such collision was reported In
a half doxsn lines Of newspaper, IL reported
at all, AMI now it takes the whole side OF O
newspaper to tell what transDirsi between
the first blood drawn by one loafer and the
throwing up Of the sponge by the other
loafer. auG 1t is not the newspapers fault,
for the news papers give ony what the pso-
pie want and whsn newspapers put carrion
on your table 1t is because you prefer car
ron.
The same spirit of brutality is seen to-day
In many an ecclesiastical court when a min
lister is put on trial. Look at the counteu-
ances OF the prosecuting ministers, AMI not
IN all cases, but in many cases You will tinl
nothing but diabo!ism inspires them. They
let out on one poor minister who cannot Ge-
fend himself the lion Of ecc.ss sastcism all
the tiger Of bgyotry, and the wild boar OF
jealousy. and II they can get the offenljug
minister a at ol liS back some one puts his
'eet on the ntcs OF the oyerthrown gospel.
izer and looks up, spear in hand, to sec
whether the galleries and eccleSiastcs would
have him let up or slain. And 10! many OF
the thumbs are down.
In the worldly realms look at the brutal
ties OF ths presidential eiecsiol eight years
ago. Rad the biographies Of Daniel Web
ster ami Alexander II. Stephens and Horace
Greeley ami Charles Sumner aud Lucus
Qdiu;us Ciucinnatus Lamar AMI James e.
Blaine, and If the story OF defamation and
caumuy and scan lslzItion AMI diatrbs
and scurrility and lanpbo and billingssats
and dsmnabe psrtiiy be accurately re.
corle1, tell me in what respects our poltticlt
arena and the howin. AMI blaspheminy
galleries that again AMI again look down
upon 1t are better than the Roman Coils
cum.
When read few days ago that the Su-
preme Court OF the Unitsd States had ap.
propriately adj j)urnel 20 pay honors to the
two last distin suishst men mention91, AMI
American journalism North, South, East
and West went into lamentations over their
departure and said all complimentary
things in regard to than, | asked: "When
did the Nation lie about thoss mens Was it
when during their lie it gavs them male
diction or no since their death wnen be-
slowing upon them beatlticationT
The same spirit OF cruelty that you de.
plore in the Roman Coliseum Is seen 10 the
sharp appetite the world seems to have for
the downfall of goo men, and in the divorces
of those whose marital life was thought ac-
cordaut, an in the absconding OF a bank
cashier. On, my frien IL, the world wants
more Of the spirit Of Let him up" and less
OF the ssirit OF "Thumo5 downW There ara
hundreds Of men in the pris) OF America
wuo ought to be discharged. because they
were the victims of circumstances or have
suffered enough.
There are In all professions and occupa-
tions men who are doniuosred over by
others AMI whose life is a stru sge with
montrous opposition, an1 circumstances
have their heel upon the thro5blnB and
broken hearts For Gods sake, let them
upi Away with the spirit OF Thumbs
downp What the world wants is 100 men
like Telemachus to leap out OF the gallery
into the arena, whether he bo Roman
Catholic monk, or a Methodist stewart, or
Presbyterian elder, and go in between the
contestants "Blessed are the peacenakerS
for they shall be called the children OF GodP
Ons-hslf of the world is down and the
other half is up, aud the half that is no has
its heel on the half that is down. IL you. as
a boss workman, or as a contractor, or as
Bishop, or as a 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 OPP
presses you. The Diocetians are not all
dead. The cellars leaiing into the arena OF
life's struggle are not all emptisd OF their
tigers. The vivisection by young doctors
of dogs and cats and birds most ot the time
adds nothing to human discovery, but Is
only continuation OF VaspasIans Coils
eun.
The cruelties OF the world generally begin
in nurseries, and In home circles, au1 In day
aohoola Tho child th at transnres n fly with