Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-02-24

To break the silence I shouted, and tnaI
seemed TO awaken the echoes, echo upon,
echo. And those awakened echoes seemeI
to address me. SAYING: "Men die. but tneif
work lives on. Gauientius the arconteco
who planned this structure; the o. wv en-
shaved Jews brought by Titus from Jerus'
alen1, and who toiled on these walls, tne
giadlators who fought In this Arena, the EN-
perors and empresses who had place on yon-
der platform. the millions who during cen
turtles sat and rose in these galleries, nave
stands to tell the story of cruelty ana pomp
and power-500 years OF bloodshed"
Then, as stool there, tlero came to me
another burst Of echoes which seemed
throbbing with the prayers and songs ana
! eroans Of Christians who had expired IN
that areua, and they seemed TO say, NOW
, much it cost to serve God in ages past, AMI
how thankful modern centuries ought to De
that the persecution which feddened the
sands OF this ampiitheater have been aool'
ishe1."
And then questioned the echoes, saying,
"Where is Emperor Titus, who sat hereY'
The answer came. ICONS to judgment"
"Where is Emperor Trajan, who sat herei"
"Gons to Judgment" Where is Maxim.
nus who sat 6ere?' "Gons to ju lgment."
"Where are all the multitudes who clappad
aud shouted and waved flags to let the van
pushed no, or to have them slain put
thumbs DOWN. The echoes answered, "done
to jd 1gment." inquired, "Allf' And they
answered "All.n
And looked DIP to the sky above the
ruins, and IL was full OK clouds scurrylns
swiftly past an d those clouds seemed as
though they had faces, a71 some of the faces
smiled and some Of them fiown ed, and they
seemed TO have wings, and some OF the
wings we're moongilt and others Thunder
charged, and the voics overpo wered the
echoes beneath. 'Behold He cometh with
clouds, and every eye shall seq Him."
And as stood looking no along the walls
of the Coliseum they rose higher and higher,
higher and higher until the amphitheatre
seemed to be filled with all the Nations or
the past, and all the Nations OF the present,
and all the Nations OF the future, those who
went down Under the paws OF wild beasts,
and those who sat waving flags TO let zip the
conauere !, and those who held thumbs down
to Command their assassination, AMI small
AMI great, and emperor and slave and pas
tor and people, and righteous and wicked,
the amphitheatre seeming to rise to In
definite heights on all sides Of me, and
in the center OF that amphitheatre, instead
of the arena OF combatants great throne
stool, rising higher and higher, higher
and nigner, ana on 10 say tne Sni'So
for whom the martyrs died aud
against whom the DiocIetians plot
ted their Prosecutions and waving
one hand toward this piled up splendors to
the right Of Him He crisj. ZONE, ye bless
ed" and waving the otaer hand toward the
piled uo glooms on the left Of Him He cried,
depart, ye cursed"
And so the Coliseum Of Rome that even
ing of 1889 seemei enlarged into the amphi.
theater OF the last judgment, and passed
from under the arch OF that mighty struc-
ture mighty even in its ruins, praying to
Almighty God, throu n Jesus Christ, for
mercy in that day for which all other days
were made aud that as [ expe cited mercy
from Col I might exrcise m Grey toward
others ani have more and more of the
spirit "Lat him up an less Of the spirit OF
"Thu nbs dowhW
We may not all be able to do a sum In
higher mathematic, D1t there is sum 10
the first role OF gospel arithmetic whica we
all NAV do. It Is sum In simple addition; |
"Add to your faith virtue. and to virtue
knowledge, and to knowledge tenn perance,
aud to temperance patience. and to patience
godliness, ami to godlincss brotherly kind
ness. end to brotherly kindness charity"