Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-02-22

underground rooms where the gladia-
5crS were accustomed TO wait until the
ciapping OF the people outside de-
manded that they come forth armed TO
murder or be murdered All the ar
engagements 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 for week upon an unarmed
disciple of Jesus Christ? At the dedica-
ton of this colosseum 1000 wild
beasts and 10000 immortal men
were slain; so that the blood
of men and beasts was not
brook but 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
colosseum 1000 stays 1000 bears and
1000 ostricheS What fun IL 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
children of those down under the lions
wrung their hands and shrielSed out in
widowhood and orphanage, while 1o0,-
600 people clapped their hands. and
there was n Hal Hal" wide as Rome
and deep rs perdition. The corpses OF
that arena were put on n cart or
dragged by hook out through what
was called the Gate of Death. What an
excitement IL 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 lodges the
sword and then hings the net over the
head of the swordsman 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 10 the galleries,
as much rs 20 say; "Shall let him up,
or shall / plunge this spear into his
body until he is dead?" The audience
had two signs either of which they
might give II they waved their flags
1t meant spare the fallen contestants; il
they turned their thumbs down, 1t
meant Stay him. Occasionally the audi
ence 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 gale
rics were turned down, and with that
sign would be heard the accompanying
shout of Kill Kill! Kill Kinr'
Yet, it was far from being = mono
tone of sport, for there was n change of
programme in that wondrous colos-
scum. Under n strange and powerful
machinery, beyond anything OF modern
invention. the floor of the arena would
begin to rock and roll and then give
away and there would appear a lake of
bright water, and on it's banks trees
would spring up rustling with foliage,
and tigers appeared among the jungles,
and armed men would come forth, and
there would be tiger hunt
Then, on the lake in the colosseum
armed ships would float, and there
would he sen fight What fun! What
lots OF fun! When pestilence came. in
order to appease the gods, in this colos-
scum sacrifice would be made, and
the people would throng that great am
phitheater, shouting: THE Christians
to the wild beasts" and there would be
n cracking of human bones in the Jaws
of leonine ferocity.
But all this was to be stopped. BY
the outraged sense of public decencvP
No There is only one thing that has
IL
is Christianity, and il was Christianity.
whether you like its form or not, that
stopped this massacre of centuries One
day while in the colosseum, a Roman
victory was being celebrated. and lOO.-
600 enraptured spectators were looking
down upon two gladiators in the arena
stabbiug and slicing each other TO death
an Asiatic monk by the name OF Tele-
machus was so overcome by the cruel
~ that ne had lcaped 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 affrontcd at having their
sport stopped, and they hurled stones
at the head Of Telemachus until he fell
dead in the area. But when the dav
was passed aud the passions of the peo-
pie had cooled of. they deplored the
martyrdom Of the brave and Christian
Telemachus, and as a result OF the over
done cruelty, the human sacrifices of
the colosseum were forever abolished.
The same spirit of cruelty that YOU
deplore in the Roman colosseum is seen
In the sharp appetite. the world seems
20 have for the downfall Of good men.
in the divorce OF those whose marital
life was thought accordant and in the
ASCENDING OF a bank cashier Oh. my
friends, the world wants more of the
spirit of Let him up," and less OF the
spirit OF 'Thum bs-down." There are
hundreds of men in the prisons OF
America who ought To bc discharged.
because they were victims Of circum-
stances or have suffered enough. There
are IN all professions and occupations.
men who are domineered over by others.
and whose whole life is a struggle with
monstrous opposition, and circumstances
have their heel upon the throbbing
and broken hearts For Gods sake. let
them up! Away with the spirit OF
''Thum bs-downw What the world
wants Is a thousand men like Tele-
machus TO leap out OF the gallery into
the arena, whether he be a Roman Cath
Ole monk or a Methodist steward. or a
Presbyterian elder, and 20 in between
the contestants Blessed are the
peacemakers, Tor they shall be called
the children OF God.
One-half the world IL down and the
other half Is up, and the half that Is up
has its heel on the half that is down.
II you, az n boss workman, or a. a con-
tractor, or az n bishop. or ms a state or
national official, OF as a potent factor In
social life, or in any way are oppreas-
HHaHH l..