The morning call., 1894-04-15
BRING THE GOLDEN FLEECE.
THE WONDERFUL MARDI QRAs,

no more interesting romance than the
story of the band of argonauts who sailed
from lOlcus to capture the Golden Fleece.
This idealistic narrative will be pre-
sented this week to the people OF this city
in realistic form by the Mystic Argonauts
of San Francisco in the three days car
Dival which has gained worldwide fame
as the Mardi Gras. The voyage of the
original argonauts will be typihed ana the
tableauX presentation of the legend given
with gorgeous accompaniment OF whlch
the searchers for the Golden Fleece never
dreamed.
The task of securing TIE Golden Fleece
was imposed upon Jason that he might
prove himself by perilous adventure
worthy of the throne of IOlcus, which he
claimed from the usurper Pelias, at whose
hands Jason and his brother, -Eoon, had
suffered persecution. To accompany him
or bis dangerous mission, Jason sum-
moned the heroes of his own race, the
MiDy8. Six joined him and they sailed to
sea In the ship Argo to secure the treasure,
which was guarded by dragon in grove
sacred TO Mars.
Jason's uncle Athamas had two children.
PhryxUs and Helle. Their mother,
Nephele, died, and her place was taken by
lno, a daughter of Cadmus, who from
hatred of her stepchildren persuaded
Athamas, by means of a false oracle, to
offer his son Phryxus as sacrifice in con-
sequence of a famine which she had
caused by having the grain secretly roasted
before il was sown.
Before the sacrifice the shade ofNephels
him ri viii
a golden fleece, upon which be and his
sister Helle were TO escape over the sea.
Helle fell off and was drowned in the
strait. which then took the name OF Helle-
spont. PhryXus reached the other side
and, proceeding on land to Colchis, sacri-
feed the ram and hung up its fleece in the
grove OF Mars
The heroes of the Argo were Her.
cules. Castor and Pollux, Orrheus, Mop
sus and the sons of B9reas, Calais and
Zetes. The first landing place was at
Lemnus, which the Argonaut' found occu-
pied only by women, who at the instiga-
ton of Aphrodite had slain their hus-
bands, fathers and brothers.
The ArgOGauts landed at CyZieus next.
There Hercules. having broken an oar,
went into wood to cut new one, Hvlas
accompanying him to fetch water. Some
Dymphs, admiring the beauty of Hylas.
carried him off. Hercules followe his
cries, but could not find him.
At Scutari the Argo stopped to replenish
their supply of water. The crew was
challenged by the King, Amyeus, to match
him with a boxer. Pollux came forward
and in the end overpowered his adversary
and bound him TO tree.
at Colchis was the rising of the sun and
Aetes, the King, was son of Helos. while
his daughter, Medea, was by her knowl-
edge of wichcraft connected with the
worship of the m0ou. Aetes required of
Jason thai he should first yoke to plow
his bulls, which snorted fire and had hoofs
of brass, and with them plOw through the
field of Mars. That done, the field was to
be sown with dragons teeth, from which
armed men were to spring.
Successful so far by means of the ma
chine which Medea had given him as proof
against fire and sword, Jason was next
allowed t. approach the dragon which
watched the fleece. Medea soothed the
dragon with another mixture and jason
became master Of :he fleece.
Then followed the homeward voyage,
Medea accompanying Jason and Aetes pur-
suing them. To delay him and escape,
Medea dismembered her Young brother,
Absyrtus, whom she had taken with her,
and cast the limbs about in the sea for his
father to PICK up.
The Argo sailed up the Eridanus into
the Rhodanus, passing through the coun-
try Of the Cells and Ligurians, and
reached the Syrrhenian Sea and the Isl
and of Circe. who absolved the Argonauts
for the murder of Absyrlus. Then they
passed safely through Scylla and Charyb-
dis, past the Sirens. through the Plane
tae, over the Island of the Sun and on to
Corcyra again. where Jason and Medea
held heir nuptials.
The hardy adyenturers had sighted the
coast of the PelOpoRnesus when storm
overlook them and drove them 10 the coast
of Libya, where hey were saved from a
quicksand by the local nymphs. The Argo
was now carried twelve days and nights 10
the Hes perides and thence to Lake
Tritonis. where Triton conducted them to
the Mediterranean.
At Crete the brazan Talos would not
permit the ArgOnauts 10 land, and was
killed by the Dioscuri. At Anaple they
were saved from storm by Apollo
Finally they reached Iolcus, and the ship
Argo was placed in grove sacred to Nep-
tune.