The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-04-14

! e' " ~ 'AN -N E-N'+
hot
Vinioius has access to Nero and Is
nwure Of the terrible doom Of his lady
love, yet makes no attempt to ayenge
her by slipping an ArkanBaw toothpick
into the brisket Of the royal brute. Ho
even goes to the circus to SEQ her de-
stroyed. and sits on a bench and moansi
but barbarian saves her life b. taking
a monster bull by the horns and palling
| It's head OF thereby proving that the
age Of miracles was not yet pastI The
hero, who had not the courage TO 30 70
bis fanceoa defense and save her OF die
with her, enters the arena when the
danger Is past and solmnly covers her
nakedness with his pocket handker
chief And Lygia mauies Yiniciu9
instead Of The barbarian who killed The
bull But she wasn't much 81 0 heroine
anyhow, Lygia Is canting little
Goody Two.shoea without q pint of
rich blood in her whole body while
Yinicius Is on ecslaHc chump, much
better qualified to engineer q holiness
campmeoting than 10 guard a woman's
honor or promote bis comtrys glory
With power to slay herself LyRia goes
to Nero's banquet, fully expecting to
be dehauehod She suffers the praetor
fans TO throw her into q foul prison,
expecting that before death she win Do
deHlod Euniee, lhe pagan mistress oi
the goddess Petronius realizing that
the hour has struck, that she must
choose between death and becoming
Tho creature Of q man sbe does
not love, stretches forth bet arm
to tho Greek physicians steel the blood
spirits and $40 sinks dying upon tho
bosom Of her lord her honor rooted
IN dishonor stands and faith uniaithfui
keeps her falsely true
In tho burning Of Rome lhe author Of
Quo Vadis' has initiated as best he
could, Bulwera destruction Of Pompaiii
but this picture is mere daub, amult
headed nightmare There is nothing
majestic. nothing awe.inapiring about
Il. albeit Tie artist sweats blood TO
make Il awful 1t reads Ike On anna
tuer reporters spread" Of Che Chicago
fire. His description Of The martyrdom
Of tie christians resembles an anqto
mlcal lecture in dissecting room u
is revolving picture upon which tho
artist lovingly dwells through long
pages until the heart iaints and tie
soul ackons with tho 5atumalia Of
blood, Che intermi1able beasliality
II reads like q newspaper account Of q
prize hgbt by rounds A true artist
wonld have completed the picture with
a few bold strokes Of the picture, well
knowing that familiarity with crime
breeds contempt The christians Of
"Quo YadiB' are not men and women
Of mental equipiose devoted in q sane
manuer to the service Of the Master,
bit wild.eyed fanatics who court de-
struction, believing That the more Ter
rible their torture the brighter their
crown. They want 70 b eracihed Dc
cause Christ suffered that death, and
are disappointed 10 learn that they are
to be eaten BY dogs Or torn by lions,
that method Of destruction not afford
ing them sufficient opportunity for
suffering Doubtless there were ~ the
days Of Nero crazy christians who
courted the cross but We may safely
assume that a vast majority o. che con
verts of Peter and Paul were sane
The labored depletion Of wholesale
insanity. commingled with scenes Of
blood, lachery proaigacy and tyranny
are scarce calculated 70 make people
b3tter. hence QUO Vadis7 is not d good
book. Itisa dismal failure from
religioue, historical and artistic stand
point but It mtb because lot Of ire
sponsible damphools have made u
fad. Its author should be condemned
10 tho treadmill for having spewed
forth such an uuavory conglomemtion
Of ignorance and iueptitnda to debauoh
the minds of the people Ben HHr il
ire only religions novel ! know of that
+ really worth residing and it e0uld be
improved by considerable pruning