Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-28

It's third visit TO Omaha repeated
HHHS4 the story Of it's former engage
Sss-<-sS ments-packed houses at each per-
formance and a class Of people who do not
ordinarily attend the theaters. Some OF them
were there for the first time since the play
was last here, and some for the first time
III their lives. Manager Towle says Omahas
experience differs in nothing from that Of
other cities, that the attendance is the same
everywhere and that his years of going
about with the great production have CON
WINGED him that It comes home to people
who are not otherwise interested in the
stage and its doings Some reason must
exist for this, and IT can probably be found
In the association OF the name OF the Savior
OF mankind with the story that is told II
was this undoubtedly that gave the great
interest to the novel. AS a story 1t does not
dfrer In any essential regard from host
Of other novels, with similar themes and
corresponding action. The plot and the
characters are of the most commonplace
sort, and, Invested of the single element Of
religious flavor, it may easily be doubted II
the first edition had been exhausted But
TO the tale OF love and adventure the per-
sonality Of Christ gives a glamor that
makes the tale attractive and to the devout
seem almost like revelation.
.
In developing the character Of Ben Hur
General Wallace very skillfully drew IL
through the changes from an intense and
arduous Jewish patriotism TO a complete
surrender OF earthly ambition and an ac-
ceptance OF Christ and His doctrine To
fully appreciate this one must understand
something of the political conditions that
prevailed at Jerusalem and throughout the
land. The memory OF the Maccabean re-
of In ba mil - oil I
than two centuries before the birth of
Christ the Jews had thrown off the Grecian
yoke and had esta blished their independence
again. This was but one of the great strug-
giles for national existence through which
they had passed. Their history is a chron-
icle of wars waged, not for conquest but
for existence, and against a succession of
conquerors. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and
Greece had been overcome in turn and why
not Rome? The yoke was hateful to the
Jew, and he looked forward to the coming
not of a religious leader, but of a mighty
man, whose valor should inspire his follow
ers to such deeds that they would break the
hold of Rome and Judea should again stand
INDEPENDENT and upright among the peoples
Of the world. This was the thought upper
most in the minds of the people, and when
they gathered at Jerusalem to be numbered
tribute-taking might be facilitated it may
easily be believed that they were in no sub
missive frame of mind as regards the
Roman. When the word was passed among
them that a babe had been born at Bethe-
hem who was ito be King of the Jews" did
II not cause a secret wave of JOY to pass
through all the nation, except those who
were attached to Herod by INTEREST," And
when Herod issued his dreadful bloody
order for the slaughter of the innocents was
not this feeling heightened2 How eagerly
those proud, stubborn people must have
looked forward to that day when this new
born deliverer should come In his strength
and Israel should again throw off the grasp
OF the foreigner. and instead of paying
tribute to Rome should be taxed only to
support the national greatness that is still
to this day cherished so fondly by the in
dividuals of that race. 1t was this dream
that is typihed In Ben Hur. The family
wrongs he suffered are in part the wrongs
OF the nation. and his desire for revenge on
Messiah simply illustrates the thirst for
vengeance that animated the nation against
the oppressor. No doctrine of returning
good for evil had yet been preached in
Jerusalem. The Jews yet worshiped the
God that had led them from Egypt; the God
whose wrath overlook Pharaoh in the Red
sea; the God whose word crumbled the
walls OF Jericho to dust; the God before
whose breath the host of Sennacherib
withered as flowers under the simeon S
blast; the God that sent ACKNOWLEDGMENT
to eat grass in the fields and who broke the
might Of Belshazzar as Samson broke the
withes that bound him, This God had made
for them strict law of vengeance; IAN
eye for an eye and n tooth for a tooth" was
the language Of the code A just ephod had
they, and just hin, and It was to this
God they looked for deliverance from the
Roman. His will had overturned the might.
lest OF the mighty on earth; what reason
then, to think that Caesar could prevail be.
fore Him? When the appointed time should
come Rome would join with Jericho, and
Nineveh, and Babylon, and other cities
whose walls had crumbled, and the legions
OF Caesar would be with the hosts OF
Pharaoh and sennacherib
Judah, son of Ithamar, prince OF Hur
could not have missed being imbued with
this feeling. With the added weight of hi.
private wrongs he must have been zealou,
In his desire to take part in the struggl,
that was to come against the Roman, II
all his actions he was animated by bu
one thought and that was to secure ven
geance on the people who had so cruell!
wronged him. No thought OF religious
revolution entered his calculations. Tn
teachings of the Nazarene were strange
but no stranger than those of others who's
voices had been heard in the land from
the time of Moses and Aaron. One OF tn
wisest features Of the Roman policy wa
that II did not interfere with the religion
of the peoples brought under subsection
So long the tribute was paid and Roma,
authority generally recognized in secula
matters the subjugated nation might wor
ship as II liked. Indeed, Rome not In
frequently paid a nation the compliment
OF adopting some one OF its gods, addn
another to the collection of fanes and TEN
Piles for which the Eternal City or som
OF the other capitals were famous. No
did Rome go very far towards overturn
Ing the local government when the eagle
and the s. y. .. r.. standard were hoisteC
The tetrarch Herod had hardly been dis
turbed in his regal authority, and the sar
hedrim was as potent at Jerusalem as eve
II was the presence Of Rome in the goy
ernor and the tribute takers, the legio
and the eagles that irritated the Jews.
Ben Hur like thousands OF others, COZ