Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-18


ing him unto the walls Of the city, slow
him In sacrifice to the gods or the ma
ton Must we credit tho author of
the Book OF Judges when he records the
boast OF the captive King Adontbezec
seventy kings. whose fingers and
toes l cut OFT gathered up the ieav-
ings of the meat under my table"
IN tho golden age OF Roman clvili2a-
ton lived Julius Caesar and Octavius
Augustus who. as lovers and patrons
OF the line arts, accomplished scholars,
warriors and statesmen, are held up
Tor our admiration In our high schools,
colleges and academies. or Julius Gaze
sar we dare say little In plain language
His utter moral rottenness was loath-
some and his depravtty beggars de-
scription. Cato might we'll shake his
head at Caesars loose toga. His man
hood was worthy OF his youth. His let
ters to Anthony reveal iilthiness be-
youd all belief. yet so barefaced was
crime ana cruelty In the golden agc
that he was lauded by Seutonius for
his adherence Of cruelty" because he
cut the throats of the pirates he had
taken when he might have orucified
them. Caesar was proclaimed a god,
after his death, by Augustus, the Ro-
man emperor. This same Augustus, ac-
cording 10 the calm and cautious biog-
rapher of the Caesars, upon a mere
suspicion, and that, too, unfounded
plucked out with his own hand the eyes
OF the Roman knight Quintus Gallus
and then put him to death by ignomin-
ious torture. And what of the fate of
prisoners of war? After Mark Antony
and his friends were starved out In |
Per1igia, and the army forced to sur |
render the prisoners We're brought out |
and put to death I'm patches. Three |
of the Roman knights and no
bles OF Antony's army, selected by DC
xavius Augustus. were slaughtered |
around the altar erected to the Names |
OF Julius Caesar. MS If they had been |
800 sheep or bulls or oxen
THE THIRST FOR BLOOD.
After every battle the prisoners of !
war were either slaughtered on In"
field. sold into slavery or reserved for
death Mt the sladatolial oombats. in
the most refined periods Of the Roman
empire. at the latest and brightest
epoch of heather or classical civllina-
ton prisoners Of war We're compelled
To destroy each other for the delecta-
ton of the citizens, not only I'm Rome,
but wherever an amphthe"Lter was
raised, IN Europe, Africa Asia Minor
and Asia proper. Even small country
towns like Pomped and Herculaneum
had these gladiatorial shows, where
prisoners were publicly slaughtered Tor
the amusement of the people.
"As coon as the prisoners VINO were
10 fight with each other. or
With Wild beasts writes Seneca We're
out upon the arena, the spev
.ators became enemies OF lht uu,''. sn
and desired nothing SO
much as to see them quickly slaught-
cred"
ZipbiIinus i'm his life of the En-
1eror Commodus, relates that Wheh INC
contest between the prisoners was VOC
equally sustained the imperial monster
became so enraged at the compatahts
or not dispatching one another more
luicl<ly that he had the wretches tea
ogether to make sure of their HI
Mediate death. I.actantius ADDS
$50 ferocious was the thirst ol the
,pectators for blood that should one OF
ach pair of combatants not fall quick
:, The whole crowd flies into rage
'Eainst them and fresh men must DE
brought out to dispatch them
CHRIs1"s COMMANDMENT.
The same Lactantius, corroborating
'liny, writes that as part OF inc
orrid performances, the warm pioou
Il the diving prisoners was handed
round the amphi -theater anu ulunN
" the spectators"
Such became, at last, the games ana
astimes of civilized society among the
ollie nations of antiquity, that the
MUTUAL slaughter of prisoners was no
lore to them than play to us, so com
letely had humanity become estfahseu
rom the human heart
Mankind required all the strength OF
ne divine example of the love OF man !
iven on the cross, and the new COM
,andment of Jesus Christ to love our {
slsnTS' sefsacrjc.s r@6 Of 9asefi2idGe exam
lartvrdom and death, before he couid
e persuaded to hope for even the pos
bIlity of n change TO higher ana
etter life In his critical and learned
ork on mythology, the gifted ana ac-
rate Banier. tells us that:
among all the peoples of the earth
fore the redemption man has slaugh-
rcd his fellow man and tortured him
18th nameless crielties, and there is not
spot of earth on the globe of ancient
vilization that has not been dyed
18th human blood thus barbarously
led."
Contrasted with the horrors of war in
10 golden age of Roman and Grecian
vilization. with the indiscrfminate
aughter of men, women and children;
18th the unspeakable torture inflicted
! the defeated and the horrible viola
on of women and virgins that fol-
wed the capture of city or town;
zee TO face with the historical facts
the savage atrocities inflicted on the
,nquered, war today is merciful. VIII
ny sane man now venture to tell us, !