The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-20

wounded the first physioians looked
after them. Professors taught them 10
fence, DC. II they survived three yeara
Of the trade they were generally Get
free, but they not seldom stayed on
voluntarily as fighters or instructors.
E~piotetus says that many Of them vus
indignant II debarred from some chance
Of appearing in the arena They beset
the managers to let them go on They
had a strict code Of honor In their pro.
fession, and .the most ~cowardly learned
how to die In war time they were some.
times enlisted in the army and distin.
guished themselves. When Antony's
cause was being deserted by great and
small after Actium . troop Of gladiaton
training at Cyzicum to celebrate hs
triumph remained faithful. or their
own will they set Cd marching to Egypt
Nothing could restrain them. They sent
. message to Antony to come 70 them
in Syria and only abandoned him whsu
he neither answered nor came.
Gladiatorial games were freely I'd.
vertised by posters painted On vaIs
and often on the tombs that lined tho
main roads into the city. inscriptions
on tombs sometimes begged the adver-
tisers to refrain from DESIGNATING the
last resting place. The troop OF glada-
tors belonging TO the &dile Aulus Suet-
thus Certus'-so one Of these advertise
meuts runs--wM fight In Pompeii on
May 81 There will also be animal
baittngs and an awning will Be provided
On tho eve OF the spectacle the fighters
might order what they fancied. Tho
curious Of the town were admitted 10
look them over.
Seneca 10 the only extant Roman writer
who expresses any squeamishness ova
the horror Of these fights. There was
Of course very little idea then Of the ssno.
tity Of life. and the splendor Of tho spec.
taoles had an Intoxicating effect. Indi-
vidual scruples give way in a vast gather
ing, rs ST. Augustine records. TO the
general feeling. So little indeed did the
nero bloodshed shock the masses that
We find . demand after q time for more
exciting variations on the common theme.
Domitian set dwarfs and women fighting.
Women indeed often appeared; und&
Nero sven, noble women.
/. Az for the animal fights, one ereat
festival at Rome probably consumed
enough beasts TO stock all the SOCIOLOGICAL
gardens Of modern Europe. At Trajan's
festival in i07 A. D. 1900 were killed,
mostly lions and elephants. The rh-
nooeros and hippopotsmus were also
iavorite performers. and it 10 natural
49, - o-ntlla ~o~<- - AfHn> $1,000
depleted after q while and Asia had 70
be relied on for supplies. The beasts
we're hunted in the arena with dog
usually British-pitted against each othsr;
q rhinoceros. for instance. against an
elephant, or let loose upon men some
times armed, sometimes not. sometimes
ever tied up to posts.
At the athletic displays in the stadium
the contestants we're nearly always for
eigners-most Of them Greek. These
bloodlees affairs seemed tame Of course
after the amphitheatre. and it is rather
hard to understand how they attained
such vogue as they did. The Grecophile
tendencies OF some Of the Emperor
OF Nero. for instance-may in part e.
plain It; and the intervals were filled up
with musical contests and vaudeville
shows. Anyway the athletes themselves
were despised by a great many. We
find a good many references to them quite
in the "muddied oaf and flannel'd fool
vein. Seneca calls them stupid and
describes their life as Facilitating between
drinking. eating and sweating Martial
thinks digging In a vineyard would DO
. more sensible use Of their muscles.
Galen thought the athlete was much more
liable to disease and slow witted. A
pig, he says. could transact important
business better than he. Even in their
own art. he remarks. they are easily
surpassed by the lower animals; in the
sprints the mare or deer could beat them;
in longer distances the horse; in strength
trials, the elephant or lion; in boxing. the
bull; as an all round performer the ases
would throw them into the shade.
We have already passed outside the
territory which in this kind wa pecu-
liarly Roman. In the theatre again.
and the fine arts. excepting architecture.
the Romans were pupils. not masters.