The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-26
GREAT LOVE
STORIES
of HISTORY
BY Albert PaySon Terhune
Nero and Poppaea
Copyright. BY the Author. }


beautiful woman. Poppaea Sabina.
There they were MIXED. The milk
was poured into a huge marble tub
In this tub Poppaea took her morning
BATH on the plea that washing in
donkeys' milk added to her beauty
However true or false this theory may
have been it certainly had the effect
OF advertising Poppaea. 1t even
brought her to the notice of the en-
peror Nero. and led to love affair
which was to cost thousands of inno-
cent lives.
Octavius Julius Caesars nephew
had turned Rome from a republic TO
an empire. with himself as emperor
His successors kept the title without
inheriting any of its originator's
genius. At last a weak foolish man
named Claudius came to the imperial
throne. In 40 B. c. he married his
niece, Agrippina, a wicked, clever wo-
man. who induced him to disinherit
his own son and to proclaim her young
son Nero as his heir. Having accom-
plished this. Agrippina poisoned
Claudius and set Nero on the throne.
The young emperor was at first gen
tie and wise ruler, meekly obeying his
ambitious mothers commands. But
fatterers at court finally prompted
him to defy her and to run the empire
to suit himself-and them. Still Agrip-
pinas influence was more or less pow
erful over the youth until he met
Poppaea.
,, Poppaea Sabina
un.s.a was wealthy and
Of patrician fam
lily. AS a girl she had married a no
bleman who had divorced her. Then
she had married daring young sol
der and profligate named Ohio. one of
Nero's boon companions. Ohio loved
her jealousy. So when Nero. falling
in love with the beautiful woman. sug
gested that Ohio give her up. the hus-
band fatty refused. In this refusal
he was backed by Poppaea herself.
Not that she cared for Ohio. but she
read Nero's nature, and knew that op-
position would fan his fancy for her
into worship. She was justified in this
belief, for Nero before long found
means Of separating her from the
heartbroken Ohio.
Poppaea had made up her mind to
be empress. Agrippina hated her
Nero also had a wife. Octavia. But
these obstacles did not check Pop
paea. One by one she cleared them
| away. She persuaded Nero that his
mother was conspiring against him.
and worked him to such a frenzy of
rage and fear that he had Agrippina
ypnrdorod Novt Doppooo ipduood h{u,
| to divorce Octavia and to consent to
her death. Nothing now stood in the
fair adventures way, and she and
| Nero were formally married. Pop
paea's ambition was gratif1ed. She
| was empress of Rome. Moreover,
Nero loved her so madly that her light
est wish was his law. She could
| frighten or cajole him into doing any
| thing she desired. At her order one
after another of his saner advisers
were put to death.
And now began a period Of reckless
dissipation on the part Of Nero and
Poppaea that nearly wrecked the en-
pire. Poppaea brought out all that
was worst and maddest in Nero. and
| spurred him on to terrible deeds
Among these (Which she is credited
by many authorities with suggesting
to her husband) was the burning OF
Rome in 81 A. D. While the city
| burned the emperor composed and
| sang an ode in honor of the confagra
ton.
The plain people had been patient
under their rulers tyranny. But the
burning of their city drove them to
fury. Nero was frightened. Advised
by Poppaea and his natterers, he de
clared the Christians had set fire to
Rome and put hundreds of them tc
death in barbarous manner by way OF
pretended punishment for the crime
This for the moment pacified the PEG
pie. But soon fresh iniquities on the
part of the imperial couple angered
them again. At last. in a At of Jealous
rage. Nero one day struck Poppaea
She died from the effects of the blow
Nero mourned her loudly and long ant
wrote poems to her memory But hi
o.,. r.k.. own time Of retri
v.".-ss button was al
man he had most wronged was t.
Ohio had joined with an old genera
named Galba in stirring up the Roman
armies against Nero. He marched tt
Rome at the head of his legions t
avenge himself on the tyrant who hac
robbed him of his wife In spite of hi:
| haste Ohio turned aside long enough
| in the march to visit the grave o.
Poppaea. There. weeping. he piled hel
last resting place with fresh flowers
and passed on to his work of ven
geance.
But Nero did not await his enemies
coming. Deserted by fiatterers ane
guards alike, he killed himself to avoil
| the fate he knew he must otherwise
expect at Otho's hands
Y. M. c. A. in Germany and America
There are 1890 Young Mems Chris
tian associations in Germany-onl,
1889 in America; yet, where the Ger
man associations have but 1I7.00t
members. the American have $4,000
And German association property
holdings have value of $240o 900
contrasted with a value OF SIC, 900.
900 in America