The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31

aspect of all these experiences he has l been through He has used the imagery l by which he hopes to bring home the l spiritual lesson; but it is not the picture 1 that he wants us to dwell on. His mes l sage is you will do such things as long
 as your perverted nature wills such things l and dwells in such moods, and this is l what your soul is like.
 Dante has thus passed the whole ex- perience of evil; even the icy touch has been laid on his very soul. but he, who i has felt the cold of spiritual death in his heart is also and, by this very means, to attain to the life of light and love.
 My leader and I entered by the hidden
 road to return to the bright world; and without care to have repose, we
 mounted up, he first and l second, so far that through a round opening l saw
 some of the beautiful things which heaven bears, and thence we issued forth again
 to see the stars"
 This recapitulation of the sins of the Inferno with their respective punish
 ments, has been given in detail that we
 may the more readily get Dante's mes sage with reference to the relation Of
 man to his own evil deeds. Dante's ob- ject that he might remove those who live in the world from state of misery to state of happiness, he hoped to real ize by startling the frivolous world into realization of what a dreadful thing sin is, when given over to itself. And we marvel at his power to exhibit the inner nature of evil in form and color and to depict the distinctive quality of the par ticular sin and the portrayal of the ac- ton fitted to its character. What did Dante find sin to be in this grim pilgrim age? He answers: First, man in ms sins is in a hopeless condition, so long as his attitude is one of antagon1sm to the best interests of his higher nature l Second that sin is essentially vile and contemptible. It is grotesque, ludicrous, foolish detestable, ending not in an agony that lends to the sinner touch of hero- ism, but rather in a state of fouiness and sterility. The lake of bloody ice and
 rot fire Is It's ultimate symbol. There IS no grandeur in Lucifer. Though he is described as being $40 feet in height, he is fixed in the icy lake and pictured in all his native cruelty and mahgnity, loathsome creature. What contract 10 ! the cunning Satan of Milton, who strides
 majestically over the burning mari, as- serting himself in rebelious pride, dar-
 ing God to crush him with thunderbolts- We can't help but admire the uncon- querable will that prefers to rule in hell rather than to serve in heaven. All or Dante's demons are hateful; no man can admire them. He wants to impress his
 message that as sure as the righteous
 shall rise to life everlasting so sure will the wicked rise to everlasting shame. Third, that sin is self-perversion or the
 will. Dante's fundamental thought IS that man is free; not a waif to be swept IT,
 resistibly downward, but sovereign, pos
 sessed of reason to judge and will to
 choose and act. Then, sin Is not 10 pc
 accounted for as a result of misfortune
 disease or as a visitation or rate or nat
 ural necessity; it is wilfulness, crime self-destructionl Fourth, that the penai1y of sin in it's essence Is not someIhlns external to the sinner; 1t IS ratner the
 sin given over to itself; 1t is It's own nunishment Sin Is hell, and hell is the death which 1t brings forth. Hell IS to let one's sin have dominion over niIl'
 1t is a condition of the soul alienated rom God. The souls of living men who do evil are already in hell. as surely as eternal life Is already present in the sous of the good The sinner wrapped Tn l1e cords of his own sin tends ever 'ao"h
 ward in an eyer-increasing intensity or
 selfish. will to reap his reward ln an
 punishment Retribution IS lheVilapie,
 There Is no escape, because the doer ana
 tbe deed are bound together. Hell IS
 not something happening to hian' i'
 takes place within him, therefore ll can-
 not be cheated. The lesson IS .'Wnereo
 withal a man sinnneth, With the soi"o
 also shall he be punished.
 Mrs. Richard Randolph's luncheon yes
 terday was a graceful compliment to Mrs.
 Polhamius of New York, who is the guest of Mrs Mark Lewis. Mrs. Randolph
 skill as a hostess was prettly demon
 strated in the artistic decorations and
 the exquisite appointments of the lunch-f
 con.
 The dining room was darkened and ar
 tifcially lighted with electric globes COW
 cred with red Red tapers burned in
 group of candlesticks and red cut glass of exquisite design further carried out
 the color scheme. The center piece was
 large basket filed with crimson car
 nations The place cards were ornament
 ed with fanciful heads hand-painted.
 Mrs. Randolph was exquisitely gowned
 in A soft red costume. Her guest of hon.
 or wore a gown of blue broadcloth.
 Seated about the table were Mrs Ran
 dolph, Mrs. Polhamius Mrs. Mark Lewis,
 Mrs Robert H. Pearson, Mrs. B. G. Cope
 land, Mrs James Bowron, Mrs. Mason billiard. Mrs. H. L. Badham, Mrs Rob
 ert Jemison, Mrs. Wilougfby Claybrook,
 Mrs w. L. Murdoch and Mrs Allen.
 Box parties to witness the play at the
 Majestic theatre have become extreme ly popular number of parties have been noted during the past week Yes
 terday afternoon Miss Lillian Gertrude
 Goldwire and four friends occupied Box D. In the group were Miss Goldwire,
 Miss Rose Owen McDavid, Miss Vlr-
 ginia McDavid, Miss Pearl Guscot and Miss Dorothy Johnson.
 Mrs Hattie Tutwiler Moor announces
 the engagement of her daughter, Lucille Meredith, to Mir. Joseph Francis Neel of Cartersville Ga, the wedding to occur
 on Wednesday March 10, at the home of
 the bride.
 The date of the marriage of Miss Robina Clay Hafer and MT. William Mullen Johnson of Gulfport, Miss, is announced for February IS.
 A musicale will be given under the auspices of St. Andrews Guild on the evening of Tuesday, February at Cable hall for the benefit of St. Andrews church. The following well known musicians will
 take part, Mrs. Harriet Wiswell O'Neil, Louis Lee Gamble, Mrs. Robert Newman
 Mrs. Posner Mrs. John Peck. MT Leon
 Cole, MT. A. S. Mills and MT. Erin Far ley.
 The meeting of the Cadmean circle Fri day afternoon was one of unusual Inter- act Tho ljt,rarv movement was discusSed