New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-08-11
The CHEZ Al,
BY NORA e. RECTOR.

kNVpylA6AI, Ny 6kA14cIlCeaIA 1lISSS <ASSOs
ctation.l
In the middle Of the fourth century
A. D. the struggle between paganism
and Christianity at Rome was draw
ing to close. The Emperor Constan-
tine still maintained the worship Of
the immortal gods, but his wife, the
empress, secretly practiced the rites
Of the new religion. Nevertheless, since
paganism was as yet the established
worship Of the state, those who openly
avoWed Christianity were still anne.
nable to the terrible punishments in
flicted by the earlier emperors.
Even the virgins appointed to keep
up the sacred fire in the temple of
Vesta, located in the center of the
Roman forum, were becoming disaf-
fected toward the religion under
which for thousand years their or
der had enjoyed inestimable priv.
leges. So great was the honor attached
to the position Of vestal that every
Roman girl aspired to the appoint
ment. There were but six of them,
dwelling in marble house near the
temple, served by numerous attend.
ants and slaves. They were free to
go anywhere unattended, and in the
Coliseum special box opposite that OF
the emperor was provided for them
It, then, the religion of Jesus was be-
ginning to affect these most honored
of Roman women, if it had already
won over the empress, would it not
soon carry with it the emperor, the
senate and the Roman people?
One morning Claudia, the chief
vestal, riding in her carriage for an
airing, saw the sun glistening on the
breastplates and helmets of knot OF
soldiers. When they came near they
halted and reverently made way for
her to pass. A prisoner whom they
were conducting alone stood erect in
the presence Of the sacred parsonage.
He was julius Flavius, young Chris
tan, who had openly refused to bow
his head at the sacrifices to Jupiter
and was being taken to the Mamertine
prison to be strangled.
The vestal sat looking at the man,
whose glance, rebellious at the rever-
ence paid her pagan Office, was lighted
by a fire far more sacred than that
over which she presided-love. In the
two the conflicting religions met. and
Claudia, touched also by the only i'm
mortal pagan god. spiritually yielded
mastery to this servant of new
deity.
'Take off his chains" said the vestal
to the officer in command.
IAN order from the EMPEROR asked
the officer hesitatingly.
"No-by the privilege vested in me
as one of the six virgins appointed to
keep up the sacred fire. Whence came
you that you do not know that any
prisoner meeting one Of our number
goes free? Let fall his chains"
Pardon" said the officer, bowling
the knee humbly before her. For
years l have served in Gaul, and many
OF our home customs are unknown to
me. Your sacred word is enough"
Approaching the prisoner, he took
off his chains, and julius Flavius stood
before his liberator free man.
"You have deprived me of the bless
1ngs Of martyrdom," he said to her,
''but you have prolonged my life that
I may spread the faith of Jesus the
Christ. May he win you, too, into the
true church.
Claudia made no reply.
She ordered her charioteer to drive on.
Flavius stood looking after her, hop
ing that she would turn her head, but
she did not. When he came back to
his surroundings he stood alone
Above the house of the vestals tow
cred wing of the imperial palace.
That night Claudia, climbing the
height, entered the chamber of the
empress and. tearing the filet from her
brow, threw herself into her imperial
mistress arms and poured into her
ear remuneration of paganism, con-
fession of the new religion.
Aided by the new ally, Flavius ap-
preached the empero: and besought
him to declare as the religion of the
state that faith which he had already
adopted in his heart The appeal was
successful. When the morning came
an edict went forth banishing the
heather gods.
The edict was all that saved Claudia
from terrible death. But paganism,
though it had received its deathblow,
was not dead, and Claudia, before free
and honored among women, now dared
not show her face on the streets of
Rome. But julius Flavius, whom she
had saved from martyrdom, was taken
up by the emperor and advanced as
a concession to the Christian faction.
In the imperial palace he again met
the woman who had saved his life
and whose immortal soul he had
turned in the way of salvation. How
different the meeting from that when
Claudia was Vestala Maxima and
julius, loaded with chains, was on his
way to the prison where Jugartha and
the Catiline conspirators had persisted.
She whom he could not. revere as a
pagan he worshiped as his Christian
love.