The Mena weekly star., 1911-04-20
.xisfed snve for humanity.

Apart from this little group of women. the sight of whom from afar off consoed him, Jesus had be- fore him only spectacle of human baseness or stupidity. The passers- by insulted him. Round about him he heard foolish raillery. His su- preme cries of agony were turned into hateful jests: He trusted on God; let hm deliver him now, if he desireth him; for he said, I am the son of God" "He saved others they said again; Himself he cannot save. He is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and we will believe on himl Thou that destroyest the temple and buiIdest it in three days, save thy self" Some who had vague ac- quaintance with his apocalyptic ideas thought they heard him call upon Elias and said, Let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him." It would seem that the two crucifled thieves at his side also in- suited him. The sky was dark and the surrounding country, as throughout the environs of Jeru- salem, barren and dismal.
 For a moment, according to cer- tain narratives, his heart failed him: a cloud hid from him the face of his father: he endured an agony of despair more acute a thousand times than all his torments. He saw nothing but the ingratitUie of men. He perhaps repented his suf- fering for a vile race and he cried: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" But his divine in- stinct again sustained him. In measure as the life of the body flickered out, his soul grew serene and by degrees returned to its heaN- enly source. He regained the idea of his mission: in his death he saw the salvation of the world; the hid eous spectacle spread at his feet melted from his sight and, pro- foundly united to his Father, he be- gan upon the gibbet the divine life which he was to live in the heart of humanity through infinite ages.
 The peculiar atrocity of crucifix- ion was that in this horrible condi- tion it was possible to live three OF four days upon the instrument of torture. The hemorrhage from the hands soon ceased and was not mor- tai. The real cause of death was the unnatural position of the body, which produced fearful disturb ance of the circulation, terrible pains in the head and heart, and, finally, paralysis of the limbs. Those who had a strong constitution could sleep, and only died of hunger. The motive idea of this cruel punish ment wa snot to kill the victim di- rectIy, but to expose the slave, i nailed by the hands of which he had not known how to make good use, and to leave him to rot on the wood.
 The delicate organization of Jesus preserved him from this slow agony. A burning thirst, one of the tor lures of crucifixion, as of all pun ishments causing great loss of blood, devoured him, and he asked to drink. There was standing near jar of ordinary beverage of Ro- man soldiers, a mixture of vinegar and water called posca. The sol- diers had to carry their posca with them on all their expeditions in which executions were included. A soldier dipped sponge in his liq- uor, put it on the end of reed, and raised it to the lips of Jesus, who sucked it. There is theory in the East that allowing crucified or em- paled victims to drink, aeeelerates death; many believed that Jesus gave up his spirit directly he had drunk the vinegar. It is much more probable that an apoplectic stroke or the instantaneous rupture of a blood vessel iTHthe heart caused his sudden death at the end of three hours. Some moments before giv- ing up his soul he uttered a terri ble cry, heard by some as: Father, into thy hands I commend my spir- itw Luke 23:i6) but by others, more preoccupied by the accom- plishment of prophecies, rendered in the words, "It is finishedw John | i9:36). His head fell upon his breast, and he expired.