The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-05

ern discoveries, excavation and greater facility in reading the Assyrian inscrip- tions have proved Sardanapalus to have been quite another sort of person from the effeminate creature of Diororus and Byron-and the break up of the Assyrian empire did not come until score of years after the death of Asurbanipal-as the Greeks called him. But whatever the written inscriptions of excavated As- syria may set forth, the Sardanapalus of Diodorus and Byron are a synonym for effeminate luxury. Asurbanipal slaught- cred his subjects and conquered nations; he was the greatest monarch, and the boodiest in the world. But he could not reach forward through 2400 years and prevent a young British Lord from dish ing him up as voluptuary in tragedy. IN great hall of the royal palace at
 Nineveh the Assyrian general, Sal A emenes walked moodily up and down A prince of high and ancient blood and brother to the Queen of Sardanspalus; stern and unbending man, valiant ana skfllful soldier, he of all those who sur rounded. the great King that dared tell him the truth, dared urge him to shake off the sloth and the effeminacy Into which his life had sunk. He alone seemed fully to realize the jeopardy In which the throne and the line of Nimrod stood.
 The hall was an apartment of great magnificence Columns of black mar ble sunported an arched roof and be- tween the columns stood on pedestaiS huge winged bulls carved out or stohe' with human faces and long cured heards and crowned with the pointed regal headpieces. Around the walls ran bas reliefs depicting scenes or the chase or of war. Battle and siege, coih- bat and victory were all there' ana there. also. was portrayed the hunt in all it's forms, fitting decorations for the great hall of Nimrod, "the founder of empire and chase" A flood Of hgnt poured through the vast apartment from cressets of bronze fixed along the walls and from varicolored fires spring ing from bronze tripods. From between the forefeet of the bulls leaped lambert flames. and hero and there winged sphinxes. calm, grave, solemn and ap- palling, or winged lion" with human face, sat upon their launches with light -uuivering from their foreheads.
 Tables of bronze, marble and ivory stood about laden with vases of gold, bronze or ivory, richly jeweled and ex- ouisitely wrought. Ornaments of ivory and mother of pearl and bottles and ornaments of a dusky and iridesceht glass mixed with the ornaments. Rich and heavy rugs were spread upon the floor and here and there the light shone . upon curtains of silk and other rare and rich Oriental fabrics. There were chairs of carved bronze and some that seemed to be all mother of pearl. Some were of ivory and others so thickly plated with gold that they seemed to be of the solid metal.
 D Clad in the Assyrian dress of war, his helmet and his corselet shining prlsnt as they sent back the light of the thou- sand flames, his sword and armor clank- ing as he paced to and fro with folded arms and bent brow, the stern Sale menes waited alone for the appearance or $ Sardanapalus The marriage of Sardana- palus with Atada the sister Of Salamenes had been d marriage of state. sne bore him three boys and then found cut what 1t was to be queen of vast na- ton, but not of her husbands heart For years they had lived apart. Altada was SuIfOunueu WltIl all the pump and treated with all the deference and care which her station demanded, but Sardanapalus she seldom or never saw.
 He spent his days and nights in wild debaucheries, surrounded by women of the harem, flatterers and sycophants, eunuchs, slaves and revelers, musicians, singers. dancers and buffoons. The reins of government he left to other hands 10 any hands which might seize them, demanding only this-that the people should not be oppressed. War and ,ruel- " he abhorred, and would make all Assy- ria enc vast playground, have all his people free to make life one long revel- as he made it. But clouds were gather ing about the throne, sediton and on sriracy were abroad and strong, ambi- t,ous hands were reaching out to grasp the scepter which Sardanapalus had turn eJ into a lute. and pluck the crown which he had changed into a wreath of roses.
 ''He must not perish thus,'' unused Sal emenes as he paced the great hall. 'I will not see the blood of Nimrod and Scmiramis sink weakly into the earth
 
 no more than a shepherds tale. He has wronged my sister. it is true; he has wronged his people; wronged them by neglect of his duties. But still he is my brother and my King, and I will save him in spite of himself. In his effemi- nate heart there is a careless courage which corruption has not entirely quench- ed He has great latent energies, re- pressed, but not destroyed Had he been born peasant he had been a man to grasp an empire. But being born to an empire he will bequest none--unless he is aroused. He must be aroused!' From a lofty and scnlptnred portal at the right of the great hall came now the sounds of soft and lascivious music, the notes of Tyre, timbrel and lute and other lull- ing instruments, mingling with the soft ening voices of women and of eunuchs. Nearer and nearer came the music and the singing voices until there burst into the hall g. band of young women, gor- geously arrayed. reeking with perfumes, bare arms shining like ivory and heav- ing breasts that mocked the whitest mar bles Every race and every cline of what was then known of the world had con tributed it's loveliest to furnish the great Kings harem and the brightest eyes shone sparkling as the gems which encrusted the golden vases.
 Crowned and decked with flowers they came on, Q joyous band, dancing hand in hand in time to the strains of