The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-02-15
BEAUTY IN
UGLINESS
By ELLA B. CHEEVER
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation 1911.

Professor Binder was farmers boy
made into an archaeologist. He worked
his way through college. sometimes
teaching the little country boys and
girls near the university where he
studied. sometimes following the plOw,
but oftener doing cd jobs which
would not interfere with his university
courses. He WAS red headed, freckled
and otherwise unattractive in personal
appearance. except for the intellect
that looked out through his eyes. When
he smiled he resembled a pumpkin
with a candle in it. such as boys use
to celebrate Allhallow eve.
Professor Binder while In college
was principally interested in buried
things, and the longer they had been
under ground the better he liked them.
He read so many books about buried
cities that after his graduation he was
chosen to go abroad with a party Of
archaeologists to discover the site Of
lost Greek cities mentioned by his
torians. He told the party where
many of these cities were. and they
found them. When he returned he
was made professor of archaeology in
a woman's college. The girls declared
that he had been appointed because
none Of them would be tempted to
run away with him.
One day after recitation Eva Lam.
bert, whose talents ran rather to mis-
chief than books. went up to the pro-
fessor's lecture table after the lecture,
ostensibly to ask a question, but really
to poke fun at him.
Professor" she said. did the early
Christians dig out the catacombs, Of
Rome to bury their dead in?"
that's the story" replied the pro-
fessor, "but 1t seems to me more likely
that they were old quarries and the
Christians found them ready for their
purpose. though they greatly extended
them. There's too much glamour about
archaeological stories. Nevertheless
the catacombs are interesting, even if
they were originally quarries. 1t Is the
pleasure we take In deciphering in
scriptions and such matters pertaining
to the dead placed there centuries
ago that interests US. as well as the
skeletons Of the dead themselves. The
catacombs to me are more fascinating
than the Lake Of Como. the bay of
Naples or the Swiss Alps. Beauty Is
passive; there is nothing about it to
learn, to conquer. There is no beauty
in the catacombs, but there is the live
lest interest For instance, when we
see the outline of fish scratched on
the wall over a sarcophagus we are
eager to know what it means. And
when we have learned that we find
something else we wish to interpret
what does a fish meanT asked
Miss Lambert, becoming interested.
at was a sign of the early Christians
and indicated that the buried one was
q follower Of Jesus. But, to return
to the matter of the difference between
the beautifulAnd the interesting. Two
young students Of geology recently
took luncheon on a stone. 1t was a
common stone apparently. like any
other stone. One Of the students
thought it resembled a fossilized bone.
Chipping of 40 few bits of it, they
took 1t to their college laboratory,
tested it and found that 1t was a bone.
1t turned out to be the paw of an ex.
tinct dinosaur that had lived millions
of years ago. There was no beauty In
II, but 1t was fascinating"
Il should say sc, Was it taken out?'
"Yes. and removed to a museum"
By this time the girls had all left
the lecture room. The professor went
on talking.
IF you ever go to Pompeii, buried
by an eruption Of vesuvius seventy.
five years after the birth Of Christ,
you will see plaster cast Of a man.
Some may prefer the statue Of the
Apollo Belvedere. possibly the most
beautiful figure in existence. Ny
taste leads me to the Pompeiian cast.
1t represents only q common man and