The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-05-30
From The Forum Book Shelf

story Of 20" from which the three
biographers of Jesus obtained their
facts. DR.. Hills Phaedrus is a gifted
Greek boy who, in an hour of need,
steals a gold cup, a papyrus roll and
a piece Of goatskin from the house OF
a Greek merchant in Ephesus. Later
the thief fees to Rome. The piece
of leather holds the story Of the prodi-
gal SON and this parable transforms
Phaedrus. Just as young Xenophon
and Plato are overwhelmed by So
crates's death through q cup Of
poison and go everywhere in search
of material for his story, so Phaedrus
determines to go to Palestine to find
out about the new Master who has
been mobbed to death in Jerusalem
and who has left not a single written
word behind him. When Phaedrus
learns that the twelve apostles have
also been overtaken by violent death
he conceives the idea that they must
have a few friends who would give
him many "reminiscences of Jesus. To
collect these Phadrus makes his way
to the Nile, the Jordan and the Tigris,
ever looking for secret disciples who
have preserved now a parable, now a
proVerb, now a letter and now a papy-
rus roll. He gathers the "reminiscences
Of shepherds, soldiers, artisans and
fishermen and brings back to the mer-
chants house in Ephesus a priceless
assortment written or bits of leather,
goatskin, parchment, inscriptions on
wood and metal, in three languages
and from many lands--a full Memoir
abilia of Jesus.
Some will think DR.. Hillis's theory
revolutionary, but none will deny that
it represents the last word from the
viewpoint of men like Deissmann, Har-
mack, Grenfell and the other experts
who are interpreting and translating
the thousands of rolls that within
the last ten years have been dug up
in the Far East. All, too, will be
agreed that The Story of Phaedrus,
wholly aside from it's historical value,
is absorbingly interesting macmillan
Co.. New York;
Emerson on Railway Directors T.
In Emerson's Journals, Of which the
tenth and last volume has just been
published, are some entries of pecu.
liar interest al the present time
Such, for instance, are his references
to railway securities. Some banker
friend persuaded him to invest his saw.
ings in the stock Of certain railroads
shortly before the panic of 1856
which was caused by "the dishonesty
ill management, and OVERRIDING O.
the railroad builders. When the price!
began to tumble he wrote in hi
Journal: 81 took such pains not tt
keep my money in the house, but tt
put it out of the reach of burglars By
buying stock, and had no guess that
was putting 1t into the hands o.
these very burglars now grown wiser
and standing dressed as railway di.
rectors."
Of the corrupt. politicians, VIII,
connived in the financial scandals, h,
says: "Is there no check to thi!
class Of privileged thieves that infes
our politics? We mark and lock III
the petty thief, or we raise the hue anC
cry inthe street, and do not hesitat,
to draw our revolvers out of the box
when one is in the house. But her,
are certain well dressed, well bre,
fellows, Infinitely more mischievous
who get into the government and rol
without stint, and without disgrace
They do it with a high hand, and b
the device of having a party to white
wash them, to abet the act, and liz
and vote for them. And often each q
the larger rogues has his newspapel
: called his organ, to say that it wa
not stealing, this which he did; tina
) if there was stealing, it was you wh
r stole, and not he" (Houghton Mil
, fin Co., Boston.)
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