The farmer and mechanic., 1915-05-04
tsp-rsai to TIE New, aa5 c,..r-rrri


English a. Wake Forest College. sends
home The following article written
= lille at Athens beside th- farthe-
non.
love 10 visgI the Acropolis n vari-
Gus hours Of the day for the farthe-
non is thing Of life with moods To
tit not merely the moods Of u poor
lonely pedagosue but likewise the
varying conditions of time and space
l saw il first under a blazing mid day
sun and it was like a jewel on the
shield Of Athena. tinghng and pulsine
with the splendor Of undving youth
Today was fortunate beyond all days
for as ! passed the theatre of Dionysus
a great cloud rock doomed up from
behind SalamiS, sweeping over Pireaus.
and plunging behind Hymettus. When
reached the Beule Gate. the Parthe-
non stood out in all its glory against
the dark background. and now as
come to the Propyiaea, rainbow
arches above the western facade
which a sudden burst of sunlight has
kindled into splendor almost too
great for human eyes 10 bear 1t is
not reality: 1t is vision,
To the south. the rainbow rests on
| Hymettus: to the north. on Pentilious:
| and the ParthenOn is framed beneath
/ the perfect arch. And Hymettus
against the background of clouds.
breaks into splendor. quivering and
sparkling in rose and Silver,-not 4
| mountain Of earth, but of mythiand
AS if Apollo had ascended upon it.
| And the valleys all fling aloft their
| silver mist, as if they, too. exalted in
the vision. 4 swarm Of golden clouds
| float around the Sun god as he pauses
| for a moment the play begins.
| There is no scenery" but rocks piled
| upon the stage represent a gorge OF
hn q Ill IL
see yonder now, broken and mutt
lated, leaning against the stage
represents Prometheus. Actors Of he
roic proportions come in: they are the
emissaries of Zeus. They nail the
figure to the cliff with curses and de-
part. Then behind the marble figure
the chief actor concealS himself and
begins a noble lamentation Of the
stricken Titan. Suddenly this note OF
| 1amentation is changed comfort is al
hand, he hears the wafture of wings
borne up from the sea; the chorus
comes in representing the daughters
Of Oceanus, and as they wind in
rhythmic dance about the orchestra.
they chant the choral hymns which
determines the plot and in which
| PrOmetheuS joins. But the sea
| nymphs depart and Prometheus once
! more breaks forth in solitary lamen-
f tatiOn. But now 10. the daughter OF
| ImacnuS, transformed into nel1ef.
: | comes into the orchestra. and in the
+ | long dialogue between her and Prone
n theuS, the plot Of the dream is re
t vealed. In her wanderings as she is
s driven by the tOrmenting CAD fly. 10
l. | will reach Egypt and there will give
e birth 60 her Zeus- -begotten son. Her
g cules, who will release the chained
: Titan from his torture. But this poor
# comforter, too, departs, and Prone
= theus now breaks forth in stern de-
| fiance to ZeuS. Now Mercury as
IS Zeus' messenger comes in. demandine
'e the secret which has been revealed tc
It Promethens alone by his r Other
Themis Once more Zeus is defied
IS and Mercury departs leaving Prone
g theus to his doom.
d This only the first Of three play'
v on this subject: one Of which will b'
IS given each day. For this is a con
rt test Aeschylus must compete with
!" his brother poets. And now one o
! the competing plays is brought on tn
- stage. But its doom is sealed. A
- the end Of the first episode the audi
=. ence has grown impatient. After tn
i; | glorious creation Of Aeschylus. thi
re- is as nought. and shower Of stone
os may drive the actors from the sta &c
an But something moving is now brough
tn forward and while the audience eat
in and drinks, for nobody leaves till sun
m | set it enjoys the lowest order OF buf
an foonery, and its good nature is re
re stored. The other competing play
81 | are suffered to be produced but tn
tn poor playwright that follows Aeschy
u ius is disgraced forever.
And now it is unset; the broad re
disk is just touching the hill to yonde
where still stands the monument G
Philoppapus; and the great audienc
goes out to reassemble tomorrow q
90 dawn. But Athens will not sleep tc
"a night, nor indeed for three nights I
at | come Everywhere there is movemen
lie dancing. song; solemn processio or
Sc move along the Sacred Way and on
$50 the temples Of the many gods An
eat here l break the thred Of my dreai
it at the warning call Of the caTetaks
be and go out past the ruined stag