The Penn's Grove record., 1920-07-23

strongly as the characters are pOr-
trayed, they are but a preparation for
what is to follow, a mere worldly set
ting for him who was too great for all
save a few to understand at that time.
Some t%wenty-one years after the
scenes at the manger, a young Jew,
Ben-Hur, a prince Of Jerusalem, rich.
happy, ambitious, was standing by a
parapet of his palace, watching the
progress of Valerius Gratus, imperial
governor of Judea. As the Roman
passed beneath the wall amid the jeers
and insults of the Jews the young
prince leaned far out to see the new
governor; a tile was displaced and, as
bitter fate would have it, fell full upon
the governor. The accident was not
fatal !; but it was an opportunity for
exemplary justice, especially as the es-
tates of the Jew were very desirable
to the governor and his friend MESSIAH,
hitherto almost brother to Ben-Hur
though the latter had been. The un-
happy Jew was sent as a rover to the
galleys, where the limit of life was at
most but a year. His mother and sis
ter were immured in a secret cell in
the Tower Of Antonio, where they
we're doomed to the fate of the lep-
ers. The only act of kindness Ben
Hur could remember during the years
that followed was on the day he was
dragged to the galleys. 1.-THE hand
laid kindly upon his shoulder awoke
the unfortunate man. and looking up,
he saw a face he never forgot-the
face of a boy about his own age.
shaded by locks of yellowish bright
chestnut hair; a face lighted by dark
blue eyes, at the time so soft, so ap-
pealing, so full of love and holy our
pose, that they had all the power of
command and will" That was in
Nazareth.
How Ben-Hur in time became a
rover OF the flagship of Airrus, dunn
"ir and admiral, how the flagship vas
destroyed in a great sea fight, how
Ben-Hur rescued the admiral. became
his adopted son and heir, learned at
Rome the manner of Roman wal and
Roman sports, returned to the East
"a Roman officer in the train of a con-
sui setting forth on a great campaign
against the Parthians; how he dis
covered that his fathers old steward
Simonides had succeeded in saving
from confiscation the vast intangible
wealth of the Hurs and had multiplied
~ yaan-r tinanC fiI1 tho ~ DOT1nn n
Jew was the richest private citizen
in the world the discovery that Mes
Sala vas entered for the highest stake
in the great sporting event of the
orient how Ben-Hur won the affection
of Ilderim, the Arab sheik. who had
entered his steeds of the desert for
the great event-all this leads up to
the dramatic encounter of the famous
chariot race. The author drew his
description of the race from one writ
ten over twenty-three hundred years
ago by the tragic poet SophOcles. II
is one of the curiosities of literature
that the great scene, through the pages
of Lew Wallace's novel, has become
as famous on Jul stage as it was SO
long ago on that of Greece.
By his victory in the arena Ben
Hur exacted ancient Jewish justice
on his hated adversary, who was
crushed in body and impoverished in
fortune, he had wagered on his sue
cess all the wealth he had stolen from
his former friend. The victor almost
foI1 ,-n- Ia--ar-Ar 70 fhn E0n1nif-0
daughter of Egypt who was rival for
his love with the gentle Jewish Esther.
But henceforth his thoughts were con-
centrated on him who was attracting
all eyes. Was he Messiah or king?
Ben-Hur, in his hatred of Rome, in his
pride of race. dreamed only of a king
of this world. who should right an
cient wrongs and exalt his chosen peo-
pie. And so he threw himself with
all his force, with all his wealth, with
all the knowledge gained at Rome.
into making C u and strong the way
of the king whom he would follow.
But it was for one supreme in things
spiritual rather than material that
the way was being made ready. And
Ben-Hur'S mother, rescued with her
daughter from her long Imprisonment
ny a chance change of jailers. but
hopeless lepers both, saw thu truth
sooner than her son
"'Oh Master, Masterf she cried as
he passed upon the road. Thou seest
our need; thou canst make US clean.
Have mercy upon us-mercy!
"Believest thou 1 am able to do
thiS?' he asked.
"'Thou art he of whom the prophets
spake-thou art the Messiahr she re-
piled. His eyes grew radiant, his mar
ner confident.
"'Woman,' he said. great is thy
faith; be it unto thee eve as then
wilt"
And so, in the end, Ben-Hur recog-
nized what Balthazar had known from
the beginning. "Oh wise Egyptian,
hoo rEop' Thou alone were rioht-tha