The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-08-13

once, and then for a moment, but ovar
all that happens In the Intervening
years hoVers the gentle spirit: THRILLING
as the episodes are in themselves
strongly as the characters are nor.
trayed, they are but a preparation for
what Is to follow, a mere worldly scr.
ting for him who was too great for all
save few to understand Mt that time
Some twenty-One years after the
scenes at the manger, a young lew
Ben-Hur, prince of Jerusalem rich
happy, ambitious, was standing nv
parapet Of his palace, watching the
progress of Valerius Gratus, imperial
governor of Judea. AS the Roman
passed beneath the wall amid the ieers
and insults Of the Jews the Young
prince leaned far out to see the new
governor; tile was displaced and, as
bitter fate would have it, fell full unon
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 I'm
happy Jew was sent as a rover to the
galleys, where the limit of life was NJ
most but year. His mother and sis
ter were immured in a secret cell In
the Tower of Antonio, where thew
were doomed to the fate Of the lep-
ers. The only act Of kindness Ben
Hur could remember during the wears
that followed was on the day he was
dragged to the galleys. 'The hand
laid kindly upon his shoulder awoke
the unfortunate man, and looking IN.
he saw a face he never forgot-the
race 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 DUR
pose, that they had all the power of
command and Will" That was In
Nazareth.
How Ben-Hur in time became a
rover on the flagship Of Airrus, dunn
vir and admiral how the flagship was
destroyed In great sea fight. how
Ben-Hur rescued the admiral, became
his adopted son and heir, learned at
Rome the manner Of Roman war and
Roman sports, returned to the East
n 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 cOntiscation the vast intangible
wealth of the HurS and had multiplied
1t many times, till the young Roman
Jew was the richest private citizen
in the world; the discovery that Mes
Sala was 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
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. 1t
Is one Of the curiOSities Of literature
that the great scene, through the pages
of Lew Wallace's novel, has become
as famous on our 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
fell prey, however, to the vampire
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 ewes. Was he Messiah or king?
Ben-Hur, in his hatred Of Rome, in his
pride of race, dreamed only of king
of this world, who should right an
cient wrongs and exalt his chosen peo-
ple. And so he threw himself with
all his force. with all his wealth. with
all the kllO"ItUSt StlllF't at AN'i''>'
into making secure and strong the way
of the king whom he would follow
But it was for one supreme in things
sniritual rather than material that
the way was being made ready. Ana
Ben-Hur's mother, rescued with her
daughter from her long imprisonment
by a chance change of jaiiers' but
hopeless lepers both, saw the truth
sooner than her son.
"tOh Master, Master" she cried as
he passed upon the road, Thou seest
our need; thou canst make US clean
Have mercy upon us-mercy
"Believest thou am able to DO
thisY he asked.
"'Thou art he of whom the prophets
spake-thou art the Messiah! she re-
piled. His eyes grew radiant, his man
ner confident.
sS