The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-09-11
until the elimination of the grear

|
all that happens in the intervening
years hovers the gentle spirit; thrilling
as the episodes are in themselves,
strongly as the characters are por'
trayed, they are but preparation for
what is to follow, mere worldly set
ting for him who was too great for all
save few to understand at that dime.
Some twenty-one years after the
scenes at the manger, 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-
to the governor and his friend MESSIAH,
hitherto almost brother to Ben-Hur
though the latter had been. The IN
happy Jew was sent as a rover to the
| galleys, where the limit of life was at
most but year. His mother and Sis
ter were fmmured in secret cell in
the Tower Of Antonio, where they
were 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 I'D.
ne saw face he never forgot-the
face OF a boy about his own age.
shaded by locks of yellowish bright
chestnut hair; 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
rover on the flagship of Airrus, dunn
viz 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
a Roman officer in the train of q con- |
SUI setting forth on 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
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
his steeds Of the desert for
he great event-all this leads I'D to
he dramatic encounter Of the famous
chariot race. The author drew his
description Of the race from one writ
en- over twenty-three hundred years
lgo by the tragic poet Sophocles. It |
s one Of the curiosities Of literature
hat the great scene. through the pages
4 Lew Wallace's novel, has become {
q famous on our stage as it was so {
ong ago on that Of Greece.
By his victory in the arena Ben I
iur exacted ancient Jewish justice !
n his hated adversary, who was :
rushed in body and impoverished in Q
ortune, he had wagered on his sue
ess all the wealth he had stolen from
is former friend. The victor almost
ell prey. however, to the vampire
aughter Of Egypt who was rival for
Is love with the gentle Jewish Esther.
ut henceforth his thoughts were con-
on him who was attracting
Il eyes. Was he Messiah or king?
en-Hur, in his hatred of Rome, in his
ride of race, dreamed only of a king
this world, who should right an
ent wrongs and exalt his chosen peo-
e. And so he threw himself with
| his force, with all his wealth, with
| the knowledge gained at Rome, +.
to making secure and strong the way :
the king whom he would follow.
ut it was for one supreme in things
,iritual rather than material that
e way was being made ready. And =
en-Hur's mother, rescued with her ~
tighter from her long Imprisonment -
; a chance change Of jailers, bat 81 81
peless lepers both, saw the truth Ill
oner than her son.
ooh Master, Master!' she cried as 81
passed upon the road. Thou seest no
r need; thou canst make us clean. n,
ave mercy upon us-mercyv ",
" sBelievest thou / am able to do
isT he asked. ".
= Thou art he Of whom the prophets no
art the Messiah" she re-
ed. His eyes grew radiant, his man IN
r confident.
g Woman he said. great is thy
TIL; be it unto thee even as thou N
It,"
And so, in the end, Ben-Hur recog- m
ed what Balthazar had known from ~
, beginning. "Oh wise Egyptian, OO
lrken! Thou alone were right-the col
zarene is indeed the son of God y Nj