The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-10-15

=
clans. There begins in the land Of this
fabulous folk one Of the most mar
Vicious adventures Of the man of mar
wells. Probably the scene that remains
in the minds Of the great majority
Of readers Of Greek literature as the
fairest bit Of idealized beauty in 1t all
is the picture of the young Princess
Nausicaa. She had gone down to the
river mouth with her handmaidens to
wash linen; their work done, they fell
to playing ball upon the shore, where
Odysseus, beneath the shade Of the
bushes, was sleeping off the weary
travail Of his long swim. 'Then hav-
Ing bathed and anointed themselves
sleekly with olive oil, they took their
meal by the banks Of the river and
waited for the clothes to dry in the
bright rays of the sun. And when
they had cheered themselves with
food, maids and mistress alike, they
began to play ball, casting aside their
veils And for them fair-armed Nau-
sicaa began the song. AS Artemis the
archer-goddess goeth down from a
mountain, either lofty Taygetus or
Erymanthus, taking her sport with
boars and swift deer, and with her
the wood-nymphs sport, daughters of
aegis-bearing Zeus, and Leto rejoiceth
in heart, and over all she holdeth
head and brOws, and easy to mark is
she, though all be fair-so was the
unwed maid conspicuous among her
attendants"
The days work and the sport were
over; they were about to depart and
leave the weary sleeper under the
bushes-when one last throw sent the
ball spinning into the water Instant
and unanimous scream from princess
and from maidsI
So Odysseus was introduced to
Phaeacia, and the introduction proved
well that the hero knew not only the
ways of men, but of maids as well. VI
the many pleasing things ne SAID 10
| the princess to win her favor, one
stands out conspicuous-his compari-
son of her perfect youth to the young
shoot of a palm tree he had seen IN
Delos. Whoever has gardeners eye
knows instantly the perfect tribute.
| Then followed the presentation OF
the royal wanderer at the court OF
King Alcinous and Queen Arete ana
the tale of his adventures since leav-
ing Calypsb's isle. The king is moved
and promises to help the stranger on
his way. A feast is held; the court
bard sings of Troy-the strange.
weeps; the king presses him to tell
his story. It was wondrous tale ne
had to tell, the like of which was
never heard before or since. Begin
ming with the fall Of Troy. ne mac
made his course to Thrace, to the
Iotus-eaters. to the land OF. the Cy'
clops, when befell the adventure WIFI
Polyphemus, whose one eye ne pu'
out: next the trying experience WIFI
the perverse winds Of Aeolus, WIFI
the Laestrygonians, and with the en-
chantress Gree, who turned her Wis
itors into swine. Then came the ue
scent to Hades, which set the fashion
for Virgil and for Dante and all tht
others who have essayed that grea,
adventure. The sirens. Scylia ane
Charybdis, and other adventures
brought the tale up to Calypso onc'
more.
Alcinous and the Phaeacians sen
Odysseus on his way to his home a
Ithaca. But his old enemy Poseidoi
turned the ship to stone, and the wan
derer reached home alone, in tn
guise of an old beggarman. where n
arrived as his son, Telemachus, wa!
returning from hts travels.
Then began the thrilling tale OF TN
wiles and guiles to win his own iron
the suitors who had taken his place
the harbor Of refuge with faithful oil
Eumaeus, the swine-herd, the recog
milton by Telemachus, the death 0
the true old dog Argos on sight OF nj
long absent master, the interview VIII
Penelope, the recognition by his oil
nurse who knows him by scar upo
his leg. the final great trial Of strengt
between the old beggarman and tn
suitors; they cannot even bend tn
famous bow of Eurytus; he, however
strings it with ease and sends a
arrow singing through the holes
twelve battle-axes, set up one benin
another.
Il At that instant the beggaIma
throws off his disguise and with Telt
machus and only two faithful follow
ers Stays the evil suitOrs, wins bac
his true wife who has waited patient
" all these long years, and hastens
greet his old father, Laertes.
Impossible romance? I dare sa!
Yet one of the most human storie
ever told.
Copyright, 1919, by the Post Publishin
. Co. CThe Boston POSI- Copyright IN tn
United Kingdom. the Dominions. its Co
onies and dependencies, under the copy
right act, by the Post Publishing Co
y Boston. Mass. U. 8. A. All rights r.
served.
II Wardrobe Mystery Solved.
Il A Chinese government represents
{ tive who was new to American way
came to the home of an eminent Ne