Fair play., 1921-04-09

descendants OF Alexander's Macedo-
mans, and Greeks from all quarters
Of the eastern Mediterranean, could
not forget that they had once been the
masters of Egypt. Constant conflict
In the streets between the partisans OF
each side laid fitting scene for
Charles Kingsley's religious philosoph-
ic historical melodrama.
Cyril, bishop and later saint, is NOM
inally the leader Of the battling
churChmcn of the tale; the great Aug
ustinc and the phlosophic Synesius,
bishops both, are minor personages OF
the drama, with many other passing
| figures of the church, but the leading
character from that side Is the humble
philammon, the young boy of the mon.
nstery in the desert, who makes his
| way in the simplicity of his zeal to
brave the world. the flesh, and the dev.
| il, where so many other monks of fic-
| ton have found that interesting triad,
| keeping headquarters at Alexandria.
| The city was ruled by Orestes so far
as any prerect could rule the unruly
| 'NlNlllbIullS, IL "bIi'llN anu NluNINt per
son, who, not satisfied with the trou.
| Llcs already at hand, would conspirG
| TO erect an empire of Africa out Oi
| the difficulties Of Rome and Constan.
| tinopc, and to crown as his empress,
| Hypatla, idcalist. mathematician, ueo'
| platoniSt, leader and teacher Of what
| remained Of Greek philosophy as a liv
| ing force. Under Hypatia's sway fell
| the young Philammon by reason OF
| her beauty. her power of speech, and
| the inherited appeal Of philosophy &c
| one whose ancestry was Athcnian. An
| appeal of another sort came to him
| from Pelngia, dancer and beauty, dar'
| ling of the city in general and Of in.
| dividuals in particular. To the charm
| Of Hypatia yielded not only the world
| " prefcct and the simple monk, but
| the most interesting figure of the
| story, Raphael Ezra, descended
| from the blood of Solomon, rich, lazy,
and selfish to all appearance, but the
| parsonage in whose soul and mind
was surging most violently the strug.
gle and conflict which is the keynote
of the book. Should the traditions OF
Jewry, the lure of Greek philosophy,
the charm of n pleasant IL tumultuous
world, or the power of Christianity
conquer in him? In his apparently
easy going way through existence, he
was measuring what every phase of
that seething cauldron had to offer as
solution for the problems which a
human soul has to ponder for its own
salvation. It took him long to decide,
and it was only by the ministra''ons
of Augustine and Synesius and the iiv-
ing example of Victoria that he final
ly found in Christianity the truly dem
ocratic creed by which the world coulG
best live.
Struggle and strife of soul or body
-Philammon's ycarning to see more
of the world than the monastery in
= the desert: his enthrallment by the
charm of Hypatia's beauty and her
learning; Cyrils struggles by militant
, means toward a spiritual end; Ores
tes' TO win an empire; Pelagia's tC
win love; Raphael TO find the truth
, the conflict between old thought and
new; and as the climax, the conflict
and the end in Hypatia's case:
"Yes. on into the church itself! Into
the cool, dim shadow, with its fretted
pillars, and towering domes, and can
dies, and incense and blazing altar,
and great pictures, looking from the
walls athwart the gorgeous gloom,
And right in front, above the altar
the colossal Christ watching unmoved
from off the wall, his right hand raised
to give a bieSsing-Or n curse?
!; "On, up the nave. fresh shreds of
her dress strewing the holy pavement
; to the altar-right underneath the
great, still Christ: and there even
those hell hounds paused.
"She shook herself free from her
tOrmentors. and springing back, rose
for one moment to her full height
naked, snow white against the dusky
mass around, shame and indignation
in those wide, clear eyes, but not a
stain of fear. With one hand she
clasped her golden locks around her
the other long. white arm was
stretched upward toward the great
still Christ, appealing-and who dare
say, in vain?-from man to God. HeI
lips were opened to speak; but the
words that should have come from
them reached Gods ears alone; tor ir
an instant they struck her down, the
dark mass closed over her again-anL
then wall on wall, ear-piercing, rang
along the vaulted roofs. and thrilled
like the trumpet Of avenging angel.
through Philammon's ears"
Copyright, 1919, by the Post Publishing
Co Crhe Boston PosD Copyright in tn,
United Kingdom, the Dominions, its Col
onies and dependencies. under the copy
right act, by the Post Publishing Co.
! Boston, Mass, U. S. a. All rights re
served