The St. Charles herald., 1921-04-23

IN the streets DetWeensthe paItisaiio oA
each side laid a fitting scene for
Charles Kingsley's religious phiiosoph'
ic historical melodrama.
Cyril, bishop and later saint, is mont
inaily the leader of the battling
enirchmen of the tale; the great Aug
ustine and the phiiosophic 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
astery 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 nc
tion have found that interesting triad,
keeping headquarters at Alexandria.
The city was ruled by Orestes, so far
as any prefect could rule the unruly
cosmopolis, a worldly and elusive per-
son. who, not satisfied with the trou-
bles already at hand, would conspire
to erect an empire Of Africa out OF
the difficulties Of Rome and Constan-
tinople, and to crown as his empress
Hypatia, idealist, mathematician, neo-
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, ana
the inherited appeal Of philosophy to
one whose ancestry was Athenian. An
appeal of another sort came to him
from Pelagia, 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.
ly prefect and the simple monk, Dut
the most interesting figure of the
story. Observation-Disclosures, descended
fror. 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 O
Jewry, the lure Of Greek philosophy
the charm of pleasant If tumulruoGS
world, or the power of Christianity
conquer in him? In his apparently
easy going way through existence, ne
was measuring what every phase OF
that seething cauldron had to offer as
a solution for the problems which a
human soul has to ponder for Its own
salvation. It took him long to decide,
and 1t was only by the ministrations
of Augustine and Synesius and the liv-
ing example Of victe-!!:: that he final
" found in Christianity the truly DEM
ocratic creed by which the world could
best live.
Struggle and strife Of soul or body
-Philammon's yearning to see more
of the world than the monastery In
the desert; his enthrallment by the
charm Of Hypatia's beauty and her
learning; Cyril's struggles by militant
means toward a spiritual end; Ores
tes' to win an empire; Pelagia's to
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:
Eyes, 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 pictufes, looking from the
walls athwart the gorgeous gloom.
And right In front, above the altar,
the colossal Christ watching unmoved
from OF the wall, his right hand raised
to give a blessing g-or curse?
ION, up the nave. fresh shreds Of
her dress strewing the holy pavement,
up the chancel steps themselves-up
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 q
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. Hel
lips were opened to speak; but the
words that should have come from
them reached Gods ears alone; for II
an instant they struck her down, the
q