The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1921-04-01

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 a fitting scene for
Charles KIngsley's religious phllosoph-
ic historical melodrama.
Cyril, bishop and later saint, IL nom
inally the leader Of the battling
churchmen Of the tale; the great Aug
Justine and the phllOsophic 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
Phllammon, 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 dew
| IL, where so many other monks Of fic-
tion have found that interesting triad,
keeping headquarters at Alexandria.
The city was ruled by 0restes. so far
as any project could rule the unruly
c0smopolIs, a worldly and elusive per-
son, who, not satisfied with the trou-
bIes already at hand, would conspire
TO erect an empire Of Africa out of
the difficulties of Rome and C0nstan-
| tlnople, and to crown as his empress,
| Hypatia, ideallst, mathematician, neos
| Plat6nist, leader and teacher Of what
remained Of Greek philosophy as liv-
| ing force. Under Hypatia's sway fell
| the young Phllammon by reason of
her beauty, her power of speech, and
the inherited appeal OF philosophy to
one whose ancestry was Athenlan. An
appeal of another sort came to him
from Pelagla, 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 project and the simple monk, but
the most interesting figure OF the
story. Raphael-Aben-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 o.
Jewry, the lure OF Greek philosophy
the charm Of a pleasant II tumulruor9
world, or the power of Christianity
.. conquer In him7 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 q
I human soul has to ponder for its own
: salvation. Tt took him long to decide
: and ut was only by the ministrations
of Augustine and Synesius and the liv'
: ing example Of Victoria That he final
: Nv found In Christianity the truly dem
ocratic creed by which the world could
best live.
Struggle and strife of soul or bod,
!. -PhIlammon' yearning to see more
d of the world than the monastery Ii
e the desert; his enthrallment by the
! charm Of Hypatia's beauty and hel
h learning; Cyril's struggles by militant
0 means toward spiritual end; Ores
s tes' to win an empire; Pelagia's z
j. win love: Raphael to find the truth
e the conflict between old thought ans
q new: and as the climax, the confiic
} and the end in Hypatia's case:
s eyes, on into the church ITSELF Int
j the cool, dim shadow, with Its frette'
pillars, and towering domes, and can
h dies, and incense and blazing altar
n and great pictures, looking from tn
walls athwart the gorgeous gloon
And right in front, above the altar
m the colossal Christ watching unmove'
from OF the wall, his right hand raise
h. to give a blessing-or a curse?
Is "On, up the nave, fresh shreds 0
d her dress strewing the holy pavement
ID up the chancel steps Themselves
IF to the altar-right underneath th
ID great still Christ; and there eve
K, those hell hounds pauseu.
lg "She shook herself free from he
err tormentors, and springing back, ros
r; for one moment to her full neigh
m naked, snow white against the dusk
r. mass around. shame and indignatio
TX In those wide, clear eyes, but not
stain Of fear. With one hand sf
e. clasped her golden locks around hei
the other long, white arm wa
n stretched upward toward the gre'
IN still Christ. appeallng--and who dal
m say, In valnf-from man to God. H'
lips were opened to speak; but Il
~ words that should have come fro
no them reached Gods ears alone; for
he an instant they struck her down. u
.ct dark mass closed over her again--ar
4. then wall on wall, ear-piercing. rar
along the vaulted roofs, and thrill'
N. like the trumpet Of avenging ange
nv through Phllammon's ears"
Is. copyright, 1919. by the Post Publishil
% Co. CThe Boston Post. Copyright In Z
-l..lr e.