The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1921-02-04

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what Is to follow, a mere worldly set
ting for him who was too great for al
save a few to understand ut that time
Some twenty-One years after tn,
scenes at the manger. q young Jew
Ben-Hur, a prince of Jerusalem, rich
happy. ambitious, vas standing by {
parapet of his palace. watching thu
progress of Valerius Gratus, Imperial
governor of Judea. As the Roman
passed beneath the wall amid the jeers
and insults of the Jews the youns
prince leaned far out to see the new
governor; a tile vas displaced and, al
bitter fate would have 1t, fell full upor
the governor. The accident was not
fatal; but it was ar opportunity fOr
exemplary justice. especially as the es-
tates Of the Jew were very desirable
to the governor and his friend Messiah
hitherto almost brother to Ben-HOr
though the latter had been. The un-
happy Jew was sent as a rover to the
galleys, where the limit Of life was at
most but a year. His mother and sis
ter were immured in a secret cell In
the Tower Of Antonio, where they
yer 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. THE hand
laid kindly upon his shoulder awoke
the unfortunate man, and looking up.
he saw 4 face he never forgot-the
face Of q boy about his own age,
shaded BY locks Of yellowish bright
chestnut hair; q face lighted by dark
blue eyes. at the time 50 soft, so ap-
pealing. 20 full Of love and holy pur-
pose, that they had all the power Of
command and will" That was tn
Nazareth.
How Ben-Hur in time became a
rover on the flagship of AirTus, dunn
vfr and admiral, how the flagship wae
destroyed I'm q great sea fight, how
Ben-Hur rescued the admiral, became
his adopted son and heir, learned at
Rome the ann of Roman wal and
Roman sports, returned to the East
a Roman officer in the train of a con-
sui setting forth ON q great campaign
against the Parthians; how he dis
covered that his fathers old steward
Simonides had succeeded in saving
from c~OnfiscatiOn 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
how Ren-Hur won the affection
OF Ilderim, the Arab sheik. who had
his Steeds of the desert for
great event-all this leads up TO
the dramatic encounter of the famous
race. The author drew his
description Of the race frOm o writ
zen over tWenty-three hundred years
ago by the tragic poet S~opboeles. 1t
s n of the curioSities of literature
hat the great scene. through the pages
Of Lew Wallace'S novel, has become
famous on our stage az ii was 80
Ong ago on that of Greece.
BY his victory in the arena Ben
exacted ancient Jewish justice
m his hated adversary, who was
in body and impoverished in
ortunp. he had wagered on his sue
all the wealth he had stolen from
lis former friend. The victor almost
ell prey, however, to the vampire .
of Egypt who was rival for
lis love with the gentle Jewish Esther.
henceforth his thoughts were con 1
entrated on him who was attracting {:
eyes. Was he Messiah or king?
in his hatred of Rome, In his
ride Of race. dreamed only Of q king !
I this world, who should right an
lent wrongs and exalt his chosen peo-
lie. And so he threw himself with
II his force, with all his wealth. with
IL the knowledge gained at Rome,
ITO making secure and strong the way !
Z the king whom he would follow.
ut it was for one supreme in things
rather than material that Il
Re way was being made ready. And
en-Hur's mother, rescued with her u
aughter from her long Imprisonment
? a chance change Of ~jailers, but
lepers both, saw the truth =
'Oner than her son. +
"'Oh Master, Masterp she cried as
passed upon the road, Thou seest i
II need; thou canst make US clean. s.
ave mercy upon us-mercy!
"'Believest thou / am able to do .
isY he asked. &
"'ThOu art he Of whom the prophets 7
art the Messiah! 7 she re n
led. His eyes grew radiant. his maD- q,
r confident.
woman he said. great Is thy e.
it'll; be 1t unto thee even as thou Il
It," W
And so, in the end, Ben-Hur recog- q
zed what Balthazar had known from
e beginning. "Oh wise Egyptian,
Thou alone were right-the 11SS
$4,000 a.. $4,000 ~ ~4n 90 sy =