The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-02-23
EZT ME workmcn put their hands
3 to the cross and carried it,
d. l.,1,Ihy1 on1 al 70

burden and all, to the place
of planting. At word, they dropped
the tree into the hole; and the body of
the Nazarene also dropped heavily,
and hung by the bleeding hands. Still
no cry of pain-only the exclamation
livineSt of all recorded EXPLANATIONS:
"'Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do
'The cross, reared now above all
other Objects and standing singly out
against the sky, was greeted with
burst of delight; and all who could see
and read the writing upon the board
over the NaZarene'S head made haste
to decipher it. Soon as read, the legend
was adopted by them and communicate
ed, and presently the whole mighty
concourse was ringing the salutation
from side to side, and repeating it with
laughter and groans:
liking of the Jews. Hail king of
the Jewsr
The sun was rising rapidly to noon !;
the hills barred their brown breasts low
ingly to it: the more distant mountains
rejoiCed in the purple with which it so
regally dressed them. In the city the
temples, palaces, towers, pinnacles,
and all points of beauty and promi-
hence seemed to lift themselves into
the unrivaled brilliance, as if they
knew the pride they were giving the
many who from time to time turned to
look at them. Suddenly a dimness be-
gan to fill the sky and cover the earth
at first no more than a scarce per-
ceptible fading of the day, a twilight
out of time; an evening gliding in up
on the SplendOrs Of noon. But it deep
ened, and directly drew attention !;
whereat the noise Of the shouting and
laughter fell off, and men, doubling
their senses, gazed at each other curl
OuSly; then they looked to the sun
again; then at the mountains, getting
farther away; at the sky and the near
landscape. sinking in shadow; at the
hill upon which the tragedy was
enacting; and from all these they
gaZed at each other again, and turned
pale and held their peace.
att is only mist or passing cloud,
Simonides said sOothingly to Esther,
who was alarmed. 1T will brighten
presently
"Ben-Hur did not think so.
"It is not a mist or a cloud he said.
The spirits who live in the air-the
prophets and saints-are at work in
mercy to themselves and nature.
say to you, oh, Simonides, truly as God
lives, he who hangs yonder is the Son
of God
"And leaving Simonides lost in Won
der at such speech from him he went
where Balthazar was kneeling nearby,
and laid his hand upon the good mans
shoulder.
"'Oh, wise Egyptian, hearken! Thou
alone vert right-the Nazarene is in
deed the Son Of God
"BaIthazar drew him down to him
and replied, feebly, 4 saw him a child
in the manger where he was first laid
it is not strange that knew him soon
er than thou; but oh that should live
to see this day! Would that l had
| died with my brethren! Happy Mel
chlOf! Happy IaSpdf
"sComfOrt theer said Ben-Hur
! Doubtless they too are here
Withi.a the frame of the story OF
| Christ is told the tale of Ben-Hur, be
ginning with the appearance of the
| three wise men, Balthazar, MelchfO1
| and Gaspar, and ending with the
sublime tragedy on GOlgOtha. From
| the days of the scenes at the mangel
| until the elimination OF the great
story, the figure Of Christ appears but
| once, and then for a moment, but over
all that happens in the Intervening
| years hOverS the gentle spirit; thrilling
as the episodes are in themselves,
| strongly as the characters are pOr-
| trayed, they are but a preparation for
what is to follow, a mere worldly set
| ting for him who was too great for all
save a few to understand at that time.
Some twenty-one years after the
| scenes at the manager, a young Jew,
| Ben-Hur, a prince Of Jerusalem, rich,
| happy, ambitious, was standing by a
parapet of his palace, watching the
progress Of VaIerius Gratus, imperial
governor of Judea. AS the Roman
| passed beneath the wall amid the jeerS
and insults of the Jews the young
prince leaned far out to see the new
I governor; tile was displaced and, as
, bitter fate would have it, fell full upon
the governor. The accident was not
| fatal; but it was an 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-Hur
| though the latter had been. The I'M
happy Jew was sent as a rover to the
galleys, where the limit of life was at