Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-02
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
THE BRONZE VENUS.
BIZ PROSPER NfERTsfEE.

Prosper Agerinee. isos-Is7o was . French
novelist and historian He is probably best
Remembered for his tale entitled Carmen
She vas dug up by an enthusiast for
antiques and all the lore of the ancients.
She vas undoubtedly representation
Of Venus, the Roman goddess of love,
and she was OF solid bronze
This statue made bad beginning In
the minds Of the workmen who helped
70 bring IL to light again. As the Venus
vas being raised from the excavation
the statue somehow slipped and fell on
the leg Of workman; the limb was
broken IN three places. The workman,
being superstitious, regarded the acci-
dent as deliberate on the part of the
goddess, though she was made Of rigid
bronze. That started tongues a-wag-
giTig. Such statue could bring no
good to arr one, villagers said.
The image was set up in the yard Of
the scholar who found her She was
or pedestal making black blotch in
the moonlight. Some boys, passing. saw
her and ented some Of their fear and
hatred Of the inaniuate bronze by fling
ing q stone at the goddess. The stone
struck the metal with a lOnd changing
sound and rebounded. By mere chance
the Tebounding stone few back and
struck the boy who threw it.
She threw 1t back at mel" the lad
cried, and they all fed in terror.
This last incident did not help the
reputation o. the goddess. Stories are
repeated, ard as they get about fears
are fed and superstitiouS dread and awe
increase
The bronze statue was quite beautiful.
however. The upper part Of the body
vas nude AZ the ancienfs usually repre-
SaF4AT fvyae1ae If THAR Isxr{nfFSn< The
right hand. raised about as high as the
breast. had the palm turned outward
Thumb and first two fingers were ex-
tended, the other two slightly bent.
The other hand rested near the hip,
supporting the drapery around the rest
Of the body. She was perfect-bea
1ul, graceful and dignihed.
The hair was brushed straight back
from the brow and seemed once to have
been gllded. The small head was bent
forward a little. The face, though. was
very strangs-it Rsas In many ways IT,
like any other ancient statue. 1t was
not calm or majestic. But the sculptor
seemed 20 have to wished TO suggest
;npishne6s and mischief in that coun-
tenance-eyen deGiitry You could read
contempt, sarcasm and viciousness in
those features, yet they were indescrib-
ably beautiful In fact the more a pr
son looked ~ the bronze goddess the
more he might wonder at how such
beauty could be combined with such a
seeming lack of sympathy.
II there was ever model for that
statue, one could feel infinite pity for
any man so unfortunate as TO have
loved her She must have delighted 70
drive them To suicide from despair A
Ger lin suggestion ri the savage was
l1ndeniablg in her eypr ss lon. lovely as
il also was There was ample founoa-
1ion for the saperstiTaous dread Of the
villagers.
II the bronze Venus looked capable
q doing such things as breaking an
Innocent mans leg or throwing a stone
bark at q hooking boy. why sh0uidD't
she also Rave the power Of doing them
This was the simple question in peoples
minds, Its answer seemed quite az
simple. The wife Of the scholar WHO
owned her thought tie statue ought 10
be melted Up 10 make bells for the
church.
The whole matter eliminated In the
approaching wedding Of the scholars
only 89n. On the day 0f the marriage
lie was playing tennis 10 the yard near
the bronze goddess III Was - inn
pfomptu match. and he had his brides
diamond studded wedding ring In his
hand. A. though iestinQ, he slipped
j. on a finger Of The bronze statue for
safe keeping~-and forgot IT, Later
when being married In another village
that same day he had 10 Use another
ylng for tile ceremony.
Returning 10 the home Of the scholar
TIE wedding party made merry that
evening Wine flowed freely The
Bridegroom became little the worse for
his drinking, and many tests were made
about tIe newly married couple The
scholar the bridegroon's father, even
went 50 far as to Joke about the bronze
goddess Of love out Ia the yard He
laughed heartily as be said that no
doubt his son would prefer the young
and living maiden. while he preferred
10 keep his bronze Venus.
Intoxicated and excited. the bride
groom remembered the valuable ring he
had left OH the finger Of the goddess
J{e vent out into the yard TO get IT,
when he came bark he took friend
Esl6e aUd mHttereG
II can't get nay flng oil the In
kssass Xsaas Angski. -..-4-.....-~