Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-27


of n periodical tribute OF young
men and maidens 20 Crete.
These victims of his revenge he
sacrificed In his palace In Crete
Ia the mlnOtaur-a monster with
the head OF a great bull and the
body OF n gigantic man.
The minotaur lived In an i'm
mense house as large IN city,
with so many rooms and passages
that no one could find his way In
or out OF II.
VITHEN the time for the tribute
w approached, the youths and
maldens OF Athens had 10 assem-
bile In the market place.
Two great jars of brass were
filled with white balls.
But among the white balls In
each jar were seven black balls.
Those who drew the black balls
just ~ lots are often decided to-
dsy-were the unhappy ones who
had 10 he the victims Of the
Cretan sacrifice and had to. sail
away to Crete in a Itinerary ship
with black sails.
At last. when Aegeus was king
OF Athens, his son Theseus pro-
tested against the continuance of
this cruel sacrifice.
Theseus was a Grecian hero,
second only To Hercules In his
physical achievements, and indeed
surprising Hercules In political
and social reforms.
1.-THE AthenionS dScrtbed
many of their best inst,tu-
tions to TheSeus," says Pro
! lessor Harrison, q most
interesting and outhortta-
tire historian.
And undoubtedly, In the unim-
portant opinion of your oolumnist,
some such great leader actu-
ally existed, although his deeds
have been romanticized and made
merely to express the essence and
spirit of his achievements.
Such mythical and supernat-
uraI character might our George
Washington be, II accounts of him
had been left to word OF mouth
transmission and to poetic elab-
oration-if we did not have the
printed word to present and per-
petuate him In the realism of his
greatness.
THESEUS begged his father, the
i king to allow him to 60 with
his people on the black-sailed ship
and try to deliver them from the
sacrifice.
King Aegeus Mt length con-
sented.
But, fearing for the fate OF his
son, he decreed that II his son
should prevail the ship on Its re-
turn should stretch white sails
to the fortunate breeze as a signal
OF success.
So Theseus sailed. and on ar
rival was conducted with his
youths and maidens by the soldiers
OF King Minos through the streets
In sad procession to a dungeon In
the labyrinth.
But as he passed the palace
Arladne, daughter of King Minos,
saw Theseus and loved him and
resolved to save him.
She went secretly to the dun
geon and gave him a ball of
thread TO fasten at one end to the
entrance of the great maze
wherein the monster lived, so that
he could find his way back TO
the light OF day again.
And she gave him sharp sword
from her fathers armory and
she gave him her heart.
Thus with the aid of Ariadne,
Theseus slew the minotaur and
freed his fellow Greeks, and car
ried Ariadne away with him to
the island Of Naxos, sacred TO
DiOnysos.
There Theseus ab n n d o d
Ariadne heartlessly and migrate
fully.
Which should teach young
ladies not 10 throw themselves at
the heads Of handsome young men.
However, Ariadne did not fare
80 badly, for DionysOs became
ensmored of her and married her.
While Theseus for his cruelty
was duly punished.
Sailing hurriedly for home, he
forgot 10 spread the white sails
on his ship that should have told
OF his safe return.
So his aged father, looking
from m HIGH cIiff ovar tho x.-ida