Show 3 f COND CONDENSED i t CLASSICS t t t t BEN HUR A TALE OF THE CHRIST I I 1 r B By Dy LR tRW LEW Y WALLACE A 1 lu Prof- Prof William HauL Harris tt Ir t v generally known W by the horter i 1 1 1 name nonie Lew wall Ii t born In 1827 at nt t. t 4 Zt Indi Indiana h gnu ana and oDd perhaps i v win WOM quite fiZ I potent In the Idea Ide-a 5 J 4 i to come ome that In 10 inS S 1 M W that I. I In is located lo- lo d the literary ti It c e u t e r of thin j I COli country t 1 lie He died t. t v. v b In 1005 5 i Like ke the stu- stu i S f. of today In 10 inv m il f the great Brent tru v Klc he be left liln hili t t I for the ott Mexican l war lie Nerved eted again la in lathe 4 the Civil nr and androse ro rose e to be major major- In the arm army An All after arter the tho Mexican l episode he be returned gain to to tobe he be law be he Trail Governor of Utah from front 1878 to 10 nm and minister to o Turkey Turkey tr from ni 1881 to 18 heo n nIs nn Oil n Is good diplomat he be won Ton the Ike esteem of he late Inte A Abdul and could really put pot through h with that hat nU dilatory tyrant lie He lu iy known by his hi Iree book The Fair Foil God Cod 1873 Den Ben 1883 1850 and The Prince of India 1883 1853 The first la Ia very clever a 0 very er reconstruction re- re construction of the story of the con- con of Mexico b by the Spaniard The Ther r render reader feels n great t with frith the bly highly de developed loped native who fell help- help I. I les e i before the arms arma of the Invaders Ib The rhe tory however la III by byno no to 10 be put pot In the same name deaD elas TUh Tier lien The skill the knol edge the tle reverence with which the nory COI of Christ IM Ia told largely through h the liven of other othen have bave made neo Hen liar Flur one of the book to take taken n a secure hold on the public both hoth n oe nu book andon and andon on tile the tare where here the chariot charlot r race ce hn ball won o a place 6 6 tIE B workmen put their hands hand lindI I THE to the cross and carried It burden and all aU to the place of planting At a word they dropped the tree lice into the hole and the body of the Nazarene also dropped heavily and hung by the bleeding hands Still no cry of pain only pain only the exclamation of all iI recorded exclamations Father II forgive them for they know not what they doThe do The cross reared now above all other objects and standing singly out against the sky ivas greeted with a burst of delight and all who ho could see and read the writing upon the board over the Nazarenes Nazarene's head m made de ha haste te to fo o decipher It Soon as read the legend vas adopted ed by them and communicated t S ed and presently the whole mighty I con concourse o was ringing the salutation i from side to side Ide an and repeating It with laughter and groans King of the Jews Jews' Hall Hail king of th the Jews The he sun sun was rising noon noon the hills blUs bared their brown bro breasts lovingly lov by- to It the more distant mountains din eln In t the e p purple with which It so regally dressed them In the city the temples palaces tow towers rs pinnacles and aud all points of beauty and prominence prominence nence seemed to l lift themselves ves Into the he unrivaled d brilliance as ns If It the they knew v the pride they were giving the many who from time tinie t Q time turned to look at them Suddenly a dimness began began began be be- gan gan to fill the sky ard cover the earth earth at at first no more more than a ar a. scarce perceptible perceptible perceptible per per- fading of the day a twilight out Olt of time an evening gliding In Ia upon upon up up- on on the splendors nd rs of t no noon n. n But It deep deepened ened eed arid and directly drew attention whereat the noise noise noie of ot the shouting and lq laughter laughr fell ten off and men doubting their s senses es gaz gazed d fit at each oth other r curiously curi curl o sy sythen then they f looked to the sun again then a at the mo mountains getting farther faither away n at the sky and the near landscape sinking Inking In shadow v nt at the hill upon which the tragedy was enacting and from all aU these they i z il zed d' d dat at e each ch other othe again and turned pale and held their pen peace e. e c It rt n Is Is only a mist t or p passing cloud said soothingly to Esther Who was al alarmed nned It will brighten presently Ben Ben did not think SQ sp UIt It It Is not a n mist or a a ac c cloud oud he be sad said The spirits who live In the air the air the prophets arid and saints are saints are at work In mercy to themselves and nature I Isay Isay Isay say to you oli oh truly as God lives he who hangs yonder Is the thc Son ot of God And u. leaving lost In wonder won won won- der erat derat at such a speech from him he went where where-Balthazar Balthazar was kneeling nearby and md laid his hand upon the good mans man's shoulder Oh Oh wise Egyptian hearken I t hou ou atone alone wert ert the right right the Nazarene Is Indeed indeed indeed in In- deed the Son Serf of God dr w him down to him and nd replied feebly I JI saw him hini a child In the manger where he was first laid It Is pot strange that that- I knew him soon sooner er r than thou but oh that I should live to to see this day day Would that I had died with my brethren I Happy Mel- Mel chlor Happy I Comfort I said Ben Boil I Doubtless they too are her here liere Within the tho frame of the st story ry of Christ Is told the tale rote of Hur Ben b ginning pinning with the appearance of ot th the tte three wise men Balthazar Melchior MelchiorI and Caspar Gaspar and ending with the sublime tragedy on Golgotha From the days daya of ot the scenes at the manger until the culmination of the tile great I story the figure of Christ appears appears but once and then for a moment but over overall overall all that happens In the Intervening Inter I years hovers ers the gent gentle e spirit thrilling as the episodes are In themselves strongly as the tho characters are portrayed portrayed por por- they are but a preparation fox for what Js is to follow a n mere setting setting set set- ting for tor him lm who was too great reat for tor all aU save sa a few to understand at nt that time Some twenty one years after the S scenes scenes at the manger a young Jew E Ben Hur a prince of Jerusalem rich h happy ambitious was standing by a n P parapet rapet of his palace watching matching the P progress of ot Valerius Gratus Imperial g governor of Judea As the Roman P passed beneath the wall amid the Jeers a and Insults of the Jews the young r prince leaned far out to see the Ule new g governor a tile was displaced and as b bitter fate would have I It fell full upon the governor go The accident was not f fatal tarol but hut It was an opportunity for for fe ft e exemplary Justice especially as the estates estates estates es es- es- es t tates of ot the Jew yere yvere Very bl to the Ule governor and his friend h ht hitherto almost brother to Ben Hu t tho though the latter had been The un unhappy Un Unhappy happy Jew was sent as a r rower to the fi galleys where the limit of ot life was a at fit t most but a year e r. r His motherland sis sister sister ter were Immured In In a secret secret tell cell In Inthe Inthe inthe j. j the Tower of Antonia where they were doomed to the fate of ot the lep ers ers The only act of ot B BenHur Ben Ben- Hur could remember during the Ule years that to followed lowed was vas on the day he was dragged t to the galleys The hand laid kindly upon his shoulder awoke the unfortunate man and looking up he saw a n face fa-ce he n never Yer forgot forgot the the face of ot a ahoy boy abo about t his own age shaded share by locks of yellowish bright chestnut hair i n a face lighted by dark blue e eyes es at the time so soft so appealing appealing ap ap- ap- ap pealing so full fun o of love lo and holy purpose purpose pur- pur par pur pose that they had hud all aU the thc power of ot command and wJ will That was in n Nazareth I How Ben Hur In time bec became me n ft rower on the flagship of ot vir and admiral how the fia flagship was destroyed In a great sea sen fight how Hur Ben rescued the admiral became his adopted son and heir learned at Rome the manner of Roman war and Roman sports returned to the East Easta a 11 Roman 1 officer In th the train of a a. a acon con consul consul con con- sul sui setting forth on a great campaign against the how he discovered dis dEs covered ered that his fathers father's old steward had succeeded in saving from confiscation the vast Intangible wealth of the Hum Hurs urs and and had multiplied It ninny many times till the young Roman Roman- Jew Je was the richest private citizen In the world the discovery that Mesala Mes- Mes sala ala was entered for the highest stake in the great sporting event of ot the orIent how holy Ben Hur won the affection of the Arab sheik who had entered his steeds of ot the desert esert forthe forthe for forthe the great grent event event all all this leads up to the thc dramatic encounter of the famous chariot race The author drew his description of ot the race from one ritten rit- rit ten over o twenty three hundred years ago by the thc tragic poet Sophocles It ItIs Itis t Is one of ot the curiosities of literature that the great scene through ugh the pages of or L Lew w Wallaces Wallace's no novel nol l has hns become as famous on our stage as It was wn's so long ago on tl that nt of Greece By his victory In the arena BenHur BenHur Ben Ben- Hur liar exacted ancient Jewish Justice on his Ills hated ac adversary ersary who was as crushed In bod body and Impoverished Impo In fortune he had wagered on his hs l s success succeSs suc sac cess all the wealth he had stolen from his former friend The victor almost f fell n prey however howe to the vampire daughter of Egypt who wn was WM rival for hl his love with the gentle Jewish Esther But henceforth his thoughts were were concentrated concentrated con con- on- on on him who was attracting 1 all ail eyes Was he Messiah or king Ben Hur in his hatred of ot Rome In his pride of race dreamed only of a n king Ing Ingot of ot this this world who should right ancient ancient ancient an an- wrongs and exalt his chosen peo peo- pIe And so he ilc threw himself with all nil his force torce with nil ull his wealth with all nIl the knowledge gained at nt Rome Into making secure and stron strong the w wily way y of or the king whom he would follow But nut It It was vas for one supreme In fn things spiritual rather than material that the way was being made ready And Ben Hur's mother res rescued w with th her daughter laughter from from her bier long imprisonment by hy a chance change of ot Jailers but hopeless lepers both saw the truth ruth sooner than her son Oh Master Master she cried a ahe as as' ashe ash h he passed upon upon the the road Thou sees seest our need thou make us clean Have Rave mercy upon us mercy us-mercy mercy I 1 t tho thou I 1 am nm able to do this he lie asked 4 Thou art he of ot whom the prophets thou thou art the l Messiah l I she r re re- plied His eyes grew radiant his manner man man- ner ncr confident Woman he be said sold great is thy faith be It unto t thee even en as thou thou- wilt t. t And so In the end Hur Ben-Hur recognized recognised what Balthazar had known from tIle flie he beginning Oh wise E Egyptian Eg hearken Thou alone were right the right the Nazarene Is Indeed the son of God I Copyright 1019 1919 by the tho Post Publishing Co The Boston Post Published b by permission permission sion of ot and nd arrangement with Harper Harjer Bros authorized publishers |