Show Apollo The Apollo The God of Light IN those dear old dreamy days of Greek poesy and song Apollos Apollo's worship was nearly if not quite universal The muses called upon him to inspire their verses The philosophers looked upon him as the giver of light and truth The afflicted prayed to him for succor Those evilly inclined feared hi him the good adored him Darkness fled before him while light health joy and happiness accompanied the course of his chariot This wonderful god was born on the island of Delos His parents were Jove and Latona The goddesses Rhea Dione and Aphrodite were present present pre pre- sent at his birth and tenderly clothed him Thetis gave him nectar the food of the gods and immediately the divine boy ar arose se and said The golden lyre shall be he my joy the carved bow my pleasure and in oracles oracles- will I reveal the ther r events of futurity He then joyously walked over mountains and islands until he came to from this place he arose into the abode of the gods Then dissension and discord were yere replaced by peace and joy The celestials carolled forth their songs led by Apollo the di divine divine divine di- di vine musician but darkness superstition and error held sway on earth Men pleadingly stretched forth their hands and earnestly prayed that they might mig be f freed from the pestilence and gloom that were overwhelming them and that health light and joy might exist among them once more Their prayers were answered and andr r Apollo descended to earth surrounded by bythe bythe the glory of the sun He bade his at attendant attendant attendant at- at sunbeams traverse the dark corners and speed to the sick bearing health and joy and haste to the dying leaving peace in their train He devoted his energies to subduing Python This huge monster was harassing the people and breathing forth disease and misery Apollo soon killed it and the grateful people erected a temple to him as a tribute of their thankfulness They fittingly carved on the temple the motto Know thyself They frequently paid their devotions here and sang songs song of praise r But even after Python was slain the ther r earth still needed Apollo There were many fens and bogs that would breed breedi i other monsters like him If the sun god godt t- t left the earth alone everything would i die leaving it a barren desolate globe 1 i So he resolved daily to drive his chariot chariott t through the heavens and watch over the thet t affairs of mankind The Greeks when they looked upward saw his fiery steeds charging through the sky and would worship him as the god of light health and as the divine physician When age had given its hallowed crown of grey when time had made the steps feeble and the heart-beats heart slow it was he who sent the arrows of death that gave sweet and happy sleep but Apollo was a god of justice and hence sometimes he struck down the young as aswell aswell aswell well as the old At such times he was angry at mankind for breaking his laws and allowed the natural results disease and pestilence to follow An ancient poet gave this assurance to the sorrowing sorrowing sorrowing sorrow sorrow- ing If thou art afflicted now and mourning it will not always be thus for not always does Apollo bend his bow soon will he awaken again the silent muse to play and song Thus showing showing- how he tempered justice with mercy The Greeks held the wolf and hawk as sym symbolical of his piercing eye verily intelligence does pierce through the fog and mist of superstition and acid error The cock and the crow cro were sacred to him himas as presiding over the future The co cock k kwas was also considered sacred to him because because because be be- cause it foretold the beginning of his course across the skies The swan was pleasing in his sight as foretelling happiness happi happi- ness in death and surely death does not hold terrors for those who realize that man is immortal and that what is called death is merely a passing to a better and happier sphere Apollo delighted in valor On one occasion he when walking walking- in a wood he be besaw saw Cyrene bravely engaging in a struggle with a lion He called to Chiron th the chief of the centaurs and said Leave thy dread cave come forth and marvel at this great reat prowess how with mind undaunted the girl maintains her struggle sho showing wing a a spirit that towers above trials a steadfast soul by fear Not only did the Greek muses call upon Apollo for aid but hut poets of later times have asked him to inspire their verses Dante after flushing his his' poems on Hell Helland and II Purgatory called calle thus for aid Most kind Apollo for my final task Make thou of me such vessel of thy grace As with thy laurel crown thou reward One O e peak thus far of high and train tram I found enough but now must have them both Now enter thou my breast brea t tn inspire pire me thou His lis prayer was answered and Dyer says the aid Came to him as a crowning crowning crown crown- ing consummation and a grace ineffable from God to uplift his soul and transfigure transfigure transfigure trans trans- figure his body until he could have hav a perfect vision of heaven th the wonderland of mans man's nali nativity ity the fatherland of every righteous so soul l. l Apollo still lives for us today as Mr Ruskin says If If for us also as for the tG Greek eek the sunrise mea means s daily restoration restoration restora restora- tl tion n to the s sense nse of passionate glad gladness ss and of off perfect l life life fe- fe if it means th the thrilling 1 ling ing of new str strength through every nerve the nerve the she shedding ing over us us' of a better peace than t an the peace of night in the power of of the dawn dawn and and the purging of evil vil vision and nd fear by the ba baptism of r its pew dew if t the e sun itself is an influence to to us us also of spiritual and becomes becomes be be- e- e i comes comes thus in reality not in imagination tion to us also a spiritual power power we we may may ay then soon overpass the narrow limit of conception which kept that power impersonal and rise with the Greek to the thought of an angel who rejoiced as asa asa asa a strong man to run his course whose voice calling jo o life and to labor rang r round Und th H arth th and whose going forth was v to to the ends of heaven t Mary Alary E. E Connelly Of H i I 0 Jn q P r |