Newspaper Page Text
"Ben Hur": Its Religious Aspects and Their Strong Lessons
rTWR extraordinary success of Gen.
I Lew Wallace's religious romance
"Ben Hur" on the stage can be
accounted for only on the ground that
the religious drama has found a place
In the theaters, ami that the old atti
tude of the church ngnlnst the play
house hns undergone considerable modi
fication.
Because of Its spectacular features
md ltd exciting chnriot race, "Men
Hur" would have been a great success,
even If its theme had been purely secu
lar. But it could not have gone from
city to city and played month after
month save for the support of some
element not usually attracted to the
theater.
"Ben Hur" I* the foremost of n num
ber of religious plays that have of
late been conspicuously successful.
"The Sign of the Cross," "The Chrlslun"
and "Quo Vndls" are other striking
examples In the way of modern plays;
special attention Is also due to the re
vival of the old medievnl mornllty play,
"Everyman," which found great favor
In England, but only in two or three
cities in this country.
The so-called modern religious plays
are not all pure examples of their class,
however. Many have been constructed
for money-making purposes, first of
all. They combine spectacular realism,
heightened dramatic effect and relig
ious sentiment. They nre a sort of
composite of modem ethical drama,
melodrama and Christian doctrine. Con
sidered as plays, that Is, by the art
standards applied to other represent
ative works of the stage, not one of
them in high class excepting "Ben
Hur." This play Is not artificial In any
respect, although It is two plays In one
— a secular drama of striking episodes,
lending to the chariot race (which Is its
climax), and a simple but Impressive
religious subject, beautifully worked
out. ,
Theater Should Gain
As n result of the favor In which
this work has been regarded, the play
house should be a gainer. It Is only a
step from the religious play to the
ethical drama, and It may be conceived
that the Interest created by witnessing
the one will lend many who have not
been frequenters of the theater to go
to the other. ■ It Is also only a step
from the present mixed drama of relig
ion and secular to the works of
purely religious Import and it is cer
tain that Buch works, if written in
exalted spirit, would continue to at
tract a large portion of the regular
theater-going public.
Three Great Scenes
Upon three scenes in particular does
the religiosity of "Ben Hur" take
especial distinction and they nre ex
tremely valuable as bringing home to
us actual living pictures of Hlbljcal
Who Will Save the
Frigate "Constitution"?
"OLD IRONSIDES"
The Poem That Once Saved the
"Constitution"
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down,
Long has It waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to sea
That barfner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar;
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more!
Her (ierk, once rod with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er tho flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee;
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea !
Oh, better that her battered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave!
Her thunders shook tho mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to her mast the holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail;
And give her to tho god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
—Oliver Wendell Holmes.
WANTED— A poet to save again
the gallant Constitution.
For after a record which is
the brightest star In the crown of the
'American navy "Old Ironsides" is now
lying in the Charleston navy yard, oft
Boston, almost ready to collapse, and It
seems as if It will be necessary for an
other Oliver Wendell Holmes to arise,
und with the power of inspired verse
call upon the American public to awake,
before the old and ruined hulk receives
the attention which it so richly de
serves.
It has been estimated that an expen
diture of $250,000 would place her in as
good condition as she was in 1876, and
it is strange that congress, which is
annually appropriating money right and
left for objects not nearly so worthy as
this, has not seen fit to provide that
the Constitution shall again be refitted,
masts, sails and all, and maintained
forever as a stimulus to patriotism to
the young people of the country. . The
$250,000 referred to would create a fac
simile of the original vessel, and, thus
revived, It could with good results be
maintained as a naval museum, and a
reminder of the most glorious days of
the American navy.
Her Great Age
The old wooden Constitution was
launched In 1789, and her original cost
waß $302,000. She Is almost the last sur
vivor of her class of wooden sailing ves
sels, and was a pioneer in that class.
She was the first American frigate to
mount 24-pound guna in her broadside,
and her lines and general architecture
were, in her day, a startling Innovation
in frigate construction. Her dimensions
and speed were greater than those of
uny other fighting vessel in the world,
and for years she was the model after
which the navies of France and Greut
Britain -were built, fche carried fifty
five 24-pound guna and a crew of 463
men and boys.
The last money spent by the govern
ment on the Constitution was for the
purpose of making her ready for the
centennial exposition at Philadelphia.
The repairs at that time put her in
fairly good condition, and she was
towed down the coast, up Delaware
bay and Into Delaware river, and an
chored In front of Philadelphia for the
exposition season. Later she win used
as a receiving and training ship, until,
becoming unsanitary for want of fur
ther repairs, she was Btrlpped and
housed over and tied up in the Charles
ton navy yard, where she has since re
mained. A watchman is aboard day
and night, to prevent souvenir fiends
from carrying the ship away piece
meal, but beyond this she has received
absolutely no attention from the gov
ernment. Now, her tlmbei'H being
uged, and the action of air and water
having been uninterrupted for.*n long
a time, she Is in grave danger of v
total collapse.
By School Children
. The most attractive suggestion thus
fur made for the preservation of the
Vunstltutlon cornea from Thomas Mat
times. The appearance of the wise men
of tho east, following the star of Beth
lehem nevpr approached uctuolly so
nearly as It does In this stage deple
tion. So fine Is this that one is at once
transported to the plains of Judea;
thews of Boston, who would have the
school children of that city contribute
thf! funds necessary for repairs.
Mr. Matthews has asked the consent
of the secretary of the navy to his
scheme, but the secretary is not unite
clear that the government, under the
laws, can give its consent. But he has
promised to investigate the question
and make a report.
If the Matthews proposition can be
accepted, the Constitution will quickly
arise from its present ruined state to
be an object of patriotic pride all over
the country.
But for sentiment, the vessel would
not be worth preserving, and long ago
would have gone the way of all the
other ships of her day. Let us take
Just a glance at her history by way of
argument for her rehabilitation — which
once before was brought about by Mr.
Holmes' famous poem.
One night, without orders, the Con
stitution set sail from Boston harbor to
engage the Guerrlerre, called "the ter
ror of the seas." The English navy
was then nt the height of Its prestige.
It had fought 200 battles and lost only
five of them, find its credit was so
great that all the world stood In awe
of it. The Guerrlerre represented the
latfst type of British fighting ship,
and it had been sent across the Atlan
tic to Intimidate this country and
carry consternation into the ranks of
our insignificant navy.
Humbled Britain's Navy
The ships met, and in forty minutes
th>e Guerrierrte was a wreck. John
Hogan, the American sailor, climbed
to the top of a must during the en
gagement und nailed the American col
ors fast.
Never had seamen fought as fought
the American sailors on that eventful
ISth of June, 1812, and never had fight
ing brought greater triumph. The re
sult of that one fight did more than
any other one. thing to weaken the
arm of Great Britain in the War. The
English navy was no longer invinci
ble. A handful of rough and rela
tively untrained Americans had met
its best ship and in forty minutes had
sent It to the junk pile.
In the war In the waters of Java,
with the Turks In the Mediterranean,
with Collier's squadron, during the
civil war In this country— ln fact,
wherever she went, the Constitution
maintained her old reputation as a
fighting ship, and In all the history of
the American navy, brilliant as that
history has been, there is no name that
is more familiar and more revered
than that of the o}d hulk that now
lies neglected in Charleston navy
yard.
And so, though the sentimental argu
ment be the only one that can be used
In the demand that the old Constitu
tion be properly looked after by the
American government. It ought to be
used with all force, for, when rightly
directed, there is nothing thut can
stand in opposition to it.
Enterprising Undertaker
A lover In the Billville district hav
ing been Jilted by his sweetheart, con
tided to a friend — who happened to be
the town undertaker — his determina
tion to take his own life. "I'm a-goln'
fur into the swamp," he said, "an' end
It all!"
"Bill," said the undertaker as he
grasped the hand of the would-be sui
cide, "we've always been friends,
haven't we?"
"Always," replied the other, mourn
fully.
"An 1 you know I'm a poor man, In a
terrible healthy community?"
"Then, Hill, old boy, tell me where I
kin find yer body, an' pin a piece o'
wrltln' on It, that I'm the man to bury
you, an' I'll put you in a coftin with sli
ver handles and a silver plate with
your name on it, an' knock off 10 per
cent. Help me out. Hill, old boy— l
hain't had a first-class funeral in six
months!"
The fellow looked at him In a dazed
uort of way; then he said, as he turned
to go: '
"Keep yer darned old coffin!— l'm
a-goln' to live, in vplte o\ you!"— A
tlanta Constitution. ■ •!;*). ..».,
LOS ANGELES HERALD SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT.
The Housetops of Jerusalem: ■ A Striking Picture of the Holy City in Christ's Time
Uses and Abuses of the Popular Picture Post Cards
PICTURE postals, started as a fad,
are threatening: to become a
menace. The postal authorities
have taken a hand In the suppression of
the vulgar sorta, and Postmaster Flint
has Issued sharp orders regarding
them. Tons of these curds are handled
dally, and the task of separating the
vulgar, suggestive and Inane ones from
those whloh serve a useful purpose Is a
bis? one.
Post cards of a proper nature are not
only an Innocent form of amusement,
but they serve a good purpose. Views
of cities, natural scenery, fine paint
ings and the like, sent home by tourists
and visitors, have done much to ad
vertise Los Angeles and its beauties.
There is no desire to interfere with this
good work, nor to hamper It in any way.
But with the licentious, nasty and dis
gusting cards which some case-hardened
wretches have Issued Postmaster Flint
will deal with no gentle hand. The
furnace is their only refuge.
Two years ago the picture postal card
fad began in this country in Buch a
humble way that It was unknown to
the great majority of people. In fact,
it could not then be called a fad at all.
It was limited to a few picture postaU
representing local scenes. These were
curds with photographic views of the
streets and buildings of cities, or of
mountains, lakes and rivers of country
regions, most of which were bought by
travelers who found them a handy
means of letting people at home know
where they were.
The postaU took far less time than
letters. Instead of having to com
pose a: laborious essay on the: thing*
seen, the kind of weather, what every
body said of this or that, besides ex
cuses for "not writing before," tlvs
traveler needed only to scratch down
two or three words of greeting and his
name. .'.And he did nut need. to excuse
The Star in the East: A Remarkable Religious Picture
.VJ..?..%.'..'..'..-..VJ..>.%J.AJ..t.A-!"!"H«r.t.iT.iti.t.4..l<4.il..H.*.l..tc.tM;c*..t.>H
his brevity, either. The picture on th<?
card was so big there wag no more
room for anything else.
Another reason why the picture postal
card becnme popular on Its first appear
ance was that It appealed more or less
to the self-conceit of the sender. When
the native of Lonesomeville, for In
stance, came to Los Angeles he was
sure to mall home cards picturing the
most luxurious hotels and the highest
skyscrapers In order to fill the Lone
somevilleltes full of envy.
Became a Frankenstein
Not until the postal card began to
depict humanity, however, did it de
velop into the veritable Frankenstein
that It is at the present time. Not till
then did It become not only a craze,
but also. In the opinion of many, a
menace. Its field became limitless. It
now found itself üble to Btir the varied
emotions of man, to hit off his different
traits, to ridicule his foibles, to car
toon his hobbies, and In fact to run the
whole gamut of human life from what
is best in it to what is the very worst.
In this way the postal card would make
every day St. Valentine's day, and all
the world a continuous vaudeville. Un
like other fads, it does not seem doomed
to an early death, because it does not
have a chance of becoming monotonous.
It Is continually assuming new cos
tumes and playing new parts.
For the very reason that its range
is bo wide, the picture postal has not
only sought to depict the ideal, but
also stooped to the baser side of life.
More and more it is choosing subJectß
that verge on immorality or are pro
fessedly vicious. Money getting, of
course, is behind this dangerous ten
dency of the picture .postal business.
Printers, like theatrical -managers,
know. that a theme of questionable vir
tue will awaken the morbid curiosity of
people, draw ■ the crowds and ■ "pay"
where a • wholesome subject ■is ■ passed
by. As one publisher of picture postals
expressed It:
"Tainted meat draws the flies, and we
are after the files."
Tempted by such motives some prin
ters are now utilizing every opportunity
possible to market "unclean cards," as
the postofflce authorities call them.
Some of them do business with as
much secrecy as counterfeiters, guard
ing against discovery until they have
printed a big stock, and then disposing
of them through gutter pedlers, who
pay for police protection to dispose of
their wares without interference.
In the Shops
Another alarming phase of the evil
Is the way It Is creeping into stores,
where it has still larger opportunities
of contaminating the minds of the
young. In many places these "unclean
cards" are sold to customers by girl
clerks.
Until recently the Indecent postal
cards came Into this country from
Europe, so that most of them were
held up by the postal authorities. The
worst came from France, being sent
hither by American tourists. Indeed,
the Paris dealers of these cards say
that the Americans are their best cus«
tomers and the English next, although
both hail from countries which have
the strictest laws against such things.
At the present time the postofflces of
the United States are deluged with
vicious cards that are homemade, and
they are increasing so fast that the
postal authorities can hardly keep up
with them.
The souvenir postal, however, may
yet develop Into one of the chief boons
of mankind, cay its advocates. Before
long a kind' of card will be made by
which one may send through the mall
long messages to be spoken by his own
voice. By the aid of a phonograph a
person may be able to record a talk of
• several hundred words on a postal curd,
which, on being received by a friend,
may be reproduced with the very ac
cent and emphasis of the sender.
Such a card, In fact, Is not a theory.
Phonograph postals, as they are called,
are already for sale in Germany, con
taining records of songs, which may be
sent through the malls. Accordingly, a
lover may send to his sweetheart such
a song as "When We Are Married,"
etc. • The creditor may let his debtor
hear. "Puy Up, Charley, or Go to Jail,"
and the spendthrift, "It's AH Going Out
and Nothing Coming In."
The next step, the manufacturers say,
Is a comparatively easy one. It is to
provide the public with a reasonably
priced machine which will both record
and reproduce the voice. Then, If two
persons have such machines, they may
correspond as long as they have cards
to send back and forth. It will also be
possible for them to record on a card
twenty times as many words by a phon
ograph as by a pen, us each word is
hardly more than a dot. The dots are
arranged In concentric circles, closely
wound round each other. The cards are
of the ordinary size and made of hard
gelatine.
In this way a man in Los Angeles
may hold a three-minute conversation
with a New Yorker for a cent.
Invitation Declined
A keeper was cleaning the hyenas'
cage at Hull by the Sea. England. One
of the animals improved the opportu
nity to turn upon the man In an ugly
mood. The keeper promptly defended
himself and, to teach the animal man
ners, gave it a drubbing until it slunk
into a corner, One of the spectators, a
dear old lady, then remonstrated with
the keeper and thought he had acted
cruelly. The . man stepped out of the
cage and, advancing to tho lady, said:
"P'raps, mum, you'd like to come in
side and manage htm 7" The invitation
was not accepted.— New > York Tribune..
one beholds the camel* and the trap*
ptngfl of thin party of sages; one entert
the very atmosphere of awe and rever*
fine nn<l profound Amaze that hedged
them about, as, mystified hut confident,
they followed that divine beacon to th«
mangered babe. Tt l« sublime, . over
powering, convincing and thoroughly
reverent.
Then there Is the picture of the
sacred city and of the house of Hur.
You scarcely listen to the dialogue.
Perhaps you recall it from the wonder
ful book Itself. But there is the house
top of the palace of Hur, overlooking
Jerusalem. The other flat-topped orl«
ental houses stretch away Into the pink
and blue distance, and the whole Im
press Is one of the reality of the ancient
capitals of the Jews.
The calm of the Holy City, li dis
turbed by the passing of two; figures.
Ben Hur, the devout young Hebrew
prince, his face, his garb, his manner
that of . an nscetlo; and Messala, the
brilliant, cynical Roman soldier, In
scarlet and gold.
The purple and pink nnd gray of
that scene of pence on the housetop is
blotted out by Ilomnn scarlet and gold.'
There la the picture of the life of that
day h« If livened by an artist. '
'Then 1 crimes that thrilling moment,
the passing of the Christ. In a barren
valley, an hideous as their own lives,
Amrah finds the leper mother and sis
ter. She begs them to go with her. to
meet the Nnzarene. On the road they
pass Ben Hur, who, worn out "with
seeking them has fallen asleep on 'a
rock. Tirznh, his sister, stoops to kiss
him. Her mother draws her back and
whispers "unclean."
The Christ
The lepers nnd their faithful servant
kneel upon the hillside, and raise their
hands in prayer. The Christ Is 'not
visible, but a great radiance that pre
cedes him floods the picture. It falls
upon the kneeling figures. The hideous
whiteness of the lepers changes to tho
flesh tints of health. The light of, a
great gladness fills their eyes. They,
arise and proclaim themselves healed.
Ben Hur leads Esther to them. • Sho
kisses the women. There Is a general
chorus of "Hosanna. Honanna, Ho
sanna. in the highest" In praise fo tho
Lord. The light that fills the last pic
ture seems scarcely of the earth. Tho
transfigured faces of the lepers, th<>
wonderful Joy that shines from ■ the
eyes of Hen. Hur, the multitude
waving palm branches and singing
"Hosanna," lends an illusion of a,
sphere far removed from this earth. "V-
It is easy for one to understand the
lesson, the enactment of such sacred
scenes presents, and too many rellgloud
dramas of the character of "Ben Hur"
cannot be produced for the stage re
quires just such kind of an uplifting in
fluence.
Cape Cod, Land
of Cranberries
(<r\U9T as a cranberry merchant'?
r"^ Is a proverb or saying which
*"^ must have been written' Just
about this time o' year. For right now,"
over on the other edge of the American
continent, no one in the world is busier.
The coming of Thanksgiving with its
traditional turkey and cranberry sauca
Is in sight and the harvest of, the car
dinal berries that make possible this
briliant touch of color In the feast, Is
now on In full blast. .- .. -•...'. ;
"It always amuses me when I
am in California or in Wash
ington .in the winter," said a veteran
cranberry grower the ■ other day,' "to
draw out people of other regions on the
subject of cranberries. I find that many
very Intelligent people fancy they, are
raised on shrubs or even on trees and
picked pretty much as cherries or black
berries are. Some of the people I meet
are cautious and will not commit them-,
selves, but others are quite naive ■ in ;
their Ignorance and willingness to dis
play it."
Summering on Cape Cod has of late
become so universal that It*, might bo
expected the sight of cranberry bogs,
purple and pink and green ' with : run
ning vines of the Vaccinium macocar
pon must have become familiar to; a"
considerable portion of the population
of the United States. Those certainly,
who linger on into autumn — the, best'
time of the year in the Pilgrim's coun
try, as It is in most places along thai
Atlantic seaboard— are also accustomed'
to the spectacle of cosmopolitan gangs
of pickers, Portuguese, French Canad
ians, Finns, Poles, Swedes, Italians and
occasionally a native Yankee. In: an.
ever advancing line eating their way
across the meadow, and to the ani
mated scenes at the screen house where
the reddening fruits are sorted Into the
different grades and carefully boxed to
make their Journey over • the New
Haven lines to every quarter of the
United States wh^re Thanksgiving's
turkey demands an accompaniment of
cranberry sauce.
Even if ignorance of the cranberry
habits Is as widespread as the grower
has found, appreciation of the qualities
of the fruit Itself grows more live and
active each year until the question, that
Is most frequently asked hereabout Is
"Where Is the supply of the future to
come from?" Already it Is doubtful
this year If the eastern Thanksgiving
tables will not gleam but sparsely with
the glorious red sauce, for hardly had
the pickers begun work when the adroit
western buyers were on the scene, rid
ing out in every direction from their
headquarters in Wareham, examining
the bogs critically and making their
offers before the fruit men of Boston
and New York were aware what was
going on. Their progresslveness is in
line with recent requirements. Last
year, nearly 300,000 barrels were more
widely distributed than ever before,
hundred of carloads going everywhere.
The tendency Is more and more toward
the nationalization of the berry.
So that it is no wonder Cape Cod
grows rich and prosperous and that ,
every available acre of bog is "being
taken up, for no other region of tho
United States Is suited by climate for
production of the berries on a large
scale. Not every land owner can get
Into this Industry without outside help.;
This is, la fact, one of the most sur
prising features of the industry, the
scientific 'precision with which It has
been developed. There are cranberry
meadows in some districts where the
vines are allowed to take care of them
selves, subject oily to natural flowage.
and exposed to the September frost*.
Not bo on Cape Cod. On such a prop
erty us that of a big cranberry com
pany which has under construction at
North Duxbury the largest bog under
a single flowage in the world, on uny
September evening when the approach'
of frost is suspected, the manager opens '
the gates of the three great reservoirs*
of 40, 25 and 25 acres respectively,
where millions of gallons of water are
held at levels a few feet above) the
meadows, and rapidly floods the dikes
until the water, warmer than the air,'
percolating among the roots, and keepa
vapor to rise that enwraps the berries
as In a protecting shroud, ■• and > keeps
them safe from tho nipping flngeri of
the front king.
