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A.
Ibe g) a 1 1 g tl e b r a 0 li a n
Esthetic Essays on Esthetic Subjects
If Agememnon and Achilles Should Meet Within the Roped Arena
ARnmemuon and Achilles were born
ahead of their tlmo Home three thous
and yearn too Boon. Had they lived at
a later dato they would have been daz
zling ornamcntB In a profession for
which they were eminently fitted. In
stead of lording It over a few wretched
Greeks bent on murderous proceed
ings against the Trojans, they might
have- wielded a mightier scepter In the
tefcl of Fistlana had they flourished
in these, troubled times of fierce and
nebulous assertion. If they could have
been brought together In a twenty-foui
foot ring and allowed to fight it out.
they might have reached some tangi
ble understanding as to their relative
merits, and It is really a pity that such
a meeting could not have been ar
ranged, since both showed such rare
gifts of volubility and braggadocio.
Had such an event taken place. Ho
mer could have divided his great work
in an altogether different manner than
he did. He would have bad plenty 01
material to work with; for his tantallz
ingly long-winded style would have
nllowed him to devote a book for each
1 omul, and the Muse would have been
glad to set him straight on all the pro
ceedings. What a gloriouB spectacle It would
have been a flBtlc combat between
these Btalwart pugs. How nobly grand
is the picture that rlseB In one's imag
ination as one relaxes Into a contem
plative mood. Ovearhead are tho gods,
aoated in a hammock suspended In the
clouds. In the ring Btand the two chief
actors Hparrlng fof an opening. Keenly
nlert and intent on all their move
ments Btands the time-keeper, wise old
Nestor, watch in hand, ever ready
to spring some Judicious advice, cau
tioning them to confine their opera
tions to the region above the belt and
not to hit In the clinches. On a raised
dias by the ring sits the snake-charmer
who was responsible for all the
racket, clapping her hands in wild glee
as one mighty fist finds a mark, or
nvrhnmrincr winks with tho beauteous
Teucer who stands idly by looking on
Ready for action stand the seconds
with their water pails, camphor bottleB,
and sponges. Groped around the ring
Btand tho stately Grecian heroes, each
one backing his favorites with bronze
tipped spears, noblo slaves and dear!?;
won coin, and clamoring for odds, or
giving the same. Tawny-halred Mene
laus, good at the war cry, looms up
in their midst, emitting whoops of sat
isfaction whenever the shepherd of
the host secures a good lead, or quiet
ing the clamor of the opposition when
ever things go the other way. Ulysses,
Bly dog. stands silently keeping his own
counsel, waiting for the Issue of the
combat to become a certainly before
ho lays his bets. Ajax tho man who
like Orgetorlx made an end to his life
and his brother, who forget to put
wirMnlnp rods on his ship and suffered
in consequence, take mental notes or
all tho tricks and feints employed, lay
ing up a stock of knowledge that will
be useful to thorn later. Diomedo and
all tho rest are there, and back of them
stand tho hoi pallol the valiant Greeks
who shout when the leaders shout
and-hold their tongues when the lead
ers aro silent. And afar off are the
Trojans crowded on their wall, watch
ing tho fray, while Hector burns sac
rifices In tho groves of Ida, in hopes
that Achilles may meet disaster.
But tho gods aro too busy to notice
him. The scene before them is too in
teresting. Now it Is Agamemnon who
lands the death-bringing uppercut upon
the exposed jaw, and now it is Achillea
who bores in with a whack resembling
tho crash of a noblo ash felled on the
mountain side by the woodman's axe-
oven a keen-edged axe. With right
good will they thump each other, even
as tho sturdy housewife belabors her
lazy spouse wlth'n thick broom-stick,
when ho deslreth not t6 work. Now
one falls back with reeling brain and
limbs unstrung, with darkness deseend-
Ing upon his eyos, only to bo revived
by tho honey-sweet wine, and to light
In with greater zest. Thus it goes
throughout tho weary rounds. Above
them Bit Hera and Aphrodlto, looking
daggers .at each other, each one ready
to dodgo" down and pull up the stakes
or swipe the time keeper's fob, if her
favorlto gets into a tight place. From
afar comes the tremulous voice of The
tis, beseeching Zeus to honor her son
with the victory and threatening to go
back on him If he doesn't.
Who will win? Who'll get the girl?
The fight was never fought and so
there's no telling. Naturally one would
wager on Achilles, but the fates are
uncertain and the surest way of kot p
Intr vour money Is not to bet.
Such a combat as has been Just por
trayed would have been much hotter
than the empty nominations which
constitute the action of the first book
of tho Iliad, and had Homer been alive
to his opportunity and arranged a fis
tic combat such as above outlined, the
study of Greek would today be the
most pop.ilar in the whole, curricu
lum. If Shakespeaie could have told
him about the tide that has such a
nm tent umiH offect in the affairs of
men. he might have seen his oppor
tunity, lie gives us an uie prelimina
ries of the prize fight and then disap
points us by side-tracking the main
event and bringing in a very poor
substitute. And by the way, this seems
Jlo be a good proof that Homer wrote
only the first book of the Illlad and
some one else finished the rest. Kor It
is apparent from the trend of the con
versation In the first book that he In
tended a prize fight, for otherwise what
would be the use of all that blowing?
As it is there seems to be nothing to
rr-eonrlle the first book to the rest
of the poem, and hence Homer must
havo been dull witted or he neglected
his opportunity, or he wns not the
author of the balance of the poem.
In the Field of Debate.
On the Californla-Stanfoid debate,
one of the chief academic events of
the year, on the Pacific coast, atten
tion at those institution is now center
ing. A recent number of "The Daily
California!!" contains a lengthy ac
count of the final preliminary contest.
When at Stanford Professor Ross
figured prominently In the training of
these teams for annual debates. The
question for this year is: "Resolved.
That the system of criminal procedure
in France menaces the liberties of
the Individual." To direct the train
ing of Stanford students in logical com
position and debate Piesldent Jordon
last year appointed Professor R. M. Al1
den (Harvard), then instructor in Eng
lish in the University of Pennsylvania.
Ames and Drake debate the English
cabinet and the presidential system of
the United States, their merits for the
government of a free people.
The law department of the Universi
ty of Missouri has arranged a debate
with tho KnnBas City Law School. Each
rlnsi, will elect the debater. The nues-
tlon will probably be, "Resolved, That
appeals in criminal cases as a mat
ter of right should be-abolished."
For the Misso.iri-Texas debate Mis
souri has got Texas to accept the ques
tion Yale and Harvard thrashed out
last month: "Resolved. That the his
tory of trade unions in the United
States for the last twenty years shows
a tendency detrimental to the general
welfare."
.For the Missouri-Illinois debate a
Monroo Doctrine question has been
agreed on. Unlike the question Kan
sas is trying to get Nebraska to ac
cept, however. It is definite. It is "Re
solved, That the United States ought
to abandon its policy of Invariably re
sisting tho extension of European do
minion In South America."
In tho now series arramred bv Mis
souri and Texas the teams will bo
composed of only two instead of three
men.
You All Know Him.
One of the best bills of the present
season has been engaged by the man
agement of the Lyric theatre for next
week and will bo headed by tho popu
lar Lincoln Instrumental comedian,
Mr. Fred A. Karcher. Others to ap
poar aro Jack and Paul, a very clever
comedy sketch team, and Miss Dello
Stewart, a high class vocalist, togeth
er with new pictures and songs. -
Cb( CoOp's the Place
to 6et Your Books and Supplies
2nd Semester Books and Supplies
For all Departments.
Law 'Books, Medical Books, Engineering 'Books,
cJrt Supplies,' Second Hand Books,
the CoOp
Owned and Operated
By Students
The Shadow
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