The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 23, 1904, Page 2, Image 2
-l " - 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 T5 OF- OLIVER TypeWri-fcer The Standard Visible Writer EXTENDS OVER ALL THE EARTH ijr fc. .mJt.I r. . . . u.' ' I m. -LT.-1 Vl "l . ? .-V ,-? W-T U ' ham m - -jvbL'?jr.ii"T.. L.v(sfiiati'j 1 1 3nrsstiSKmmKs: Ir&UHHofc? 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