SUNBEAMS' COLUMN

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 26, 27 June 1923, Page 12

SUNBEAMS' COLUMN

Dear Sunbeams, — The Auckland zoo has been presented with an elieiphant by one of thg leading business men. It arrived about a fortnight ,ago and was taken to its new quarters. When Jainna (that's the elephant's name) gets quite used to the place the children will be allowed t 0 have rides on its back. Elephants (like Labour) do not know their own strength. Sunbeams. If they did they would never live in captivity—they could send all ther'r keepers flying in the twinkling of an eye, but tliey don't know that, The funny people here tell us that it had to wait at the wharf untU the customs officers went through its trunk. j A number of monkeys for tho zoo wore brought over by th e same boat, One of them escaped as they were' 1 coming ashore and got into , a big sliGcl j lon the wharf, where it (amused itself! I for a couple of days running about 1 lon th; 9 high rafters, where it was im- { possible for anyone to reach it. A j big cage containing food was left in 1 the shed, but th 8 little creature was j too cunning to go in. Then one of! j tha waterside workers who owned a j tjamo monkey, brought it to * n0 shed j and let it loose. j In a very short time the two j animals were the- best of friends, i play'ng together as if they had been j chums for years. After a time the I tame r.ionkey started eating some j ! food tiiat had been placed near tha j i cage, and the other, not. to be outj done, hopped int o tho cage to satisfy I its hungrfr. Immediately the door ot I th? cage snapped down and the mon- ! key was trapped. ■ : It was then taken out to the zoo ito join tts mpi'-ics, with whom it would ibe much happier than running round on ils own in the shed. THE LAST PICTURE O THE I COLISEUM. I

i Most of you hav e lie-ard or Sison , j pictures of the Coliseum at Rome, j J one of the greatest wonders of that i j city. It was built so well and solid- , ! Iy that af;,er eighteen centuries itj is said it can scarcely be called a J 5 ! ruin. Gallery after gallery rose up I _. : around the huge arena, th, B r-'cii iko- j pla being placed in the seats nearest , to the ring, the^poorest— slaves, etc, | ■ —away up near tits top. Altogether li held about 57,000 people. One of the Emperors had it buiM for Hi 3 sports that th s Romans loved.! • And, as a rule, they were very cruel! sports. Fights between men and' wild beasts, and between the) men j • called gladiators until one was killed,! Also, when the early Christians were ! being persecuted for their faith hundreds were burnt or thrown to the hungry lions in the arena, while men j and women looked en and enjoyed j tho show. j But Christianity had outlived persecution at the t'me of the last fight, and had beeom.9 the religion o£ the ; country. Still the Romans had not[ outlived tJio.ir taste for cruel sports' and tlie games at the Coliseum "went | on—not quitio so bloodthristy, but | J still very cruel. j • The Goths who were fighting thai j iiomians at this thiiy had come into; . Italy and were not far from ihs city.' Tha Emperor was only a boy, but his general went out with an army and; drove them out' of the country. The' Romans were so delighted with this j , victory that th , ® Emperor, general ahct j soldiers wer, e inv'ted to marcli into | the c"»ty in state and ian entertain-j me-'nt was provided for tiliem in the , j Coliseum. i Just picturo tli,is sceno to your-1 selves. Sunbeams. The tremendous; building crowded with people, Ceasari and the victorious generals silting in i state on the broad platform covered ■ with purple silk, and the huge arena j Crowning the poorest life with vast surmise— Nothing? or part of immemorial Time? Yet farther, o'er . the stellar ocean hurled, Speeds on this planetary Thought, our I' world, Adventure-led, predestinate, to fly Until the sails of Birth and Death are furled. Who dares behold in man the finest flower And ultimate act of dread, creative- ' Power? Perchance a new illumined earth ! shall more J Peopled with gods, to some immortal : .hour. J X '- :—Rosalind Txavers Hyndman. ]

of sand that -wtas almost snow-white. After chariot races, sword dances, and a hunting of wild beasts let Icos-a in lire arena, tlia big gates at one end are flung open wj?th a flourish of trumpets and the gladiators march in. (On this occasion a number of thetq ' weifz to fight at the same time, almost like a small battle.) The band Qt splendidly-trained men mareb round tho ring, slopping before the Emperor with the usual salutation— "Hjajl Ceasar! Those about to die saluto th©9." Then the fight begins—a fight to the death. The m.e,n who are overthrown hold up their hand to th.c people for mercy, and the conqueror looks up to see what th e answer will I be. If the crowd turn their thumbs down it is death to thp vanquished, if their thumbs arc upwards he is I spared. And as the Romans wore ! very cruel it is more often thumbs down than up. The crowd is enjoying the show 'v.nd very much excited, when suddenly a rough, poorly-dressed man, bare-headed and bare-footed, leaps into the arena and signing the glad-Ja-torfi bade calls upon the people to ceas.o shedding innocent blood. By Uia mercy of God, 113 said, tlieh* city had t-oen saved from the enemy; inBte,ad of showing their gra'.itudu properly they are'encouraging murder. Tho audience breaks forth intG shouts and howls of fury—this is no place for preaching and they will not have anyoii'j interfere with the old frames and th, e old Roman customs. •On glacl.Vators," they shouted. The gladiators trltd to • push the 1 man aside, but he still tries to keep! Chem apart and rnalao himself heard. 'Down with him," yells the crowd, | and the fighting m£ii. enraged at his j interference, cut him dov/n, wliile the people pelt him "with stones or anything that comes handy. Then when ho, sn unarmed xnsn, is lying dead s n the middle of the arena, they begin lo ?,ce what they have done. His dress showed he was one of the hermits who vowed themselves to a holy Life of prayer and self-' d-mial, and who wicro held in much reverence, even by the thoughtless, j He had come from Asi a to v'yit the shrines and pp&iid Christmas in! Roinei, and thousands flocking j to look at men killing each other he had resolved do stop th, e cruelty or I die. He had died, but not in vaiu. j His wc-rlc was clone. The sight of such a dv.ah turned the hearts of the people, and from the day the hermit d?>d in the Ool ; Feum there was never another light of gladiators. So on c crim.o, \&i least, was wiped from the earth by tho self-devotion of one humble, almost nameless man. There are thousands of us just as' anxious to" rid the world of war, Sunbeams, but far v/e have not; been able to do so. But tho tune will come i£ we persevere, when it will j come to an cud i : ke tho brutal figlita ah the Coliseum. Good Tb.ougiiis, Sunbeams.—MUM.