THE LAST FIGHT IN THE COLOSSEUM

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 303, 14 March 1928, Page 6

THE LAST FIGHT IN THE COLOSSEUM

In the proud days when ruled the world, and the emperor lit ed in a palace of white marble or in a golden house, the Colosseum was the great est theatre ever known on cartA -iiierc to this day, it stands shattered ana broken, but still. “lost impressive ruin in aU the failing the dark days when Rome was from her great place “i ucified when Peter and Paul were cruemea outside the gates, the little band o Christians hid themsleves freat holes in the ground lest they should be tortured, and put to death. ~ To this day we car. walk through the catacombs in which the first followers of jesus hid themselves from Nero, the monster who lived in a golden house inside the city gates. They say that when Nero’s house was burned the streets of Rome ran with melted gold. In those dark days the great white Colosseum, rising storey after storey from the ground, with enormous galleries inside, capable of holding 40.000 people, was a wondrous sight. Here came all Rome to see the wild beasts set loose to tear each other to pieces. Here came the gladiators, strong men trained to fight eacn other unul one of them was killed. Here the Christians were thrown alive to the lions. No place in the world has seen more cruel sights than this. But slowly Christianity made its way until the very emperor became a Christian. Then these shameful things ceased, and the Colosseum became only a circus: but still the people longed to have the old sights back again. The Christians had been growing stronger and stronger for four hundred years when there came a terrible day for Rome. Alaric, uhe leader of the Goths, came thundering outside Rome, which, having only a poor mad boy for its emperor, must have fallen but for a brave general and his men, who put the Goths to flight. Such rejoicing there was in Rome that day that the people flocked to the Colosseum, cheering the brave general. There was a great hunting of beasts and a wonderful performance, as in the olden time, when suddenly there came out of one of the narrow passages leading into the arena gladiators, with spears and swords. The rejoicing of the people knew no bounds. Then there happened a strange thing. Into the middle of the arena came an old man, bare-headed and bare-footed, calling upon the people to prevent the shedding of blood. The crowd shrieked to him to stop his preaching and go away. The gladiators came forward and forced him aside, but still the old man came between them. The gladiators brutally struck hf.m down; a storm of stones fell upon him from the angry people; and the old man perished before the eyes of Rome. He was a hermit, named Telemachus, one of those holy men who, tired of the ■wickedness of the world, had gone to live in the hills. Coming to Rome to visit the sacred shrines, he had seen the people flocking to the Colosseum, and, pitying them for their cruelty, had gone to stop it or to die in the attempt.

He died, but his work was done. All that was best in Rome was stirred by the sight of the hermit slain in the arena, and there was no more slaughter in the great theatre. It was the last fight that was ever held in the Colosseum.