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SCENE, IN "BEN-HUR"-THE MOON-LIT LAKE IN THE ORCHARD OF PALMS

Ben-Hur, bewitched by the arts of Iras, the Egyptian, is lured away with her in a shallop, propelled by an Ethiop, just as Simonides and broken-hearted Esther, his daughter, who loves Ben-Hur, are borne along the roadway in their litter

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SCENE IN "BEN-HUR"-ROOF-TERRACE OF THE PALACE OF HUR, JERUSALEM Simonides, the merchant of Antioch, pledging his devotion to the mother of Ben-Hur. is in the foreground; Tirzah is at the left; Amrah, in the background, is watching for Ben-Hur's return

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SCENE IN "BEN-HUR"- THE OPENING TABLEAU OF THE WISE MEN IN THE DESERT

Kneeling beside their camels they are watching with awe the apparition of the Star of Bethlehem

Balthasar. Ben-Hur wonders at the beauty of the daughter of the Egyptian and fills a cup for her at the fountain. Suddenly a cry of alarm is heard and with clatter of hoofs and rumble of wheels Messala, erect in his chariot, drives upon the stage urging his horses through the flying throng. Ben-Hur springs to the rescue of the imperiled Iras and meets and recognizes his enemy. At the close of the scene he begs, and is granted, the privilege of driving the horses of Ilderim in the games, and is invited by the Sheik to become his guest in his bower in the Orchard of Palms.

The first scene of the fourth act pictures the interior of the tent of Sheik Ilderim. Through the open door a glimpse of the plain on which Ben-Hur is breaking the Arab steeds to the chariot is shown. Balthasar recalls the day when he followed the Star and found in the Manger of Bethlehem the Child that was born King of the Jews. Then, journeying in their litter from Antioch, Simonides and Esther appear upon the scene. The merchant, convinced of Ben-Hur's identity, has come to acknowledge him and surrender his trust for all that he has. Even the child of his bosom is the property of the Prince of Hur. From the banquet which follows, Ben-Hur is lured away by the song of Iras. Again an instantaneous change of scene takes place, showing the moonlit lake in the Orchard of Palms. By the brink of the lake, Iras plies her "arts of Cleopatra" and Ben-Hur falls a victim to her wiles and is lured from thoughts of Esther. A shallop impelled by the Ethiop bears them from the shore. Along the roadway, borne in their litter, the merchant and his daughter pass, returning to their home in Antioch. The song of the Egyptian rises in the distance; Esther hears and shudders. The shallop glides into view and the heart-broken maiden in the litter moans and her head falls upon her breast. She loves Ben-Hur.

In the fifth act the wonderfully realistic chariot-race is seen. This incident is presented in three tableaux, the first showing the entrance to the arena, the second the thronged circus with the race on, and the third the victory. Messala in racing garb enters from the stalls to watch for the

coming of Iras, upon whose conquest he is bent. She comes, accompanied by Esther, and betrays pique that Ben-Hur is not there to greet her. Simonides and Balthasar arrive in their litter. And now appears Ben-Hur. Already the revulsion. has come, and ignoring the vain and haughty Iras, he turns to the modest and shrinking Esther and implores her forgiveness and good will, without which he may not win. Iras, discarded, hisses "Fool!" and Messala, springing to her feet, urges his plea.

The stage is darkened. A fanfare of trumpets is heard and then the din of a riotous, shouting multitude. The lights are on. Over the course, through clouds of dust, with a sound as of muffled thunder, the chariots of Ben-Hur and Messala speed in full career. The walls of the circus, the stalls, and the galleries filled with spectators whirl dizzily by. The four blood-bays of Ilderim draw past the whites and blacks. The wheel of Messala's chariot spins from its axle. Messala reels and falls headlong. Darkness. The picture that is next presented exhibits the vast curve of the amphitheater, stretching away in perspective. Ben-Hur, in his chariot, before the consul's seat, receives the plaudits of the people and the victor's

crown.

The chariot-race incident occupies the entire stage of the Broadway Theater, which is one of the largest in New York. The mechanism in this effect is the most intricate ever used in any scene presented on any stage in the world. The apparatus on which the horses run consists of two great cradles, twenty feet in length and fourteen feet wide, which are movable back and forth on railways supported by a bridge structure capable of upholding twenty tons. The tops of the cradles are two inches below the stage level. Each cradle bears the four horses and the chariot of each contestant. On each cradle there are four runways (or treadmills) of hickory slats, two inches wide, covered with rubber twelve feet long and two and a half feet wide.

On each of these treadmills a horse is secured by invisible steel-cable traces, which hold him in place and prevent him from moving forward off the runways.

As each horse gallops the treadmill revolves under his feet, thereby eliminating the forward pressure created by the impact of his hoofs which would force him ahead on an immovable surface. By this mechanical arrangement it is possible for the horses to actually gallop with all their speed within the space of their own length. The device which secures the horses to their places on the cradles is entirely independent of their harnesses, which attach the chariots to them just as they would be were the animals running in the open air. The wheels of the chariots are worked by rubber rollers, operated by electric motors. To give the chariots the bumping and jolting they would receive in an actual race, they are equipped with uneven wheels.

The effect of the losing of the race by Messala and the winning of it by BenHur is produced by moving the cradles backward and forward on their rails, as the situation demands. To create the impression of the charioteers covering ground at high speed, a great panoramic background, thirty-five feet high, representing the walls of the arena with thousands of people sitting in their seats, is revolved rapidly in an opposite direction to that in which the racing chariots are headed. In the revolving panorama representing the walls of the arena 3,600 square feet of canvas is utilized.

The scene of the first tableau of the three composing the last act is laid in the Palace of Hur in Jerusalem. Simondes and Esther are now its tenants the former in the capacity of steward. Here is solved the mystery of the fate of BenHur's mother and sister. They have been forced by Pilate from the loathsome dungeon in which they have been immured, but have come forth lepers and have been driven from the city gates. Amrah has found and fed them secretly. Ben-Hur, ignorant of this, returns from Galilee, whither he has gone to see and judge of the Nazarene, in whom he has hoped to find the King so long foretold. He returns despondent but bewildered by the miracles of the Nazarene which he has

witnessed. In a tender scene with Esther he confesses his love, which is returned, and with Iras he parts for the last time. Then is revealed to him the terrible tidings of the fate of his lost ones-now doubly lost-and madly he rushes forth. to seek them in their hiding in the vale of Hinnom.

The change of scene discloses the vale of Hinnom-the home of the lepers. BenHur, weary with his fruitless search, sinks into temporary unconsciousness, and above him as he lies sleeping bend his hapless mother and sister. The situation, except in respect of locality, is identical with that described in the story-than which, perhaps, there is nothing more pathetic in all literature. The notes of a resounding anthem in the distance are heard in a psalm of praise, sung by those who have come out from Jerusalem to welcome the Nazarene. Amrah, the Egyptian servant, who has heard Ben-Hur relate the miracles performed by the Nazarene, begs the mother and sister of Hur to leave the sleeper and seek the aid of the Heavenly Physician.

The great stage-picture of the vale of Hinnom becomes suddenly transparent, and, as in a vision, the Mount of Olives is shown with the city of Jerusalem in the distance. From the city comes a motley throng, which the lepers seek to join, but are repulsed with loathing. Then down. the slopes of the mount moves a vast multitude, waving palms and chanting hosannahs. The shunned and despised lepers fall on their knees. A shaft of light of dazzling brilliance, which symbolizes the presence of the Nazarene, falls upon them like a heavenly benediction.

The scene changes. The vision becomes a reality. Ben-Hur springs from his troubled slumber to be met by Malluch and Esther. Amrah joins them with the joyous announcement, "They have met the Nazarene and are healed." At the foot of Olivet, in the midst of a seemingly innumerable throng, the lives so long parted are reunited. The music soars-the roofs of Jerusalem glimmer in the distance the curtain falls.

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