Plainfield High School - Hermiad Yearbook (Central Village, CT)

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THE HERMIAD 21 suspended and all the pecple were clad in their holiday garments. Practically everyone had laurel bound' around his head. All temples were- thrown open, and every altar smoked with incense. The streets were strewn with garlands. Marcus was in a hurry to see the procession and especially to see his father wha had been away from home for some time. Finally the parade appeared. He heard the sound of the trumpets and saw the senators who led the procession. They were dressed in their togas rrade of white woolen cloth with narrow purple stripes interwoven for a border. Next he saw a body of trumpeters, follawed by a train cf carriages and frames laden with the spoils of the vanquished. In addition to the arms, standards, and statues he saw representations of battles, towns, rivers, and mountains of the con- quered country. Next came a body of flute players, followed by the white oxen, which were decorated with laurel and had gilded horns. They were to be sacrificed and were attended by priests with their insignia and implements. There followed then the distinguished captives with bands of inferior prisoners in chains, after whom walked the lictors who were the attendants of the imperator. The lictors carried the fasces wreathed with laurel. Marcus noticed that they were bundles of rods, but he wondered what they signified, There was a Roman man standing near him. Pardon me, sir , Marcus said to him, but can you tell me what those bundles of rods that the lictors are carrying mean? They are called the fasces , answered the man. They indicate power, and outside the city they have axes bound in with them, signifying the death penalty. The axes are taken from the bundles inside the city . I thank you , said Marcus, and he turned to watch the rest of the triumph. The hero of the day came into view, the imperator, crowned with laurel, in a circular chariot drawn by four horses. He was accompanied by his young children and his intimate friends. He was dressed like the Capitoline Jupiter in rcbes of purple and gcldi borrowed from the treasury of the god. In his right hand he carried a laurel bough, and in his left an ivory sceptre surmounted by an eagle. His brows were garlanded with Delphic laurel. A public slave held the golden crown of Jupiter abwe his head, and reminded him in the midst of all his glory that he was but a mortal man. His grownup sons, the equites, legates and tribunes, followed on horseback. Behind them marched the infantry, their spears adorned with laurel, shouting Io TrIumphe , and singing hymns to the gods. Among the soldiers Marcus saw his father who wore a crown which, as he learned later, was called a civic crown. That night his father, holding up the crown, said to him: Marcus, look at this chaplet of oak leaves with the acorns. It was given to me because I saved the life of a comrade in battle. He had been fighting all day and was very weak, when one of the enemy's soldiers assailed him. As I was near, I ran up and after a long hard struggle I killed my opponent and maintained

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20- THE HERMIAD immediately said to himself, I wcnder if there will be a triumph . He had heard about triumphs, but he had never actually seen one. The triumph was granted by the Senate after they had considered the claims put forth by the general. Marcus was very iruch interested in the idea of attending a triumph. The next morning he went to his grandfather, who was a member of the Senate, and said: Oh, grandfather, is :here really gsing to be a triumph? Well, perhapsg a few of the points which are to be considered have been accomplished , said his grandfather. Won't you please tell me what they are ? said Marcus. The war must have been brought to a definite conclusion , answered the grandfather, resulting in the extension of the bsundaries 01' the state. The victory must have been gained over some foreign c-iuntry. These two things have been accomplished. In the war more than five :nousand of the enemy must have been slain, but I am not sure whether this has been accom- plished or not. The Senate is to hold a meeting outside the city walls this aiterncon to consider the claims of the general. If they are satisfactory, special legislation is necessary to keep the general in possession of the imperium on his entry into the city. Without this his command will expire and he will become a private individual the mcment he is inside the city walls, and will not have a right to a triumph. If you will come to my house tonight, I will tell you cf the Senate's decision . Marcus listened attentively as his grandfather spoke, and then he said: All right, grandfatherg I will come, thank you , and he returned ho re. He could hardly wait for the time to come when his grandfather should arrive home. When he did return, Marcus went immediately to his hcuse to learn of the decision. His grandfather said: All the senators have agreed that the claims of the general are just and a triumph is tai be held next week . Marcus was very happy and coulcl not wait for the time to come. The day finally arrived and Marcus had a schoal holiday, so that he was able to see the triumph. He dressed in his holiday attire and tied laurel arcund his head as was the custom of the Roman people. He then went to the Fcrun and, sitting' on one of the statues there, he could fully enjoy the celebration. He wished that he might watch the exercises which took place cutside the city walls, but he was too small to go that far and his father said to him afterwards: Marcus, there were only a few exercises outside the walls. The general assembled the soldiers, delivered the commendatory ora- tion, and distributed rewards and money as their share of the spoils, which consisted of arms, standards, statues, and other things. That was all that 'took place . Marcus had noticed, as he was on his way to the Forum, that the rjipearance which Rome presented was joyous in tne extreme. All work was

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22 THE HERMIAD the ground icn which we fought . As the procession marched on, Marcus walked along beside it. As they ascended the Capitoline Hill, he noticed that some of the captives were with- drawn from the line and conducted to the prison to be put to death. As soon as their death was announced, the 'cxen were sacrificed and the general placed the laurel bough on the lap of Jupiter. The general and his friends then went to the temple where they were publicly feasted. As Marcus's father was an intimate friend of the general, he attended the banquet and Marcus went with him. They were both very glad to see each other again and had many stories to relate. The banquet was grotesque and revolting, rather than magnificent, judged by the standards of today. There were no stcols 'cr benches, but couches upon which the banqueters reclined while eating. The couches were made of silver. Wine was used for the hands instead of water. Very extrava- gant dishes were served. After they had feasted for a long time the general went home late in the evening, accompanied by flutes, torches, and a crowd of citizens, anvcng whom were Marcus and his father. Then Marcus went home, very tired, but very happy. That night, because he had eaten so much and was so excited, Marcus had many wonderful dreams. He dreamed that he was a very prorrinent general, that he had just won a great victory in a foreign war, and that a triumph was being held in his honor. He awoke just as he was placing the laurel bough upon the lap cf Jupiter. 'CSD Extract from a Newspaper of the Year 3015 or the Year 159 of the New Era fEthe1 Seidman, 1934 J 64 XCAVATORS have dug up the ruins of a village the name of which suggests that it was originally open country or a large field. The ruins of some brick buildings have been dug up, however. These' show that they were ancient factories that made some sort of heavy cloth. Near this town has been found a brick building in an excellent state of preservation. From varicus writing materials and books fcund there has been gathered the fact that it was an institution of learning. This building has been found so intact that the excavators have been able to determine just what the plan of it was. It corresponds almcst exactly with the description of an 'cld American school fcund in the Modern Magazine . From recent excavations made in the eastern part of Old United States