The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-05-26

| TEXT-II. Chronicles, TX, 9: "0fspices
| great abundance; neither was there any
such spice as the Queen OF Sheba gave
King Solomon"
What is that building out yOnder
| glitteTing in the sum- Have you not
heardP 1t is the House of the Forest Of
Lebanon. King Solomon has just taken
| TO it his bride, the Princess of Egypt.
You see the pillars of the pOrticO, and a
great tower, adorned with 1000 shields
Of gold hung on the outside Of the
tOwer-500 of the shields of gold manu-
| factured by SOlOmOn's order; 500 were
captured by David, his father, in battle.
See how they blaze in the MONDAY sun |
Solomon goes up the ivory stairs of his
throne between twelve lions in statuary
and sits down on the back of the golden
bull, the head of the bronze beast turned
toward the people. The family and the
attendants of the King are so many that
the caterers of the palace have to pro-
vide every day 100 sheep, 13 oxen, be-
sides the birds and the Venison. hear
the stamping and paving of 1000 fine
horses in the royal stables. There were
important officials who had charge of
the work of gathering the straw and
the barley for these horses. King Solo
mon was an early riser, tradition says.
aud used to take ride out at daybreak,
and when in his white apparel behind
the sWiftest horses of all the realm, and
followed by mounted arehers in purple,
as the caValcade dashed through the
streets of Jerusalem, | suppose it was
something worth getting up at o'clock
in the morning to look at. Solomon
was not like a great many Kings of the
present day-crOwned imbecility. All
the splendOr of his palace and retinue
was eclipsed by his intellectual power.
Why, he seemed to know everything.
He was the first great naturalist the
world ever saw. PeacOeks from India
strutted the basaltic walks, and apes
chattered in the trees, and deer stalked
the parks, and aquariums with foreign
fish, and aViaries with foreign birds,
and tradition says these birds were so
we'll tanned that Solomon might walk
clear across the city under the shadow
of their wings as they lowered and fit
ted about him.
More than this. ne had great reputa-
tiOn for the cOnundrums and riddles that
he made and guessed. He and King
Hiram, his neighbOT, used to sit by the
hour and ask riddles, each one paying
in money III he could not answer or
guess the riddle. The SOlOmOnic navy
visited all the world, and the sailors, of
course, talked about the wealth of their
King and about the riddles and enigmas
that he made and solved, and the news
spread until Queen Balkis, away off
South, heard of it, and sent messengers
with few riddles that she would like
to have Solomon solve, and few puzzles
that she would like to have him find
out. She sent among other things to
King Solomon diamond with hole so
small that needle could not penetrate
1t, asking him to thread that diamond.
And Solomon took worm and put 1t at
the opening in the diamond, and the
worm craWled through, leaving the
thread in the diamond. The Queen also
sent goblet to Solomon, asking him to
fill it with water that did not pour from
the sky and that did not rush out from
the earth; and Immediately Solomon put
slave on the back of swift horse and
galloped him around and around the
park until the horse was nigh exhausted,
and from the perspiration of the hOr
the goblet was filled. She also sent
King Solomon 500 boys in girls dress
and 500 girls in boys dress, wondering
If he would be cute enough to find out
the deception. Immediately Solomon,
when he saw them wash their faces,
knew from the way they applied the
water that it was all cheat. Queen
Balkis was SO pleased with the acute
ness of Solomon that she said: ''I'll
lust 90 and see him for myself" YOnder
1t comes, the cavalcadr, horses and
dTOmedaries, chariOts and chariOteers,
jingling harness and clattering hOofs
and blazing shields and flying ensigns
and clappfng cymbals. The place is
saturated with the perfume. She brings
cinnamon and saffron and calamus and
frankincense and all manner of sweet
spices. As the retinue sweeps through
the gate the armed guard inhale the
aroma. HALT" cry the chariOteers as the
wheels grind the gravel in front of the
pillared pOrGicO of the King. Queen
Balkis aligbts In an atmosphere be-
witched with perfume. AS the drOme-
daries are driven up to the Kings store
houses, and the bundles of eamphOr are
unlOaded, and the sacks of cinnamon
and the boxes Of spices are opened, the
purVeyOrs OF the palace discover what
my text announces: "Of spices great
abundance; neither was there any such
spice as the Queen Of Sheba gave to King
Solomon"
Well, my friends, you know that all
theOlOgians agree In making Solomon a
type Of Christ, and In making the Queen
of Sheba type OF every truth-seeker,
and | shall take the responsibility this
morning Of saying that all the sDiken-
| ard and cassia and frankincense which
the Queen of Sheba brought to King
Solomon are nightly suggestive Of the
| sweet spices of our holy religion. Chris
LlanlGy Is not COLLECTION OF Snarp TECH
| nicalities and angular facts and chrono-
logical table and dry statistics. Our re-
ligion is compared to frankincense and
to cassia, but never to night shade. It Is
bundle of myrrh. 1t Is a dash of holy
light. 1t is sparkle of cool fountains.
lt is an opening Of Opaline gates. 1t Is a
collection of spices. Would to God that
we were as wise In taking spices to our
Divine King as Queen Balkis was wise
in taking the spices to the earthly Solo
| mon. The fact Is that the duties and
cares Of this life, coming to us from time
to time, are stupid often, and inane and
intolerable. Here are men who have
been battering, climbing, pounding,
years, fifty years. One great long drudg-
cry has their life been. Their face anxi-
Gus, their feelings benumbed, their days
m0nOtonOus. What is necessary to
brighten up that mans life, and to