Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-05-02

| C6s
capture the city of Aquileia and his arm,
had given up the siege the flight of storl
and her young from the tower of the cit,
was taken by him as a sign that he was t.
capture the city, and his army inspired will
the same occurrence resumed the siege an(
took the walls at a point from which th'
stork had emerged. So brilliant was thu
conqueror in attire that his enemies coulC
not look at him, but shaded their eyes o.
turned their heads. z
| Slain on the evening of his marriage BY
his bride, who was hired for the assassina
ton, his followers bewailed him not witt
tears, but with blood, cutting themselves
with knives and lances. He was put int(
three coffins, the first of iron, the second
of silver, and the third of gold. He wal
buried by night, and into his grave were
poured the most valuable coin and precious
stones, amounting to the wealth of a king
dom. The grave diggers and all those who
assisted at the burial were massacred, Sc
that it would never be known where SO
much wealth was entombed. The Roman
Empire conquered the world, but Attila
conquered the Roman Empire. He was
right in calling himself a scourge, but in
stead of being the scourge of God. he was
the scourge of hell. Because of his brillian-
cy and bitterness the commentators were
right in believing him to be the star Worm,
wood of the text. AS the regions he devas-
tated were parts most opulent with foun-
tains and streams and rivers, you see how
graphic my text Is: "There fell great star
from heaven, burning as it were lamp,
and it fell upon the third part Of the rivers,
and upon the fountains of waters, and the
name of the star is called Wormwood."
Have you ever thought how many embit-
tered lives there are all about us, misan-
thropic, morbid, acrid, saturnine? The Eu-
ropean plant from which wormwood is ex-
tracted, Artemisia Absinthium. is peren-
NAL plant aud all the year round it is ready
to exude its oil. And in many human lives
there is perennial distillation of acrid ex-
periences. Yea, there are some whose
whole work is to shed baleful influence on
others. There are Attilas of the home, or
Attilas of the social circle, or Attilas of the
church, or Attilas of the State, and one
third of the waters of all the world, if not
two. thirds the waters, are poisoned by the
falling of the star Wormwood. 1t is not
complimentary to human nature that most
men, as soon as they get great power, be-
come overbearing. The more power men
have the better, if their power be used for
good The less power men have the bet
ter, if they use it for evil.
Birds circle round and round and round
before they swoop upon that which they are
aiming for. And if my discourse so far
has been swinging round and round, this
moment it drops straight on your heart and
asks the question: Is your life to others a
benediction or an embitterment, blessing
or a curse, balsam or a wormwood? =?
Some of you, know, are morning stars,
and you are making the dawning life OF
your children bright with gracious influ.
ences, and you are beaming upon all the
opening enterprises of philanthropic and
Christian endeavor, and you are heralds OF
that day of gospelisation which will yet
food all the mountains and valleys of our
sim cursed earth. Hail, morning star Keep
on shining with encouragement and Chris
tian hope.
Some of you are evening stars, and you
are cheering the last days of old people, anc
though cloud sometimes comes over you
through the querulousness or unrea sonable
ness of your old father and mother, it is only
| for moment, and the star soon comes out
clear again and is seen from all the balconies
of the neighborhood. The old people will
| forgive your occasional shortcomings, fol
they themselves several times lest their pa
tience with you when you were young anc
slapped you when you did not deserve it,
Hail, evening star! Hang on the darken
ing sky your diamond coronet.
| But are any of you the star Wormwood
Do you scold and growl from the thrones
paternal or maternal? Are your childreI
eyerlastingly pecked at? Are you alway
crying: "Hush - to the merry voices an(
swift feet and their laughter, which occa
sionally trickles through at wrong time
and is suppressed by them until they cal
hold it no longer and all the barriers burs
into unlimited guffaw and cachinnation, a
in high weather the water has tricklet
through slight opening in the mill dam
but afterward makes wider and wide
breach until it carries all before it with ir
resistible freshet. Do not be too much of
Tended at the noise your children nov
make. 1t will be still enough when one o
them is dead. Then you would give you
right hand to hear one shout from the
silent voices or one step from the still foot
You will not any of you have to wait very
long before your house is stiller than yo,
want it. Alas that there are so man,
homes not known to the Society for th'
Prevention of Cruelty to Children, wher,
children are put ON the limits and wbackeC
and cufied and earpulled and senselessly
called to order and answered sharp ant
suppressed until it is a wonder that unde
such processes they do not all turn ou
Modocs and Mana Sahibs.
| What is your influence upon the neigh
borhood, the town or the city of your resi-
dence?
l will suppose that you are star of wit
What kind of rays do you shoot forth? Dl
you use that splendid faculty to irIadiat,
the world or to rankle it? l bless all til,
apostolic college of humorists. The maj
that makes me laugh is my benefactor.
do not thank anybody to make me cry.
can do that without any assistance. w,
all cry enough and have enough to or,
about. God bless all skilful punsters, al
reparteeists, all propounders of ingenious
conumdrums, all those who mirthfully sur
prise us with unusual juxtaposition O
words. Thomas Hood and Charles Laml
and Sidney Smith had divine mission
and SO have their successors in these times
They stir into the acid beverage of life th,
saccharine. They make the cup of earthly
existence, which is sometimes stale, effer
vesce and bubble. They placate animosi
ties. They foster longevity. They slay
folles and absurdities which all the ser
mons of all the pulplts cannotreach. They
have for examples Elijah, who made fun O
the Baalites when they called down fire
and it did not come, suggesting that theil
heather god had gone hunting or was off OF
journey or was asleep and nothing bu
vociferation could wake him, saying
s'Cry aloud for he is a god either he i.
talking or pursuing or peradventure hi
sleepeth and must be awaked." They
have an example in Christ, who witt
healthful sarcasm showed up the lying
hypocritical Pharlsces by suggesting thai
such perfect people like themselves needed
no improvements, saying: "The whole
need not physician but they that art
sick'
But what use are you making of you
wit Is it besmirched with profanity an(
uncleanness Do you employ it in amuse
ment at physical defects for which the vic
Tins are not responsible? Arc your power
of mimicry used to put religion in contempt
Is it bunch of nettlesome invective Is i
a bolt of unjust scorn? Is it fun at other
misfortune? Is it glee at their disappoi Mt
ment and defeat Is it bitterness put drol
by drop into cup? Is it like the squeezing
of Artemisia Absinthium into draught al
ready distastefully pungent? Then you ar,
the star Wormwood. Yours is the fun OF
rattlesnake trying how well it can sting. l
is the tun of hawk trying how quick i
can strike ont the eye of dove.
| INT T mil nhan T will