Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-10-05

OF character we hnd among The Wo-
men of history. and the world thrills
with the names of Marie Antoinette
and Josephine, and Joan of Arc and
Maria Theresa and hundreds Of others,
who have ruled in the brightest homes
and sung the sweetest cantos, and en-
chanted the nations with their art
! and swayed the migltiest Of sceptcrs,
on the other hand The names of Mary
the First Of England, Margaret of
France, Julia of Rome and Elizabeth
| Petrowna Of Russia have scorched the
eye of history with their abomina-
tons, and their names, like banislied
spirits. have gone shrielIing and ours
ing through the world. In female
biography we find the two extremes
of excellence and crime. Woman
stands nearest the gate Of heaven or
nearest the door OF hell. When
adorned by grace she reaches point
of Christian elevation which man
cannot attain, and when blasted Of
crime she sinks deeper than man can
plunge. Yet I am glad that the in
stances in which woman makes utter
shipwrcck of character are compare
lively rare.
But, says some cynical spirit,
what do you do with those words in
Ecclcsiastes where Solomon says: Be:
hold, this have | found. saith the
i preach her counting one By one TO find
4 acc lIIi soul
seeketh. but lind 4 not one man
among a thousand have i found; but
a woman among all those have / not
found?" My answer is that if Solo
mon had behaved himself with com
mon tleceucy and kept out Of infamous
circles he would not have had so much
difficulty in finding integrity OF char.
acter among women and never would
have uttered such TRADE. Ever since
my childhood | have heard speakers
admiring Diogenes, the cynical phil
osopler who lived in Il tub, for going
through the streets OF Athens III broad
daylight with q lantern. and when
asked what he did that for, said: Il
am looking foran honest man." Now
warrant that that philosopher who
had such hard work to find an honest
l
he stole both the lantern and the tub.
So. when hear man cXpatiating on
the weaknesses of women, immedi-
!iatoly suspect him and say there is an
other Solomon with Solomons wisdom
left out. Still, would not have tie
illustrations have given of transcend
ing excellency in female biography
lead you to suppose that there are no
perils in womans pathway Gods
grace alone can make all Isabella
Graham, or a Christina Alsop, or a
Fidelia Fiske, or Catherine of Siena.
Temptations Turk about the brightest
domestic circle. 1t was no unmcaning
thing when God set up amidst the
splendors of his word the character Of
infamous Delilah.
HOW THEY LOSE TEEIR STRENGTH.
Again, this strange story Of the text
leads me to consider some of the ways
in which strong mon get their locks
shorn. God, for some reason best
known to himself, made the strength
of Samson to depend on the length of
his hair; when the shears clipped it
his strength was gone. The strength
of men is variously distributed. Some
times it lies in physical development,
sometimes III intellectual attainment.
sometimes in heart force, sometimes
in social position. sometimes III finan-
cial accumulation and there is always
Sharp shears ready to destroy it.
Every day there are Samsons ungiant-
ed. saw young man start III life
under the most cheering advantages.
His acute mind was at home in all
scientific dominions He reached not
only all rugged attainments, bat by
delicate appreciation lie could catch
the tinge Of the cloud and the sparkle
of the wave and the diapason Of the
thunder. He walked forth in life
head and shoulders above others in
mental stature. He could wrestle
with giants in opposing systems of
philosophy and carry Off the gates Of
opposing schools and smite the enc
mics of truth hip and thigh with great
slaughter. But lie began TO taniper
with brilliant free thinking. Modern
theories of the soul threw over him
their Establishments. Skcpticism was
the Delllah that shore his locks of,
and all the Pllilistines of doubt and
darkness and despair were upon him.
He died in a very prison Of unbeliel,
his eyes out.
Far back in the country districts
just where purpWsely omit TO say
there uis born one whose fame will
last as long as American institutions.
His name was the terror OF all enemies
of free government. He stood, the
admired of millions; the nation un-
covered in his presence and when he
spoke senates sat breatlleSs under the
spell. Tile plottcrs against good gov
erilmcnt attempted to bind him with
green whites and weave his locks III a
web, yet lie walked forth from the en-
lhrallment. not knowing he had burst
bond. But from the wine cup there
arose a destroying spirit tina, came
forth TO capture his soul He drank
until his eyes grew dim and his knees
knocked together and his strength
failed. Exhausted with lifelong dis
sipa ions. he went home to die. Min
listers pronounced eloquent et,loriums,
and poets sung, and painters skctched,
and sculptors chiseled the majestic
form into marble, and the world wcpt,
but everywhere it was known that
it was strong drink that came like the
infamous Nelilah and his locks were
slorn.
From the Island of Corsica there
started forth a nature charged with
unparalleled energies to make thrones
tremble and convulse the earth.
Piedmont, Naples, Bavaria, Germany,
Italy, Austria and England rose up to
crush the rising man. At the plunge of
his bayonets BastiIes burst open. The
earth groaned with the agonics of Ri
voli, Austerlitz, Saragossa and Eylau.