The Red Cloud chief., 1890-05-30
PRIDE BEFORE A A L
Dr.. Taimage on tho Lessons Taught
BY the Fate Of Haman.
How 1%ns'GnIncs nt Matters May An-ct tho
Heart h ~ " Wrons-Ths Arrogance
or Worldly Vanity - Ultimate
Triumph ~ christianity.

In a recent crmo ~ Brooklyn upon
the subject Of Worldly Vanity. Rev. r.
Dewitt Talmagc preached from tho
text: : they hanged Haman on the
gallows that he had prepared for Nor.
dccai.' Esther vii. 10 Following Is his
sermon:
Here Is an Oriental courticr, about the
most offensive man In Hebrew history,
Nlaman by name. Ito plotted for the
destruction Of tho %lsraclitish nation,
and ] wonder not that In some " tho
Hebrew synagogucs To this day when
Haman's name IL mentioned, the con.
grcga.ion clcnch their fists and STAN %
heir feet and cry: Let his name be
blottcd OUT Hannah was Prime Min.
lister In the magnificent court Of Persia.
Thoroughly apprcciativc Of tho honor
conferred. he expects everybody that he
passes TO be obscquious. Coming in one
day at the palace the servants drop their
heads In honor of his Office: but q ilc-
brew named Mordccai gazcs upon the
passing dignitary witnou. bending his
head or taking on his hat. lie was a
good man. and would not have been
negligent Of the ordinary courtcsics Of
life. but he felt no respect either for
Hannah or the nation from which he had
come. But he could not be- hypocritical;
and while others made Oriental salaam.
getting clear down before this Prime
Minister when he passed. Mordccai. the
Hebrew, relaxed not q muscle Of his
neck and kept his chin clear up. BE-
cause Of that aiiront Hannah gets a decree
from Ahasucrus. the dastardiy King. for
tho massacre of all tho Isracli,cs, and
that Of course. will include Mordccai.
To make u long story short, through
Queen Esther this whole plot was re-.
vcal"d to her husband, Ahasucrus. One
night Ahasuorus, who was afflicted with
insomnia, In his slccplcss hours calls
for his secretary 10 read to him a few
pages of Persian history. and NJ while
away the night. In the book read that
night to h King an account was given
of n conspiracy from which Mordccai.
tn" Hebrew, had saved the Kings life.
and for which kindness Mordccai had
never received any reward. iiaman,
who had been fixing up y nice gallows
To hang Mordccai on. was walking ont.
side the door Of tho Kings sleeping
apartment and was called In. Tho King
told him that he had just had read tn
him the account Of some one who had
saved his. tho Kings. life. and he asked
what reward ought to be- given to such
. one. Self.cOnccitcd Hannah. suppos-
ing that he himself was TO get the honor,
and not imagining for u moment that
tn" dclivcrcr ~ the Kings life was
Mordccai, says: ''why. your Majesty
ought Ia make u triumph for him. and
put y crown on him. and set him ON q
splendid horse. housekeeping and full.
bloodcd. and then have 81 your
princes lead the horse through tho
streets. crying: ''l,ow tho knee. here
comes u man who has saved the Kings
life" Then said Ahasucrns In severe
tones to uaman: II know all about
your scOundrclism. Now YOU 20 out
and make u triumph for Mordcca'. tho
Hebrew, whom you hate. Put the best
saddle on the finest horse. and you. the
prince, hold the stirrup while MordCcai
gets on, and then lead his horse through
the street. Make haste What "a
spectacle! A comedy and u tragedy ut
n and the same time. There they GO!
Mordccai, who had been dcspiscd. now
starred and ROBBED, In the stirrups.
Haman, the Chancellor. afoot. holding
tho Prancing. rearing. champing stall.
lion. Mordecai bends his neck At last,
but II IL 10 look down at tho degraded
Prime Minister walking beneath him.
liuz.a for Mordccai! Alas for Hannah!
Hut what u pity Ia hav" the gallows. re-.
Gently built, entirely wasted. 1t IL Nfty
cubits high and built with care. And
liaman had erected IL for Moulccai, by
whose stirrups he now walks rs groom.
Stranger and more startling than any
romance, there 90 up the steps Of the
~scRSolding, side by side. the hangman
and ilaman. the c~x-Chancellor. $50
they hanged uaman on the vallows
that he prepared for Mordccai."
Although 50 many years. have passed
since cowarilv AhasucruS rrigncd, and
the beautiful Esther answered Ia his
whims, and Persia persisted. yet from
the life and death OF llaman We may
draw living lessons ~ warning and in
%struction. And, first, W. come Ia the
practical suggestion that, when the
heart In wrong things very insignificant
will destroy our comfort Who would
have thought that u great Prime Min.
lister, admired and ~applaudcd by millions
Of Pcrsians, would have been So ncttlcd
and harasscd by any thing trivial?
What more could tho great dignitary
have wanted than his chariots and at
PENDANTS, and palaces and b~anquc,s" II
afNuencc Of circumstances can mako q
man contentcd and happy, surely Hannah
should have been con,cntcd and happy.
No; Mordccai's refusal OF q bow takes
the glitter from the gold, aud the rich
meas from the purple, and the speed
from the chariots, With u heart pulled
up with every Imitation ~ vanity aud
revenge, II was impossible for him Ia De-
happy, Tho silence Of Mordccai At the
gate was louder than the brayiug Of
trumpe,s in the palace. Thus II shall
always I've II the heart IL no, always
right Circumstances the mos, trivial
will disturb the spirit
II Is not tho great calsmi,ies ot life
that crrsts the most ~%orrtnent ! have