The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-04-03
BILL ARP'S PHILOSOPHY.
Atluxa Cb,sStit%tio~.

a few days ago the Jews celebrated the
feast of Purim-a feast to commemorate
the deliyerauce of their forsfathers from
destruction at the hands Of Haman. The
Jews were called in The olden times q
peculiar people and they are peculiar now.
Was there ever race 80 true 10 the ira
ditions of their fathers? Was there ever
people so jealous, so constant, 80 stead.
fast in their religion aud yet so tolerant,
SO considerate and SO unwilling To prose.
lyte those of another faith? Who ever
heard of Jew trying to convert a gen
tile? The gentiles have tried for centu-
ries to proselyte the Jews. They have
tried force and fear, and argument, but
all in vain. Not long ago ! saw it stated
that in the last twenty years England had
expended in mission work among the
Jews of Europe one hundred and eighty
thousand pounds, and claimed to have
converted six-six that they were sure Of.
What quiet, unpretending people. How
clear Of crime and litigation, how kind
and charitable to each other, how true in
war, how gentle in peace, how liberal in
all public enterprises that are for the
public good. The feast of Purim
caused me to investigate little to zee
what could find more than is in our Bi-
Bile book OF Esther. It seems that
Ahashaerus was another name for
Artaxerxes and that Haman was an
Amalekite and hateG the Jews, because
in the days Of their power and prosperity
they had 30 often whipped the Amalekites
and dispoiled them of their prosperity.
Ahashaerus was good, easy, uDsuspect-
fng king and Haman was shrewd,
designing courtier. The king had no
business ordering Vashti before him, for
no doubt he Was drinking, and it was not
the custom of Persian women to 60 be-
fore crowd of drunken courtiers. But
woman was at discount then, snd those
fellows said that if Mrs. Vashti Was
allowed to disobey her lord, then every
other mans wife would do the same thing,
and so Vashti was retired in disgrace,
aud Esther Bas chosen. What beauty
she must have been to be preferred over
several hundred Persian naaidens, who had
been carefully selected from all the vir-
gins of the empire. 1 have often won
dered how the great king made his choice.
Were these beautiful naidens all seated
in spacious hall, and did the king pass
around and inspect them aud cause each
one to stand up and turn around and walk
about just like my friend, Billy Ramey,
does horse? Did he want to see if she
was coupled we'll and how she stood on
her pasture joints? Was she thorough.
bred, and did she hold high head aud
flashing eye? Did she wear No. 2
shoes and step like deer7 Did he ex-
anime her teeth and ask how old she was.
Tradition says it took the king three
weeks to make bis choice. Tie first
week he reduced the number to forty
nine; the second week to seven, and on
the last day of the third week he chose
Esther and kissed her and conducted her
10 his magnificent throne. What dis
appointment it was to all the others to be
retired and sent back to their various
homes. There was but one Cinderella,
and that was Esther. Seventy years ago
there was grand rich lady Of the olden
time whose children had all married and
gone, and this fine lady was lonely and
sad in her beautiful home in the country
near Savannah, and she went to the or
phan's home in the city, and told the good
matron that she wanted to adopt little
girl and would do good part by her, and
educate her and be a mother to her. And
so all the little children were dressed in
their Sunday clothes and brought into the
large room that Was called the chapel,
and the seats were arranged all round
next to the walls, and more than hun.
dred little girls took their seat side by
eide and awaited their fate with fear and
with hope. For them it was trying
ordeal, for they could not know who
would be chosen, nor whether the lady
would be kind OF net. But they had nc
choice in the matter. They were helpless
orphans aud must obey. The fine lady
was arrayed in silk and jewels, and her
carriage was waiting at The gate. Three
times did she walk slowly round, looking
closely into the faces ofthe children who
sat like trembling fawns, and she talked
pleasantly to them, and asked them ques-
tions so kindly that soon their fears we're
dispelled. At every round she stopped
longer at one place than she did at any
other, and asked more searching ques-
tions of sweet. sad child who had not
been there long, q child whose
parents died the same day Of yellow
fever and were buried in the same grave
and left no kindred to care for her. At
ter the third round the great, fine lad y
called the matron to her and said: II
will take this one," and she placed her
jeweled hand upon the head of the child
and all the others were retired to their
accustomed places. In few minutes the
chosen ones little satcnel of clothing was
prepared. She Kissed sad goodbye to
her companions and the good matron and
her household, aud went out with the 10.
dy into the wide world to begin new life
with strangers in strange place. The
great, fine lady vas the mother Of DR..
Goulding, great preacher, aud she was
the grandmother of the "Young Marco
ners." That little orphan girl was my
mother, and kind providence never
guarded an orphan all her life with more
tender care than he did her. She was
not made queen, but she lived long and