The Iola register., 1891-05-08
Trne Relig,on Never sombre.

ished,n and his text, ii Chronicles, TX
8: "Of spices great abundance; neithel
was there any such spice as the queer
of Sheba gave King Solomon"
What is that building out yonder
glittering in the sun? Have You no
heard? 1t is the house of the forest o
Lebanon. King Solomon has just taker
to it his bride, the princess of Egypt
You see the pillars of the portico, ard ;
great tower, adorned with 200 shields
of gold, hung on the outside of the
tower-500 of the shields of gold manu-
factured at 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 o
his throne, between twelve lions II
statuary, and sits down on the back o.
the golden bull, the head of the bronze
beast turned toward the people. The
family and attendants of the king are sc
many that the caterers of the palace
have to provide every day 100 sheer
and thirteen oxen, besides the birds
and the venison. l hear the stamping
and paving of 1000 fine horses in the
royal stables. There were important
officials who had charge of the work ol
gathering the straw and harley for
these horses. King Solomon was ar
early riser, tradition says, and used to
take ride out at daybreak: and when,
in his white apparyl, behind the swift,
est horses of all the realm, and followed
by mounted archers in purple, as the
cavalcade dashed through the streets
OF Jerusalem, suppose it was worth
getting up at o'clock in the morning
to look at.
Solomon was not like some OF the
kings of the present day-crowned i'm,
becility. All the splendor of his palace
and retinue were eclipsed by this intel
lectual power. Why, he seemed tc
know everything. He was the first
great naturalist the world ever saw
Peacocks from India strutted the basal
ic walk, and apes chartered in the
trees, and deer stalked the parks, afld
there were aquariums with foreign fish
and aviaries with foreign birds: and
tradition says these birds were so well
tanned that Solomon might walk clear
across the city under the shadow Of
their wings as they hovered and fitted
about him.
More than this. he had a great repu,
tation for the conundrums and riddles
that he made and guessed. He and
King hiram, his neighbor, used 10 sit
by the hour and ask riddles, each one
paying in money il he could not an
swer or guess the riddle. The Solo
monic navy visited all the world, and
the sailors of course talked about the
wealth of their king, and about the rid
dies and enigmas that he made and
solved: and the news spread until
Queen Balkis, away off south heard OF
1t, and sent messengers with a few
riddles that she would like to have
Solomon solve, and a few puzzles which
she would like TO have him find out.
She sent among other things to King
Solomon a diamond with a hole so
small that needle could not penetrate
it, asking him to thread that diamond
And Solomon took a worm and put IL
at the opening in the diamond, and
the worm crawled through leav-
ing the thread in the diamond.
The queen also sent a goblet to Solo,
mon, asking him to fill it with water
that did not flow from the sky, and that
did rot rush out from the earth: and
Immediately Solomon put a slave on
the back of a swift horse and galloped
him around and around the park until
the horse was nigh exhausted, and from
the prespiration of the horse the goblet
was filled. She also sent King Solomon
five hundred boys III girls dress, and
five hundred girls in boys dress. won
dering if he would be acute 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 a cheat.
Queen Balkis was so pleased with the
acuteness Of Solomon that she said: ''I'll
just 60 and see him for myself" Yon-
der it comes-the cavalcad e-horses
and dromedaries, chariots and chariot
GERS, jingling harness and Gathering g
hoofs, and blazing shields, and flying
ensigus, and clapping cymbals. The
palace is saturated with the perfume
She brings cinnamon, and saffron, and
calamus and frankincense. and all man
ner 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 portico
of the king. Queen Balkis alights in an
atmosphere bewitcteo with perfume
As the dromedaries are driven up TO
the kings storehouses. and the bundles
of camphor are unloaded, and the sacks
of cinnamon, and the boxes of spices
are opened, the purveyors of the place
discover what my text announces: ''Of
spices. great abundance: neither was
there any such spices as the Queen of
Sheba gave TO King Solomon"
Well, my friends, you know that all
theologians agree in making Solomon q
type of Christ, and making the queen
of Sheba type of every truthseeker.
and shall take the responsibility OF
saying that all the spikenard and cassia
and frankincense which the queen of
Sheba brought to King Solomon are
nightly suggestive OF the sweet spices
of our holy religion. Christianity is
not a collection of sharp technicalities
and angular facts and chronological ta-
bles and dry statistics. Our religion
is compared 10 frankincense and to cas-
sia, but never TO nightshade. 1t is a
bundle of myrth. 1t is a dash of holy
light. II is sparkle OF cool fountains.
1t is an opening OF opaline gates. Ii is
a collection of spices. Would God that
we were wise in taking spices to our Di-
vine King as Queen Balkis was wise in
taking spices to the earthly solomon!
What many OF us most need is to have
the humdrum driven out of our life and
the huuldrum out of our religion. The
American and English and Scottish
church will die of humdrum unlese
their be change.
An editor from San Francisco a few
weeks ago wrote me saying he was get
ting up for his paper symposium from
many clergymen, discussing among 9TH
er things: why do not people 90 to
church?" and he wanted my opinion and
/ gave 1t in one sentence: People do
not go to church because they cannot
stand the hun, III. E..-.t