Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-11-16

/ ike that Alexander, who was moved
4 nothing Of terror, shuddered at on
{ battle scene on these walls, and so tru'
t to life was a painting of a horse tina
+ when Alexander's horse was led up tC
] Il he began to neigh, as one horse Is &C
e customed to greet another. One paint
e ing in that temple cost S193,7 Iht
2 treasures of all nations and the spoil'
] of kingdoms were kept here for sale
deposit Criminals from oil lands hed
8 to the shelter of this temple, and the
3 law could not touch them. 1t seemed
almost strange that this mountain OF
; architectural snow outside did not melt
with the fires of color within.
The temple was surrounded with
groves. in which roamed for the temp
tation of hunters, stays and hares ana
wild boars, and all styles Of game
whether winged or four footed. There
was a cave with statue so intensely
brilliant that it extinguished the eyes
Of those who looked upon it, unless, at
the command of the priests, the hand
of the spectator somewhat shaded the
eyes. No wonder that even Anthony
and Alexander and Darius cried out in
the words of my text. "Great is Diana
of the Ephesians.
One whole month of each year, the
month of May, was devoted to her
worship. Professions in garbs of pur
ple and violet and scarlet moved
through it, and there were torches aHd
anthems, and cboirs in white, and ti;h-
brels and triangles in music, sacrifices
and dances. Here young iHen and
maidens were betrothed with imposing
ceremony. Nations voted large amounts
| to meet the expense of the worship.
Fisheries of vast resource were devoted
to the support of this resplendence.
Horace and Virgil and Homer went
into rhapsodies while describing this
worship. All artists, all arch@ologists
all centuries agreed in saying, Great
is Diana of the Ephesans. "
Paul, in the presence Of this Temple
of Diana, incorporates it in his figures
of speech while speaking of the spiritual
temple, Now, if any man build upon
this foundation, gold, silver, precious
stones, etc." and no doubt with refer
ence to one of the previous temples
which had been set on fire by Heros-
tratus just for the fame of destroying
it, Paul says, IF any mans work shall
be burned, he shall suffer loss, etc,
and all up and down Pauls writings
YOU realize that he had not only seen,
but had been nightly impressed with
what he had seen of the Temple Of
Diana,
NOTED CHRISTIANS OF EPHESUS.
In this city the mother of Jesus was
said to have been buried. Here dwelt
Aquilla and Priscilla of Bible mention,
who were professors in an extempOrized
theological seminary, and they taught
the eloquent Apollos how to be elO-
quent for Christ. Here John preached,
and from here because of his fidelity
he was exiled to Patmos. Here Paul
warred against the magical arts for
which Ephesus was famous. The sor-
cerers of this city pretended that they
could cure diseases, and perform al.
most any miracle, by pronouncing
these senseless words, "Aski Cataski
Lix Tetrax Damnameneus Aision."
Paul having performed a miracle in
the name of Jesus, there was a lying
family of seven brothers who initiated
the apostle, and instead of their usual
words of incantation, used the word
Jesus over a man who was possessed of
a devil, and the man possessed flew at
them in great fierceness and nearly tore
these frauds to pieces, and in conse-
quence all up and down the streets of
Ephesus there was indignation excited
against the magical arts, and a great
bonfire Of magical books was kindled
in. the streets, and the people stirred
the blaze until thirty-five thousand dol
lars, worth of black art literature had
burned to ashes
But all the glory of Ephesus I have
described has gone now. At some sea
sons of the year awful malarias sweep
over the place and put upon mattress
or in graves large portion of the pop
ulation. In the approximate marshes
scorpions, centipedes and all forms of
reptile life crawl and hiss and sting
while hyenas and jackals at night stink
in and out of the ruins of buildings
which once startled the nations with
their almost supernatural grandeur.
But here is a lesson which has never
hant, IroV M no NOT
in that temple of Diana an expression
of what the world needsl 1t wants a
God who can provide food. Diana was
huntress. In pictures on many of
the coins she held stag by the horn
with one hand and bundle of arrows
in the other. Oh, this is a hungry
world Diana could not give one pound
of meat or one mouthful of food to the
millions of her worshipers. She was a
| dead divinity, an imaginary god, and
SO in idolatrous lands the vast majority
of people never have enough to eat
1t is only in the countries where the
God of heaven and earth Is worshiped
that the vast majority have enough to
eat. Let Diana have her arrows and
her hounds; our God has the sunshine,
aud the showers, and the harvests, and
in proportion as he is worshiped does
plenty reign.
So also in the temple of Diana the
world expressed its need of refuge
To II from all parts of the land came
debtors who could not pay their debt,
and offenders of the law that they