Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-16

notion. This image was carved out oil
ebony and punctured here and there with
openings kept full of spikenard so MS ia
hinder the statue from decaying and make
1t aromatic, but this ebony WAS covered
| with bronze and alabaster A necklace OF
acorns coiled gracefully around her. There
were four lions on each arm, typical OF
strength. Her head was coroneted
Around this figure stood statues which by
wonderful invention shed tears The air
by strange machinery was damp with de
scending perfumes. The walls multiplied
the scene by conceived mirrors. Fountains
tossed in sheaves of light and fell in show
| ers of diamonds.
Praxiteles, the sculptor, and Apelles,
the painter, filed the place with their tri-
umphs CrHsus, the wealthiest of the an
clients, put here and there in the temple
| golden heifers. The paintings were so
vivid and lifelike that Alexander, who was
moved at nothing of terror, shudGered at
one battle scene on these walls, and so true
to life was painting of horse that when
Alexander's horse was led up to it he be-
gan to neigh, as one horse is accustomed to
greet another. One painting in that tenn
pie cost Sl93 $50. The treasures of all ma
lions and the spells of Kingdoms were kept
here for safe deposit Criminals from all
lands fled to the shelter of this temple, and
the law could not touch them. 1t seemed
almost strange that this mountain of ar
chitectural snow outside did not melt with
the fires of color within.
The temple was surrounded with groves,
in which roamed for the temptation of
hunters, stays and hares and wild bears,
and all styles of game, whether winged or
four footed. There was a cave with statue
so intensely brilliant that it extinguished
the eye of those who looked upon it, unless
at the command of the priest, the hand Of
the spectator somewhat shaded the eyes
No wonder that even Anthony and Alex
ander 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. Pro
cessions in garbs of purple and violet and
scarlet moved through it, and there were
torches and anthems, and choirs in white,
and timbrels and triangles in music, sacri-
fees and dances. Here young men and
maidens were betrothed with imposing
ceremony Nations voted large amounts
to meet the expense of the worship Fish
cries 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 psychologists, all cen
turtles, agreed in saying, "Great is Diana
of the Ephesians," Paul, in the presence
of this Temple of Diana, incorporates it in
his figures of speech while speaking of the
spiritual temple, Nov, if any man build
upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious
stones, etc, and no doubt with reference
to one of the previous temples which had
been set on fire by Herostratus 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 Pau's
writings you realize that he had not only
seen, but had been nightly impressed
with what he had seen of the Temple of
Diana.
HERE MARY WAS BURIED.
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 eloquent 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 sorcerers
o. his city pretended that they could cure
diseases and perform almost any miracle,
by pronoucing these senseless words, "Aski
Cataski Lix Tetrax Damnameneus All
sion"
Paul having performed a miracle in the
name of Jesus, there was lying family of
seven brothers who initiated the apostle,
and instead of their usual words of incan.
tation used the word Jesus over a man who
was possessed of devil, and the man pos
sessed flew at them in great fierceness and
nearly tore these frauds to pieces, and in
consequence all up and down the streets of
Ephesus there was Indignation excited
against the magical arts and a great bon
fire of magical books was kindled in the
streets, and the people stirred the blaze
until thirty-five thousand dollars worth of
black art literature had been burned to
ashes.
But, all the glory of Ephesus l have de-
scribed has gone now. At some seasons of
the year awful malarias sweep over the |
place and put upon mattress or in graves Il
large portion of the population. In the APP
proximate marshes scorpions, centipedes |
and all forms of reptilian life crawl and
hiss and sting, while hyenas and jackals at |
night stink in and out of the ruins of build |
ings which once startled the nations with !
their almost supernatural grandeur.
But here is lesson which has never yet |
been drawn out Do you not see in that |
temple of Diana an expression of what |
the world needs. 1t wants a. God who can |
provide food. Diana was u huntress. In |
pictures on many of the coins she held a |
stag by the horn with one hand and
bundle of arrows in the other. Oh, this is
a hungry worldl 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 ma
jorty have enough to eat. Let Diana have |
her arrows and her hounds. Our God has |
the sunshine ana the showers ana the mar.
vests, and in proportion as he is worshped |
does plenty reign.
TUE NEED OF A REFUGE.
So also in the Temple of Diana the world
expressed us need of a refuge. To it from |
all Larts OF the land came debtors who
could not pay their debts and the offend
ers of the law that they might escape in
generation. But she sheltered them only |
u little WHILE and while she kept them
from arrest she could not change their
hearts and the guilty remained guilty. !
But, our God in Jesus Christ is a refuge
into which we may fly from all our sins
and all our pursuers, and not only be safe
for time, but safe for eternity, aud the
guilt is pardoned and the nature is trans
formed. What Diana could not do for her
1 III, IA
Rock of ages cleft for me,
at me hide mVself i'm thee