Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-12-10

the highest mountains OF honor and fame
are covered with perpetual snow. Sick
ness will frost the rcsiest cheek, wrinkle
the smoothest brow and stiffen the
sprightliest step. Rizpah quits the court
ly circle ard sits on the rock. .a
Perhaps you look back upon scenes
different from those in which nowsfrom
day to day you mingle. You have ex--
changed the plenty and lu1uriance Of
your fathers house for privation@and
trials known to God and your own
heart. The morning of life was flushed
with promise. Troops of calamities
since then have made desperate charge
upon you. Darkness has come. Sorrows
have swooped like carrion birds from
the sky and barkcd like jackals from
tho thicket. You stand aInid your
slain aDguishel and woe struck. Riz-
pal on the rock.
Soit has lleen III all ages. Vashtinust
doif the spanslc,l robes of the Persian
court and go forth blasted from the. pal
ace gate. uugar exchanges oriental
comfort for the wilderness of Beer
sheba. Mary, queen of Scots, must pass
out from fattery and poinp 10 suffer
ignominious death III the castle of Foth-
eringay. The wheel of fortune keeps
turning. and mansions and -hrrs ex-
change. and he who rode the chariot
pushes che barrow, and instead of the
glaro of fcstal lights is the simrlcring
of the peat fire, and in place of Saul's
palace is the rock-the cold rock, the
desolate rock.
A, VERY PRESENT HELP IN TINE OF
TROUBLE.
But that is the place to which God
comes. Jacob, with his head OIL stone,
saw the shining ladder. Israel in the
desert beheld the marshaling of the fiery
baton. John on barren Patmoa heard
trumpeting, and the clapping of wings,
and the stroke of scraphic fingers on
golden harps and nothing but heavenly
strength nervcd Rizpah for her appalling
mission amid the scream of wild birds
and the stealthy tread of hungry mon
stcrs The grandest visions of glory, tho
most rapturous experiences of Christian
love, the greatest triumphs Of grace have
come to the tried, and the hard pressed,
and the betrayed, and the crushed. God
STOPPING down from heaven to comfort
Rizpah on the rock.
Asan, the tragedy Of the text dis
plays the courage of woman amid great
emergencies. What mother or sister or
daughter would dare to go out to fight
the cormorant and jackal? Rizpah did
il. And so would you if an emergency
demanded. Woman is naturally timid
and shrinks from exposure and depends
on stronger arms for the achievement of
great enterprises. And she is often
troubled lest there might be occasions
demanding eortitudc wheel she would
fail. Tot so. Some Of those who are
afraid to look ont OF the door after night
fall. and who quake in the darkness at
the least uncertain sound, and who start
at the slam of the door and turn pale
in Thunderstorm, if the day of trial
came, would be heroic and invulnerab:e.
God has arranged it so that that won-
an needs the trumpet of some great con-
test Of principle or affection to rouse MP
her slumbering courage. Then she will
stand under the crossfrc of opposing
hosts at Chalons TO give wine to the
wounded Then she will carry into
prison and dark lane the message of sal
walton. Then she will brave the pesti-
lence. Deborah goes out to sound ter
ror into the hearts of Gods enemies.
Abigail throws herself between arailing
party of Infatuated men and her hus-
bands vineyards. Rizpah fights back
the vultures from the rock.
Among tie Orkney islands an eagle
swooped and lifted child to its eyre
far up on the mountains. With the
spring of panther the mother mounts
hill.above hill, crag above crag, height
above height. the fire of her own eye
outfashing the glare of the eagles, and
with unmailed hand stronger than the
iron beak and the terrible claw she
hurls the wild bird down the rocks.
In the French revolution Gazette was
brought out to be executed, when his
daughter threw herself on the body of
her father and said: Strike, barbariansl
You cannot reach my father but through
my hearth" The crowd parted, and link
ing arms father and daughter walked
out free.
During the siege of Saragossa Angus
tina carried refreshments to the gates.
Arrivil& at the battery of Portillo she
found that all the garrison had been
killed. She snatched match from the
hand of dead artilleryman and fired off
q twenty.six FOUNDER, then leaped on it
and vowed she would not leave it alive.
The soldiers looked in and saw her dar-
ing and rushed up and opened another
tremendous fire on the enemy.
MADE HEROIC BY LOVE.
The life of James ! of Scotland was
threatened. Poets have sung those
times and able pens have fingered upon
the story of manly endurance, but how
few to tell the story of Catharine Doug
las, one of the queens maids, who ran
TO DOlC the QtNI, Jul LOuuO UilO OebA HsSet
been taken away SO US to facilitate the
entrance of the assassin She thrust her
arm into the staple. The murderers
rushing against it, her arm was shat
tered. Yet how many have since lived
and died who never heard the touching,
self sacrificing, heroic story of Catharine
Douglas and her poor, shattered arn!.
You know how calmly Mime. Roland
went to execution and how cheerfully
Joanna of Naples walked to the castle
of. Muro, and how fearlessly Mime. Girl
maldi listened to her condemnation. and
how Charlotte Corday smiled upon the
frantic mob that pursued her to the gull
lotine. And there would be no end to
the recital if attempted to present all
the historical incidents which show that
woman's courage would rouse itself for
great emergency.
But I need not go so far. You have