Democratic messenger., 1892-12-10

changed the plenty and luxuriance of
your fathers house for priyation 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 barked like jackals from
the thicket You stand amid your
slain anguiahed and woe struck. Riz-
pah on the rock.
81 it has been in all ages. Vashti must
dof The spangled robes of the Persian
court and 20 forth blasted from the pal
ace gate. Hagar exchanges oriental
comfort for the wilderness of Beer
sheba Mary. queen of Scots, must pass
ont from fiattery and pomp to suffer
ignominious death i'll the castle of Foth-
eringay The wheel of fortune keeps
turning, and mansions and huts ex-
change. and he who rode the chariot
pushes the barrow. and instead of the
glare of festal lights is the simmering
of the peat fire. and in place of Sauls
palace is the rock-the cold rock, the
desolate rock.
VERY PRESENT HELP IN TIME OF
TROUBLE.
But that is the place to which God
comes. Jacob. with his head on stone.
saw the shining ladder. Israel in the
desert beheld the marshaling of the fiery
baton John on barren Patmos heard
trumpeting. and the clapping OF wings,
and the stroke of seraphic fingers on
golden harps. and nothing but heavenly
strength nerved Rizpah for her appalling
mission amid the scream of wild birdsS
and the stealthy tread of hungry mon
sters. The grandest visions of glory, the
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
stoopin. down from heaven to comfort
RiZpah on the rock.
AgAn, the tragedy of the text dis
plays the courage of woman amid great
emergencies. What mother or sister or
daughter would dare to go ont TO fight
the cormorant and jackal: Rizpah did
it. 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 fortitude when she would
fail. Not So Some of those who are
afraid 10 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 n thunderstorm. if the day of trial
came, would be h, role and invulnerable.
God has arranged it so that that wom-
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 crossfire of opposing
hosts at Chalons to give wine to the
wounded. Then she will carry into
prison and dark lane the message of sal
vatioa Then she will brave the pesti-
lence Deborah goes out to sound ter
ror into the hearts Of Gods enemies.
Abigail throws herself between raiding
party of infuriated men and her hus-
bands vineyards. Rizpah fights back
the vultures from the rock.
Among the Orkney islands an eagle
swooped and lifted child TO its eyrie
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
outflashing the glare of the eagles. and
with unmaied 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 ont TO be executed, when his
daughter threw herself on the body oi
her father and said: Strike, barbarians
You canno: reach my father but through
my heart The crowd parted, and link
ing arms father and daughter walked
ont free.
During the siege of Saragossa Angus
tina carried refreshments To the gates
ArriviiN mt the battery of Portillo she
found that all the garrison had beer
killed She snatched a match from the
hand of dead artilleryman and fired of
twenty-six FOUNDER. then leaped on il
and vowed she would not leave it alive
The soldiers looked in and saw her dar
ing and rushed up and opened another
tremendous fre on the enemy.
MADE HEROIC BY LOVE.
The life of James of Scotland wa:
threatened. Poets have sung thos,
times and able pens have fingered upor
the story of manly endurance. but how
few To tell the story of Catharine Doug
. las, one of the queens maids, who rar
To bolt the door, but found the bar hat
sA Facilitate. u.
entrance Of the assassin. She thrust hel
arm into the staple. The murderer
rushing against it, her arm was shat
tered. Yet how many have since live,
and died who nev, heard the touching
self sacrificing, heroic story of Catharin'
Douglas and her poor. shattered arm!
You know how calmly Mime. Rolan,
S went to exe..ution and how cheerful,
Joanna Of Naples walked TO the castl
of Muro. and how fearlessly Nine. Gri
/ maldi listened to her condemnation. an,
!, how Charlotte Corday smiled upon tn
frantic mob that pursued her TO the guil
I ,ot.re. And there would be no end tc
the recital if attempted to present all
J the historical incidents which show that
5 womans courage would rouse itself fol
great emergency.
But | need not 20 So far You have
known some one who was considered q
: mere butterfly in society. Her hand had
: known no toll. Her eye had wept no te:si
e over misfortune. She moved among
obsequious admirers as careless as ~
insect in a field of blossoming buckwhea,
. But in 1867 financial tempest struck III,
husbands estate. Before he had tim,
to reef sail and make things snug the
ship capsizrd ard Went down. Enemie:
+. cheercd at he misfortune and wondered
what would become of the butterfly
l Good men pitied and said she would Iii,
: of broken heart.
: she will not work" say they, ''ant
. she is too proud to beg" Bnt the prophe
cies have failed. Disaster has trans
formed the shining sluggard into "A prac