Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-01-26

times and then it Will be a great object
lesson for all eternity, and we will say to
our visitor from some other world, as wc
point toward the wall ofhcaven, at looked
like that stratum OF foundation next to the
lowest" John, twenty-frst chapter and
nineteenth verse, THE second, sapphire"
THE DIVINE ARCHITECTURE.
4 step higher and you come to chalcc-
dony. another layer in the foundation Of
the wall and running 1,5OO miles around
the heavenly city. Chalcedony Translu-
cent. \ divine mixture of agates and opals
and comedians. Striped with white and
gray Dashed of pallor blushinR into red
and darkening into purple. Iceland and
the Hebrides hold forth beautiful speci-
mems of chalcedony.
But now we must make swift ascent to
shc top Of the foundation wall, for we can
not infinitely examine all the layers, and
so, putting one foot on the chalcedony of
which we have been speaking, we spring to
the emerald, and we are onc-third of the
way to the top of the foundation, for the
fourth row is emerald That, | would Judge.
is Gods favorite among gems, because it
holds what seems evident is his favorite
color on earth, the green, since that is the
color most widely diflused across all the
earth's continents-the grass, the foliage,
the everyday dress of nature. The emerald!
Kings used it as a seal TO stamp pronuncia-
mentos. The rainbow around the throne of
God is by St. John compared to it.
Conuuerors have considered it the great
est prize to capture. What ruthlessness
when the solGiers of pizarro pounded it
with their hammersi Emeralds have had
much 10 do with the destiny of Mexico.
Five of them We're presented by Cortcz to
his bride, one of them cut into the shape of
q rose, another into the shape of trumpet,
another into the shape of a bell, with tongue
of pearl, and this presentation aroused the
jealousy Of the throne and caused the con-
sequent downfall Of Cortez. But the depths
of the sea were decorated with those en-
eralds, for in shpwreck they went down
off the coast of Barhary. Napoleon wore an
emerald at Austerlitz.
In the Kremlin museum at Moscow there
are crowns and scepters and outspread mir
aces of emerald. Ireland is called tho
Emerald Isle not because of its vertiurc,
but because it was presented to Henry ii
of England with an emerald ring. Nero
had magnifying glass of emerald through
which he looked at the Cladiatorial contests
at Rome. But here are 800 miles of emer-
aid sweeping around the heavenly city in
one layer.
on stratum of sardonyz, white and red a
seeming comminglinG of snow and fire,
the snow cooling the fire, the fire melting
the snow.
ANCIENT sPLENpORS IN STONE.
Another climb and you reach the sardus,
named after the city of Sardius. Another
climb and you reach the chrysolte. A
specimen of this, belonging to Epiphanus,
in the Fourth century, was said to be so
brilliant that whatever was put over to
conceal it was shone through, and the en-
peror of China has specimen that is de-
scrbed as having such penetrating radiance
that it makes the night as bright as the
day.
A higher climb and you reach the beryl.
Two thousand years ago the Greeks used
this precious stone for engraving purposes.
1t was accounted among the royal treas
ures of Tyre The hilt Of Murats sword
was adorned with it. 1t glows in the inn
pcrial crown of Great Britain. Luther
thought the beryl Of the heavenly wall was
turquoise. Kalisch thought it was chryso-
lite Josephus thought it a golden colored
Jewel. The wheels of Ezekiel's vision
famed with beryl and We're a revolving
fire.
The beryl appears in six sided prisms,
laces and coronets. 1t was the joy of an
Gent jewelry. it ornamented the affluent
with eardrops. Charlemagne presented it
to his favorites. Beautiful beryl EXqui-
sitely shaped beryl Divinely colored beryl!
1t seems like CONCEALED color 1t looks like
frozen fire.
But stop not here. Climb higher and you
come to topaz, II bewildcrment of beauty
and named after an island of the Red sea-
Climb higher and you come to chrysopra-
sus, of greenish golden hue and hard as
flint.
THE FABLED PREVENTIVE.
Climb higher and you reach the iacinth,
named after the flower hyacinth and of
reddish blue.
Take one more step and you reach the
top, not of the wall, but the top of the
foundations Of the wall, and st. John cries
out, The twelfth, an amethyst' This
precious stone, when found in Australia ot
India or Europe, stands in columns and
pyramids. For color it is violet bloom
ing in stone. For its play of light, for its
deep mysteries of color, for it's uses in Egyp-
tian, in Etruscan, in Roman art it has been
honored. The Greeks thought this stone
preventive of drunkenness. The Hebrews
thought it source of pleasant dreams. For
| all lovers of gems it is a subject of admira-
ton and suggestiveness. Yes, the word
amethyst means a prevention of drunken
ness.
Long before the New Testament made
reference to the amethyst in the wall of
| heaven the Persians thought that cups
made out Of amethyst would hinder any
| kind ofliquor contained therein from beconl-
ing Intoxicating. But Of all the amethys-
tine cups from which the ancicnts drank
not one had any such result Of prevention.
| For thousands of years the world has been
! looking i'll vain for such a preventive anne
! thystine cup. Staggering Noah could not
find it. Cornwall Ahasucrus driving Nashti
from the gates could not find it. Nabal
| breaking the heart Of beautiful Abigail
could not find it. Belshazzar, the kingly
reveler, on the night that the Chaldeans
took Babylon could not find it.
Not one of the millions of inebrates
whose skulls pave the continents and pave
the depths of the sea could find il. There
| is no such cup. Strong drink from hol-
lowed amethyst imbrutes the same as
strong drink from pewter mug 1t is not
the style of cupwe drink out of, but that