Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-01-26

lopNcu ike tnht stratum OF lOunuutloH
next to the lowest John, 2ist chap,
ter and 10Th verse; "rhe second sap.
phire'
a step higher and YOU come to chal-
cedony, another layer IN the fouudp-
ton of tho wall and running 1900
miles around the heavenly city,
Chalcedony Translucent. A divine
mixture OF agatcs and opals and cor
nclianS. Striped with white and gray.
Dashed of palior blushing into red aud
darlening into purple, Iceland aud
the liebrides hold forth beautiful speci-
mems of chalcedony.
hut now we must mako swift
ascent to the top of the foundation
wall, for we cannot minutcly examine
all the layers, and SO putting one foot
on the chalcedony, OF which we
have bcen speaking, we spring To the
emerald, and we are one third of the
way to the top of the foundation, for
the fourth row is emerald. That
would judge is Gods favoritc among
gems, because 1t holds what seems evi-
dent is his fuvoiitc color ON earth, the
green, since that IL the color most
widely ditfused across all the earth S
continents-tho grass, the foliage,
the everyday dress of nature.
The emerald! Kings used itas seal to
stamp pronunciamcntos The rain
bow around the throne of tod is by
st, John compared To It. Conqucrors
have considered II the greatest priAc to
capture. What ruthl"ssness when the
soldiers OF Rizarro pounded it with
their hammers. Emcralds have had
much To do with the destiny of Mexico,
rive OF them were presented by tortcH
To his bride, one of them cut into the
shape of rose, another into the shape
OF bell, with tongue OF pearl, and this
presentation aroused the jealousy of
the throne and caused the consequent
downfall of CortcZ. i.ut the depths OF
the sea were decorated with those omcr-
aids, Tor in II shipwrcck they went
down oil the coast of liarhary. Napo-
leon wore IN emerald at AusterlitI In
the krcmlin museum at Moscow, there
are crowns and sceptrcs and outspread
miracles of emerald. ireland Is called
the Emerald Isle, not because OF its
vcrdurc, but because IL was presented
To Henry H. of England with an
emerald ring. Nero had mugnfyiug
it'PN VI 'llNlhl'l lul'NGi W biN' NV
looked at the gladiatorial contests of
Rome. But here are fifteen hundred
miles of emerald sweeping around the
heavenly city In ono layer
But upward still, and you put your
foot on n stratum of sardonyN, white
and red, n seeming commingling OF
snow and fire; the snow cooling the
fire, the fire melting the snow.
Another climb and you reach the
sardius, named after the city of Sar-
dius, Another climb and you reach
the chrysolite, A specimen of this,
belonging to Epiphanus, in the fourth
century, was said 10 be SO brilliant
that whatever was put over to conceal
IL was shonc through. and the En-
pcror of China had specimen that Is
described 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 en-
Craving purposes H. was accounted
among the royal treasures of Tyre.
The hilt of Murats sword was adorned
with it. 1t glows N the imperial
thought the beryl Of the heavenly
it was chrySolitc. Joscphus thought
it u goldcn-co lorcd jewel. The wheels
of Eselsiers vision iiamcd with bcryl,
and were a revolving fire. The
beryl appears IN siX-sidcd prisms,
and is set in seals and intaglios, in
necklaces and coroncts. II was the
JOY of ancient jewclry. 1t ornamcntcd
the aiilucnt with car-drops Charlie.
magnc presented II to his favorites.
beautiful beryl! Exquisitely shaped
bcryl. Div.ncly colored bcryll 1t
seems like CONCEALED color. IL looks
like frozen fire.
But stop not here Climb higher
and you come to topaz n bcwldcr-
mcnt of beauty and named after an
island of the Red Sea.
Climb higher and you come to chry-
soprasus, of grecnish golden hue and
hard MS flint.
Climb higher and you reach the
iacinth, named after the Hover hya-
cinth and of the reddish blue.
Take one more step and you reach
the top of the foundations OF the wall
and st. John cries out: "Thc twelfth,
an amethyst This precious stone,
when found lin Australia or India or
Europe stands in columns and pyra-
mids For color it is n violet blooming
in stone. For its play of light for its
deep mysteries of color, for its uses in
Egyptian, in Etruscan In Roman art, it
has been honorcd. The Greeks thought
this stone a preventive Of drunken
II. al Z
a source of pleasant dreams For all
lovers of gems, it is subject of admi-
ration and suggcstivcness Yes, the
word amethyst means prevention of
Long before the New
Testament made reference to the anne
thyst in the wall Of heaven, the Per.
sians thought that cups made out of
would hinder any kind of
liquor contained therein from becom.
ing Intoxicating. But of all the anne
thystinc cups from which the ancicnts
drank, not one had any such result
Of prevention. For thousands OF
years the world has been look.
ing in vain for such "a pre-
ventitivc amethystinc cup Staggcr-
ing Noah could not find it, Convivial
Abasucrus driving Nashti from the
gates could not find it. Nabal break
ing the heart of the beautiful Abigail
could not find it, I'elshazznr, the
kingly rcvellcr, on the night that the
Chaldcans took Babylon, could not
find it. Not one of the millions of the
inebratcs whose skulls pave the con
tincnts and pave the depths OF the sea
could find it. There is no such cup.
Strong drink from hallowcd amethyst
imbrutcs the Same as strong drink
from pewter mug, II is not the
style of cup VIC drink out of,
but that which the cup con
iains which decides the helpful
Or damning result of the beverage All
around the world last night and to-day,
Iut of cups costlicr than amethyst,
men and women have been drinking
their own doom and the doom of their
for this life and the next
All. it is the ametbystinc cups that do
the widest aud most slaughter The
smash of the filthy goblets of the rum
ncries would long ago have taken
place b. law, bat the amcsthync
preventive chaliccs out of
which Legislatures and Congresses
drink before anc after they make
The laws. Amethystinc chahces have
been the friends of intoxication in
stead of its foes. Over the fiery lips
IF the amethy tine chalices is thrust