Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-03-02

SHORES Of the Mediterranean. 1t was
discovered by shepherds dog having
stained his mouth by breaking one of
the shells, and the purple aroused adj
miration. Costly purple! Six pounds
| of the purple liquor extracted from the
shell-tishes was used to prepare one
| pound Of wool. Purple was also used
| on the pages Of books. Bibles and
| prayer books appeared in purple vel
| lum, which may still be found in some
of the national libraries Of EuSope.
Plutarch speaks Of some purple Which
kept its beauty for 100 years. But,
after Il while, the purple became easier
to get. and that which had been a
sign Of imperial authority when worn
in robes, was adopted by many people,
and so an emperor, jealous Of this ap-
preparation of the purple, made Il law
that any one except royalty wearing
purple should be put to death. Then,
! as if to punish the world for that out
rage of cXclusiveness, God obliteratcd
the color from the earth, as much as
shall have it." But, though God has
which afforded the purple, there are
wOrShipful. Oh, the enhancement of
hue and shape still left all up and
down the beaches Of I'LL the continents!
These creatures Of the sea have what
are roofs Of cnamcled porcelain! They
dwell under what pavilions, blue as
the sky and fiery as Il sunset and nlys-
FERROUS rs an aurora! And am l not
right in leadig you. for Il few moments,
II I1trh ,S,r1,f H, a1,N, Of fn1
so neglected by human eye and human
lutte were invented from the fact that
in Egypt the Nile overtioWed it's banks,
and when the waters retrcated tor
toiseS were left by the million on all
the lands. and these tortoises died. and
soon nothing was left but the cartilages
and griStle of these creatures, which
frightened under the heat into musical
strings that. when touched by the
wind or the foot Of man vibrated, max
ing sweet sounds. and so the world took
the hint and fashioned the harp; and
am L not right in trying to make music
out of the shells, and lifting them us
Il harp. from which to thrum the jubi-
liant praises of the Lord and the pa
thctic strains of human coincidence?
But l find the climax of this conchol-
ogy of the Bible in the pearl, which
has this distinction above all other
gems that it requires no human hand
to bring out its beauties. Job speaks
of it and its sheen is in Christ's SER
mon. and the Bible. which opens with
the onycha Of my text, closes with the
pearl OF such value is this crustaceOus
product. do not wonder that, for the
exclusive right of fishing for it on the
shores of Ceylon, a man paid to the
English government 100000 for one
season. SO exquisite is the pearl l
do not wonder that Pliny thought it
was made out Of Il drop OF dew, the
creature rising to the surface to take
it, and the chemistry Of nature turn
ing the liquid into Il solid. You will
sec why the Bible makes so much
Of the pearl in its similitudes if you
know how much it costs to get it. Boats
with divers sail out from the island
of Ceylon, ten divers to each boat.
Down into the dangerous depths, amid
sharks that swirl around them, plunge
the divers, while 10000 people anX-
iollSly gaze on. After three or four
minutes absence from the air, the diver
asccnds, nine-tenths strangulated and
blood rushing from ears and nOStrilS,
and tlinying his pearly treasure on
the sand falls into Inconsistencies.
Oh. it is an awful strain and exposure
and peril to fish for pearls. and yet
they do so, and is it not Il wonder that
to get that which the Bible calls the
pearl of great price. worth more than
all ale other pearls put together, there
should be so little anxiety, 50 little
struggle, so little enthusiasm! Would
God that we were I'LL us wise as the
merchantmen Christ commended, who,
when he had found one pearl OF great
price, went and sold all that he had
and bought it,
But what thrills me with suggestive
ness is the material out of which all
pearls are made. They are fashioned
from the wound Of the Shcll-tiSh The
emulation from that wound is ti..-. and
hardened and enlarged into Il pearl.
The rupturcd vessels Of the water
animal fashioned the gem tina now
llOrnS finger or earring or sword
hilt or kings crown. SO. out Of the
wounds of earth, will come the pearls
of heaven. Out of the wound of con-
viction the pearl of pardon. Out Of
the wound of bereavement the pearl
of SOlace. Out of the wound of loss
the pearl of gain. Out Of the wound
of the grave the pearl Of resource
ton JOY. Out of the wounds Of Il Saw
or's life. and Savior> death. the rich.
the radiant the everlasting pearl of
heavenly gladness. And the twelve
gates were twelve pearls" Take the
consolation all ye who have been hurt,
whether hurt in body, or hurt in mind,
or hurt in soul. Get your troubles
sanctitied. If you suffer with Christ
on earth. you will reign with him i'll
glory. The tears Of earth are the
CRYSTALS of heaven. Every :-everal
gate was one pearl.
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