Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1893-01-26

beautiful specimens OF chalceoony
But now we must make swift ascent
to the top OF the foundation wall, for we
cannot minutely examine all the layers.
and so. putting one foot on the chalce-
donv of which we have been speaking,
we sprins 20 the emerald, and we are
one-third of the way to the top Of the
foundation, for the fourth .ow is emer-
aid. That, would judge, is Gods favor
ite among gems. because 1t holds what
seems evident is his favorite color on
earth. the green, since that is the color
most widely Gitfused across all the earths
grass, the foliage, the
everyday dress Of nature. The emerald.
Kings used it as seal to stamp pronun-
ciamentos. The rainbow around the
throne of God is by st. John compared
10 it.
Conoue-ors have considered it the
greatest prize to capture. What ruth
lessness when the soldiers of Pizarro
pounded It with their hammers! Emer-
aids have had much to do with the des-
tilv of Mexico. Five of them We're pre-
Sented by Cortez to his bride. one OF
them cut into the shape Of rose, anoth-
er into the shape of trumpet, another
into Il shape of bell. with tongue OF
pearl. ana this presentation aroused the
jealousy of the throne and caused the
consequent downfall of Cortez. But the
depths of the sea We're decorated with
those e1neralds. for in shipwreck they
Went down off the coast of 6arbary.
Napoleon Wore an emerald at Austerlltz.
In the Kremlin museum at Moscow
there are crowns and scepters ard out
spread miracles Of emerald. Ireland IS
called the Emerald Isle not because OF
is verdure. bur because 1t was presented
to Henry II of England with an emerald
ring. Nero had a magnifyins glass Of
emerald through which he looked at the
gladatorial contests at Rome. But here
are 500 miles of emerald sweeping
around the heavenly city in one layer.
sARpoNYX AND sARDIUs.
But upward still and You put your
foot on a stratum of sardonvx, white and
red. a seeming comminglins OF snow and
fire. the snow cooling the fire, the tre
melting the snow.
Another climb and you reach the sar-
dius. named after the city of Sardius.
Another climb and you reach the chlyso-
liye. \ specimen of this, belonging to
E,dphanus. in the Fourth century, was
said to be SO brilliant that whatever was
,ut over to conceal it was sbone through,
and the emperor of China has specimen
that is described as having such peAe-
t,ating radiance that it makes the nish.
as bright as the day.
A higher climb and You reach the
bervI. Two thousand years ago the
Greeks used this precious stone for en-
CRAVING purposes. 1t was accounted
among the royal treasures of Tyre. The
lilt OF Murat : sword was adorned VIII
ii. 1t slows in the imperial crown of
Great Britain. Luther thought the beryl
Of the heavenly wall was turquoise.
Kalisch thought it was chrysolte. Jose
plus thought it a golden colored jewel.
The wheels Of Ezekiels vision famed
with bervl and We're revolving FIRE.
The bervl appears in six sided prislns,
and is set in seals and intaglios, in neck
ls.ces and coronets. 1t was the Joy Of
ancient jewelry. It ornamented the af-
fluent with eardrops. Charlenagne pre-
sented ii TO his favorites. Beautiful
beryl. Exquisitely shaped beryl! Di-
sinely colored beryl. 1t seems like con-
gealed color. 1t looks like frozen FIRE.
But stop not here. Climb his!.eG and
YOU come to topaz. a bewilderment Of
beauty and named after an island of the
Red sea.
Climb higher and you come to chrysop-
rasus, of greenish golden hue and hard
as flint:
Climb higher and you reach the jacinth,
naaaed after the flower hyacinth and of
reddish blue.
THE FABLE or THE AMETHYST.
Take one mose 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 pgecious stone when found in Aus
tralia or India or Europe stands in col
u,nns and pyramids. For color it is a
violet blooming in stone. For its play
Of light. for its deep mysteries Of color,
for its uses in Egyptian. in Etruscar. in
Roman art it has been honored. The
Greeks thought this stone preventive
of drunkenness The Hebrews thought
1t a source Of pleasant dreams.
For all lovers of gems it is subject
of admiration and suggestiveness. Yes,
the word amethyst means prevention
of drunkenness. Long before the New
Testament made reference to the anne
thyst in the wall of heaven the persians
thorght that cups made out of amethyst
woula hinder any kind Of liquor con-
tainel therein from becoming intoxicat-
ing. But of all the amethystine cUps
from which the ancients drank not one
had any such result of prevention.
Fer thousands of years the world has
been looking in vain for such prevent
i've amethystine cup. Staggering Noah
could not find it. Convivial Ahasuerus
driving Vashti from the gates could not
find it. Nabal breaking the heart Of
beautiful Abigail could not find it. Bel
shazzar. the kingly revefer. on the night
that the Chaldeans took Babylon could
not find It, Not one of the millions of
inebriates whose skulls pave the CONT
nents and pave the depths of the sea
conld find Il. There is no such cup.
Strong drink from followed amethyst
imbrutes the same as strong drink from
pewter mug. It is not the style of cup
we drink out of, but that which the cup
contains, which decides the helpful or
aamning result Of the beverage.
Ansaropnd the world last night and
today, out of cups costlier than anne
.nyst, men.and women have been drink
ing their own doom and the doom of
Their children for this life and the next.
.Ah, il. IS the apiethystine cups that do
theswildest and worst slaughter! The
smash Of the filthy goblets of the rum
!meaies would iong ego hare taken place
by law, but the amethystine cbaliees
prevent the chalices opt Of which Leg
islatres and Congresses drink before and
after they make the laws. Amefhys-
Enc ehaices have beenthe friends os i1i-