The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-03-18

saw our earth, will visit us, and we will
visit them. and sometime we will be in
converse about this earthwhen twas yet
afioat and aswing, and we shall want
to tell them about how it looked at
certain 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 we point toward the
wall of Heaven: ut looked like that
stratum of foundation next to the low
est" John, 81 xix: 1.-THE second, sap
phire.
A step higher and you come to chal-
cedony, another layer in the founda-
ton wall and running one thousand
five hundred miles around the Heavenly
city. Chalcedony! Translucent A
Divine mixture of agates and opals and
comedians. Striped with white and
gray. Dashes Of palor blushing into
red and darlening into purple. Ice
land and the Hebrides hold forth beau
tifu1 specimens of chalcedony.
But now we must make a swift ascent
to the top of the foundation wall, for we
can not infinitely examine all the lay
ers, and so putting one foot on the
chalcedony, of which we have been
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 God favorite among gems, because
it holds what seems evident is His IA
vorite color on earth, the green, since
that is the color most widely diffused
across all the earth's conference.-the
grass. the foliage, the everyday dress
of nature. The emerald! Kings used
it as seal to stamp pronunciamentos.
The rainbow around the throne of God
is by St John compared to it. Con-
querers have considered it the greatest
prize to capture What ruthlessness
when the soldiers of Pizarro pounded
it with their hammers. Emerals
have had much to do with the
destiny of Mexico. Five of
them were presented by Cortez
to his bride. one of them cut into the
shape of rose, another into the shape
of trumpet, another into the shape Of
q bell, with tongue of pearl, and this
presentation aroused the jealousy of
the throne and caused the consequent
downfall of Cortez. But the depths of
the sea were decorated with these en-
eralds. for in shipwreck they went
down off the coast of Barbary. Napo-
leon wore an emerald at Austerlitz In
the Kremlin museum at Moscow there
are crowns and scepters and outspread
miracles of emerald. Ireland is called
the Emerald Isle, not because of its
verdure, but because it was presented
to Henry III. of England with an en-
erald ring. Nero had a magnifying
glass of emerald through which he
looked at the gladiatorial contests of
Rome. But here are one thousand five
hundred miles of emerald sweeping
around the Heavenly city in one layer.
But upward still, and you put your
foot on stratum of sardonyx. white
and red, seeming commingling OF
snow and fire; the snow cooling the
fire. the fire melting the snow.
Another climb and you reach the sar-
dius, named after the City of Sardius.
Another climb and you reach the chrys-
olite. 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 emperor 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. 1t was accounted
among the royal treasures OF Tyre.
The hilt of Mnrat's sword was adorned
with it. 1t CLOVIS in the imperial crown
of Great Britain Luther thought the
beryl of the Heavenly wall was tur-
quoise. Kalisch thought it was chrys-
olite. Josephus thought it golden
colorcd jewel. The wheels of Ezekiel's
vision famed with beryl, and were a
revolving fire. The beryl appears in
six-sided prisms, and is set in seals and
intaglios, in necklaces and coronets.
1t was the joy of ancient jewelry. II
ornamented the afn uent with ear drops.
Charlemagne presented it to his favor
ties. Beautiful beryl! Exquisitely
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, bewilderment Of
beauty, and named after an island Of
the Red sea
Climb higher and You come to chryso
prasus, of greenish-golden hue and
hard as flint.
Climb higher and you reach the ja'
cinth, named after the flower hyacintf
and of reddish-blu
Take one more step and you reach
the top, not of the wall, but the top o.
the foundations of the wall, and St
John cries out: THE twelfth, an am
ethyst!" This precious stone, wher
found in Australia or India or Europe
stands in columns or pyramids Fol
color it is violet blooming in stone
For its play of light, for its deep mys
teries Of color, for its uses in Egyptian
in Etruscan, in Roman art, it has beer
horored. The Greeks thought thi:
stone a preventative of drunkenness
The Hebrews thought it a source Of
pleasant dreams For all lovers Of
gems it is subject of admiration and
suggestiveness. Yes, the word anne
thyst 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
= L. 49,