Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-01-28

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 il
Gods favorite among gems, because II
holds what seems evident is His favor
tic color on earth, the green, since that
Is the color most widely diffused across
all the earth's continents-the grass,
the foliage, the everyday dress OF
nature. The emerald! Kings used ii
rs seal to stamp pronunciamentos.
The rainbow around the throne
of God is by St John compared
to it. Conquerors have considered
it the greatest prize to capture.
Napoleon wore an emerald ut Auster-
litz. In the Kremlin museum at Mos
COW there are crowns and scepters and
outspread miracles of emerald. Ire
land is called the Emerald isle, not be-
cause of its verdure, but because it was
presented to Henry IL of England,
with an emerald ring. Nero had a
magnifying glass OF emerald through
which he looked at the gladiatorial
contests of Rome. But here are fifteen
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 sardius, named
after the city of Sardius Another
climb and you reach the chrysolite. A
specimen OF this, belonging to Epipha-
nus, in the fourth century, was said to
be so brilliant that whatever was put
over it to conceal it was shown
through, and the Emperor of China had
a specimen that is described as having
such penetrating radiance that it makes
the night rs bright rs 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 Murat's sword was adorned with
it. 1t glows in the imperial crown of
Great Britain. Luther thought the
beryl of the heavenly wall was tur-
quoise. Kalisch thought it was chryso-
lite. Josephus thought it n golden
colored jewel. The wheels of Ezelliel'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 toy Of ancient ;cwelry.
But stop not here. Climb higher and
you come to topaz. n 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
iacinth, named after the flower hyacinth
and of reddish hue.
Take one more step and you reach the
top, not of the wall. but the top of the
of the wall, and st. John
cries ont: The twelfth, an amethyst
This precious stone, when found in
or India, or Europe. stands
in columns or 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 Etruscan,
in Roman art, it has been honored. The
Greeks thought this stone n preventive
Of drunkenness. The Hebrews thought
it source of pleasant dreams. For all
lovers of gems it is subject of admira-
ton and suggestiveness. Yes, the word
means prevention of drunk
enness. Long before the New Testa-
ment made reference to the amethyst
In the wall of Heaven, the Persians
thought that cups made out of anne
thyst would hinder any kind OF
liquor contained therein from becom-
ing Intoxicating. But of all the anne
thystine cups from which the IN
clients drank, not one had any such
result of prevention. Five thousands
Of years the world has been looking in
vain for such preventive 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. Belshazzar, the
Isingly reveler, on the night that the
Chaldeans took Babylon, could not find
it. Not one of the millions of inebri-
ates whose skulls pave the continents
and pave the depths of the sea could
End it.. There is no such cup. Strong
drink from followed amethyst imbrutes
the same as strong drink from pewter
mug. 1t is not the style of cup we
drink out of, but that which the cup
contains which decides the helpful or
result of the beverage All
around the world last night and to-day,
put of cups costlier than amethyst, men
and women have been drinking their
own doom and the doom of their chill
lrcu for this life and the next All,
It is the amethystine cups that do
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