Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-01-25

we will be in converse about this earth.
when it was yet aflOat 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 3rnity,
and we will say to our visitor from some
other world, as we point toward the wall
of Heaven, sit looked like that stratum
OF foundation next to the lowest" John,
twenty-first chapter and nineteenth
verse, ''The second, sapphire"
Chaicedony and Emerald.
A step higher and you come to chal-
cedony, another layer in the foundation
of the wall and running 1,5OO miles
around the Heavenly city. Chalcedony!
Translucent. A divine mixture of agates
and opals and comedians. Striped with
white and gray. Dashed of pallor blush
ing into red and darkening into purple.
Iceland and the Hebrides hold forth
beautiful specimens of chalcedony
But now we must make a swift ascent
to the top of the foundation wall, for we
cannot infinitely examine all the layers,
and so, putting one foot on the chalce-
donY 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 emer-
aid. That, would judge, is Gods favor
ite among gems, because it holds what
seems evident is his favorite 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 it as seal to stamp pronun-
clamentos. The rainbow around the
throne Of God is by st. John compared
to it.
COnquerOrs 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-
tiny of Mexico. Five Of them were pre-
sented by Cortez to his bride, one of
them cut into the shape of rose, an
other into the shape of trumpet, an
other into the shape Of a 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 those emeraldS, for in a shipwrecll
they went down off the coast of Barbary.
Napoleon wore an emerald 1t AuSterlitZ.
In the kremlin museum at Moscow
there are crowns and scepters and out
spread miracles of emerald. Ireland is
called the Emerald Isle not because of
its verdure, but because it was presented
to Henry IL of England with an emerald
ring. Nero had magnifying glass of
emerald through which he looked at the
gladiatorial contests at Rome. But here
are 1900 miles of emerald sweeping
around the Heavenly city in one layer.
Sardonyx and Sardius.
But upward still and you put your
foot on a 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 chryso-
lite. 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 has a speci-
men 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 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 turquoise.
Kalisch thought it was chrysolite Jose
phus thought it 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 intagIios. in
nnlZ 1n+C L.
Of ancient ieweY. 1t ornamented the
atfluent with eardrops. Charlemagne
presented it to his favorites. Beautiful
beryl. Exquisitely shaped beryl Di-
vinely colored bery! It seems like con-
gealed color, 1t looks like frozen fire.
But stop not here. Climb higher and
you come to topaz a bewiderment of
beauty and named after all 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 ia
cinth, named after the flower hyacinth
and of reddish blue.
The Fable of the Amethyst.
Take one more step and you reach the
top, not of the WALL but the top Of the
foundations of the WALL and st. John
cries out, 1.-The twelfth an amethyst"
This precious stone when found in Aus
traia or India or Europe stands in col
umns 1or pyramids. For color it is a
violet blooming in stone. For it's play
of light, for its deep mysteries of color,
for it's uses in Egyptian, in Etruscan, in
Roman art it has been honored. The
Greeks thought this stone a preventive
of drunkenness The Hebrews thought
it 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
thought that cups made out of amethyst
would hinder any kind of liquor con-
tanned therein from becoming intoxicat-
ing. But of all the amethYstine cups
from which the ancienJs drank not one
had any such result of proven ton.
The Hebrew Superstition.
But standing upon the top of this anne
thystine layer OF the foundation of the
wall Of Heaven / bethink myself of the
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