The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-02-08
Rome: But here are 1900 miles Of emerald
spzeening around the heavenly city in one

| q stratum or s8rdOnyx, Wul0o auu Rodt O
seeming commingling OF snow ano nre. cae
snow.
Another climb aud you reach the saraius,
named after the city Of Sardius. Another
climb and you reach the chrysollte. A
specimen Of this belonging to EpPhanus, IN
the Fourth Century, was said 10 % 30
brilliant that whatever was put over 70 con-
csal it was shone through, and the emperor
Of China has specimen that is described as
| having such penetrating radiance that II
makes the night as bright as the day.
| A higher climb and you reach tne
beryl. Two thousand years ago the GREEKS
used this precious stone for engraving pur-
noses. It was accounted among the royal
! treasures Of Tyre The hlt OF Murats
sword was adorned with it. It glows in the
| imperial crown Of Great Britain. Luther
thought the beryls Of the heavenly wall was
turquoise. Kallsch thought 1t was chryso.
lite. Josephus thought it a golden colored
Jewel. The wheels or EzekiePs vision famed
with beryl and were revolving IRE.
Is set in seals and intaglios, in necklaces and
coronets. 1t was the Joy of ancient jewelry.
| 1t ornamented the affluent with eardro2s.
Charlemagne presented it to his favorite
Beautiful beryll Exquisitely shaped beryll
Diyinely colored beryl! 1t seems like con-
gealed color. It looks like frozen fire.
But stop not here. Climb higher and you
come to topaz, q bewildermenG Of beauty
and named after an island OF the Red Sea.
Climb higher and you come 10 chrysop-
sasus, OF greenish golden hue and hard as
flint.
Cnmb higher aud you reach ths jacinth,
named after the flower hyacinth ami OF red
dish blue.
Take one more step and you reach the
ton. not Of the wall, but the top OF the
foundation OF the wall, and st. John cries
out, 1.-THE twalfth an amethystp This pre-
cious stone " W5len found in Australia or In
dia or EurosS stands in columns and pyra'
mids. Eofacolor it Is violet blooming 10
stone. For its play OF light, for its deep
mysteries of color, for its unseen Egyptians,
in Etruscan, in Roman art it has been hon.
ored. The Greeks thought this stone pre-
ventive OF drunkenness. The Hebrews
thought it q source Of pleasant dreams.
For all lovers of gems it is subject Of ad-
miration and suggestivensss. Yes, the
word amethyst means q prevention OF
drunkenness. Long before the New Testa-
ment made reference to the amethyst In the
wall of heaven the Persians thought that
cups made out Of amethyst would hinder
any kind of liquor contained therein from
thystine cups from which the ancients
drank not one had any such result OF pre-.
vention.
For thousands Of years the world has been
looking in vain for such q preventive ame.
thystins cup. Staggering Noah could not
find 1t. Convivial Ahasuerus driving Vashtt
from the gates could not find it. Nabal
breaking the heart Of beautiful Abigail
could not find it. Belshazzar, the kingly
snht fhof GhaqHaanQ
took Babylon could not find it. Not one Of
the millionsof inebriates whose skulls pave
the continents and pave the depths OF the
sea could find it. There Is no such cup.
Strong drink from followed amethyst I'M
brutes the same as strong drink from pew
ter mug. It is not the style OF cup we drink
out of, but that which the cup contains,
which decides the helpful or damning result
of the beverage.
All around the world last night and to-
day, out OF cups costfer than amethyst, men
and women have been drinking their own
doom and the doom OF their children for this
life and the next. Alb. it is the amethystine
Guns that do the widest and worst slaugh-
teri The smash Of the filthy goblets OF the
rummeries would long ago have taken place
by law, but the amethystine chaliccs pre-
yent-the chalIces out Of which legislatures
congresses drink before and after they make
the laws. AmethYstine chalices have been
the friends .of intoxication instead OF its
foes. Over the fiery lips OF the amethy slime
chalices is thrust the tongue OF that which
biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an
adder.
Drunkenness Is combination Of apoplexy
and. demehtia. The 400, 000. 600 victims OF
opium come out to meet ths 150, 600, 600 VIC
Tins Of alcohol, and the two agents take the
contract for tumbling the human race into
. perdition, but whether they will succeed In
fulfilling the contract depends on this action
Of the amethystine cups the amethystlne
demijohns, the amethystine ale pitchers, the
amerhystine fagons; the arnethystine wins
CELLARS. Oh, Persiansi Oh. Assyrians! Oh,
Greeks! on, Egyptians! you were wrong
in thinking that q cup Of amethyst would
prevent inebriation.
But standing ON the top Of this amethys.
tine layer of tpe foundation OF the wall o.
heaven I bethfnk myself Of the mistake that
many of the ancient Hebrews made when
they thought that the amethyst was pro-
queer Of pleasant dreams. just wear q piece
of amethyst over your heart or put Ie under
your pillow, and you would have your dreams
inc No. no. The style OF pillow will not
decide the character Of the dream. The only
recipe for pleasant dreams is to do right and
think right when you are wide awake. Con.
ditions Of physical disease may give good
man nightmare, but man physically well,
il he behave himself Alright, will not be
troubled with bad dreams.
Nebuchadnezzar, with eagles down under
bis head and Tyrian purple over 1t, struggled
with bad dream that male him shrek out
for the soothsayers and astrologers to come
and interpret it. Pharaoh, amid tho marble
palaces Of Memphis, was confoundei by
dream in which leau COWS ate up tne IaG
cows and the small ears OF corn deyoureo
the seven large cara, and awful famine was
preflgured. Pilates wife, emid clouds OF
richest upholstery. had q astartling dream,
because of which she ssnt q message IN not
haste to courtroom to keep her husband
from enactiug q Judicial outrage. But
Jacob, at Bethel. with pillow OF mountain
rock, had q blissful dream OF the ladder
angel blossaming. =,
Bunyan, with his heal on a hard plank OF
Bedford's jail, saw the gates OF the Csies;c
OF the Eyean Sea. in his dream heard trum-
pets and saw cavalry men on white horses
and new heaven and a new earth. NO
amount Of rough pillow can disturb the
night vision OF q saint, and no amount OF
amethystine charm can delectate the dream
Of miscreant.
But, some one will say, why have you
brought us to this amethyst, the top row OF
the foundation Of the heavenly wall. II you
are not able to accept the theory OF the an.
cieut Greeks, who said that the amethyst
was a charm against intoxication, or II you
are not willing to accept the theory OF the
ancient Hebrews that the amethyst was
producer of pleasant Greamss My answer is,
+ have brought you to the top row. the
twelfth layer Of the foundation Of the heav.
emily wall OF 15O0 miles Of circling amethyst,
to put you in position where you can get
new idea of heaven; to let you see that