The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-02-03

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 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 tur-
quoise. Kalisch thought it was chryso-
lite Josephus thought it a golden
colored jewel The wheels of Ezekiefs
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 jewelry.
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, ofgreeniSh-golden hue and hard
as flint.
Climb higher and you reach the
jacinth, 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
foundations of the wall, and St John
cries out: The twelfth, an amethyst
This precious stone, when found in
Australia, 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, il has been honorcd. The
Greeks thought this stone preventive
of drunkenness The Hebrews thought
it a source of pleasant dreams. For all
lovers of gems it is n subject Of admira-
ton and suggestiveness Yes, the word
amethyst means prevention of drunk
enness. Long before the New Tesla
ment made reference to the amethyst
in the wall of Heaven, the Persians
thought that cups made out of anne
thvst would hinder any kind OF
liquor contained therein from becom-
ing Intoxicating. But of all the anne
thystine Guns from which the an
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
IL Convivial Ahasuerus driving NaShti
from the gates could not find il. Nabal
breaking the heart of beautiful Abigail
could not find it Belshazzar, the
kiugly reveler, on the night that the
Chaldeans took Babylon, could not find
il. Not one of the millions of inebri-
ates 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 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
damnjng result of the beverage. All
around the world last night and to-day,
out of cups costlier than amethyst, men
and women have been drinking their
own doom and the doom of their chill
dren for this life apd the next All,
it is the amethystine cups that do
the widest and worst slaughter.
The smash of the filthy goblets
of the rummeries would long ago
have taken place By law, but the
amethystine chalices preventive
chalices out of which legislatures and
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 amethvstine chalices is thrust
the tongue of that which biteth like a
serpent and stingeth like an adder
Oh. Persians! Oh, Assyrians! Oh.
Greeks! Oh, Egyptians. you were
wrong in thinking that a cup of
amethyst would prevent inebriation.
amethystine layer of the foundation OF
the wall of Heaven, l bethinll 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
piece OF amethyst over your heart, or
put it under your pillow, and you would
have your dreams filled with every
thing beautiful and enhancing. 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. Conditions of physical disease
may give a good man a nightmare, but
a man physically well, if he behave
himself Alright, will not be troubled
with bad dreams. ST John, on the bar
renest island of the -Egean sea, in his
dream heard trumpets and saw cavalry
men on white horses and a new Heaven
and new earth. No amount of rough
pillow can disturb the night vision of
saint. and no amount of amethystine
charm can delectate the dream of a mis-
creant
But, some one will say, why have you
brought us TO this amethyst, the top row
of the foundation of the heavenly wall,
if you are not able to accept the theory
of the ancient Greeks, who said that
the amethyst was charm against in
toxication, or if you are not willing TO
accept the theory of the ancient He
brews that the amethyst was a pro-
Queer of pleasant dreams? My answer
is, have brought you to the top row,
the twelfth layer of the foundation of
the heavenly wall of fifteen hundred
miles of circling amethyst, to put you
in position where you can get new
idea of Heaven; TO let you see that after
you have climbed up twelve strata of
glory, you are only at the base of the
eternal grandeurs; to let you, with en-
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