The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-23

that stratum OF founoatlon next 70 tne low
est Revelation xxi, 10: Tine second,
sapphire
A step higher and you come to chalce-
dony, another layer in tue foundation OF the
wall and running fifteen hundred miles
around the heavenly city. Chalcedony
Translucent. 4 divine mixture Of n2ate5
and opals and co.ue!isns. Striped with
white and gray. Dashed Of pallor blushing
into red and darSening into purple. Ice
land and the Hebrides hold forth beautiful
specimens of chnlcedony.
But now we must make a swift ascent to
the top of the foundation wall, for we can
not infinitely examine all tie layers, 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 l would judge IS
Gods favorite among gems. because IL holds
what seems evident is his favorite. color on
earth. the green, since that il the color moot
widely diffused across all the earth's
continents-the grass, the foliage. the
everyday dress Of nature. The Ell
erald Kings used it as a ssal 20
stamp pronunciameHtoes. The r6lnbow
around the throne of God is by ST. John
compared 10 it, Couquerors have cousld-
cred il the greatest prize 20 capture. What
ruthlessness when the soldiers Of PiZsTro
pounded il with their hammers. Emeralds
have bad 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 a rose. another into the shape of a
trumpet, another into the shape OF bell,
with tongue OF pearl, aud this present alton
aroused the jealousy OF Il throne aud caused
the consequent downfall OF Cortez. But the
depths of the seq we're decorated with those
emeralds, for in a shipwreck they went
down off the coast of BGrbary. Napoleon
wore an emerald at Austerlitz. In the
y remlin museum at Moscow there are
crowns and scepters and outspread miracles
of emerald. Ireland is called be Emerald
Isle, not because of its verdure but tecause
it was presented to Henry the Second of
England with an emerald ring. Nero had a
magnifying glass OF emerald through which
be looked at the gladiatoria. contests at
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 q stratum OF tardoDyx, white and red, a
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 chr solite. A
specimen of this, belonging to Epiphanus,
in the fourth century, was said to he so bril-
liant that whatever was put over 10 conceal
IL was shone through. and the Emperor of
China had q 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 creeks used
this precious stone for engraving purposes.
1t was accounted among the royal treasures
of Tyre. The hilt of Murat's sword was
adorned withit. 1t glows in the imperial
crown OF Great Britain. Luther thought
the beryl OF the heavenly wall was tor
quoise. Kalisch thought it was chrysolite.
Josephus thought it a golden-colored jewel.
The wheels of Ezekiel's vision. famed with
beryl, and were a revolving fire. The beryl
appears in six-sided prls:ns, and is set in
seals and lntaglios, Iii necklaces and coro-
ners. lt u as the Joy OF ancient jewery. IL
ornamented the effiuent with ear-drops.
Charlemagne presented it to his favurites.
Beautiful beryii Exquisitely shaped beryl
Divinely colored beryl! IL seems like con-
gealed color. IL looks like frozen fire.
But stop not here. Climb higher and
you come to topaz. bewilderment of
beauty and hamed after an island of the
Red sea.
Climb higher and you come to chrysopra-
sus, OF greenish-golden hue and hard as
flint.
: Climb higher and you reach the jacInth,
named after the flower hyacinth and Of red
dish blue
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: 'Ihe twelfth, an amethyst This
precious stone, when found in Australia or
India or Europe, stands in columns and
pyramids. For color it is violet blooming
ia stone. For its play of light, for its deep
mysteries of color, for its Uses in Egyptian,
In EsrNrl In - - L., -. L.
ored. The Greeks thought this stone pre-
ventive of drunkenness The Hebre vs.
thought it a source Of pleasant dreams. For
all lovers OF gems it is a subject of admira-
ticn and suggestiveness. Yes, the word
amethyst means q 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 hinder
any kind of liquor contained therein from
becoming Intoxicating. But of all the
amethystine cups from which the ancieuts
drank. not one had any such result of pre-
vention. For thousande of years the world
has been looking in vain for such pre-
ventive amethystine cup. Staggering Noah
could not find it. Convivial Ahasuerus,
driving Vashti from the gates, could not
fnd it. Nabal, breaking the heart of beau
tiful Abigail, could not fad it. Belshazzar,
the kingly reveler, on the night that the
Cbaldeaps took Babylon, could not find It,
Not one OF the millions of 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 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 damning results of the beverage Ali
around the world last night and to-day.
out OF cups costier than amethyst, men
and women have been drinking their own
doom and the doom of their children for
this life and the next. All, it is the anne
thystine 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 intoxica-
ton instead OF its foes. Over the fiery lips
Of the amethystine chalices Is thrust the
tongue OF that which biteth like serpent
and stingeth like an adder. Drunkenness is
a combination of apoplexy and dementia.
The four hundred L-illion victims Of opium
come out to meet the one hundred and fifty
million victims of alcohol, aud the
two agents take the contract for
tumblipg the human race into perdi,
tion, but whether they will succeed
in fulfilling the contract depends on the &C.
tion Of the aInethystine cups, the amethys-
tine demi1ohns. the amethystine ale pitch
ers. the smethystine hagons, the amethyst
inc wine cellars. o, Perslansl o, Assyri-
ansf q Graaket q Euvntianat w., 5000