Milford chronicle., 1893-01-27

and darkening into purple. Iceland and
the Hebrides hold forth beautiful speci-
mems of chalcedony.
But now we must make swift ascent to
the top of the foundation wall, for we can
not minutely examine all the 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, would judge,
is Gods favorite 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 rs a seal to stamp pronuncia-
mentos The rainbow around the throne of
God is by St. John compared to it.
Conquerors have considered it the great
est prize to capture. What ruthlessness
when the soldiers Of PizarrO pounded it
with their hammers Emeralds have had
much to do with the destiny of Mexico.
Five Of them were prcSslted by Cortez to
his bride, one Of them cut into the shape of
a rose, another into the shape of trumpet,
another into the shape Of bell, with tongue
of pearl, and this presentation aroused the
jealousy of the throne and caused the con-
sequent downfall Of COrtez. But the depths
Of the sea were decorated with those en-
eralds, for in a shipwreck they went down
of the coast of Barbary. Napoleon wore an
emerald at Austerlitz.
In the Kremlin museum at Moscow there
are crowns and scepters and outspread mir
acles 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 ], 500 miles Of emer-
aid sweeping around the heavenly city in
one layer.
But upward still and you put your foot
on a stratum Of sardonyz white and red, a
seeming commingling Of snow and fire.
the snow cooling the fire, the fire melting
the snow.
ANCIENT sPLENDoRs. IN STONE
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 Epiphanus,
in the Fourth century, was said to be so
brilliant that 'gvhatever was put over to
conceal it was shone through, and the EN-
peror of China has a specimen that IS de
scribed as having such penetrating radiance
that it makes the night as bright as the
day.
4 higher climb and you reach the beryl.
Two thousand years ago the Greeks used
this precious stone for engraving purposes
It was accounted among the royal treas
ures of Tyre. The hilt of Murat's sword
was adorned with it. It glows in the i'm
perial crown of Great Britain. Luther
thought the beryl Of the heavenly wall was
TURQUOISE Kalisch thought it was chryso-
lite Josephus thought it a golden eolored
Jewel. The wheels OF Ezekiels vision
famed with beryl and were revolving
fire.
The beryl appears in six sided prislns,
and is set in seals and intaglios' in neck
laces and corOnets 1t was the JOY Of an
cient jewelry. 1t onamented the athuent
with eardrops CharIeuagne presented it
to his favorites. Beautiful beryll Exqui-
sitely shaped beryl Divinely colored beryll
It seems like congealed color. It looks like
frozen fire.
But stop not here. Climb higher and you
come to topaz, bewilderment Of beauty
and named alter an island Of the Red sea.
Climb higher and you come to chrysopra-
sus, of greenish golden hue and hard as
flint.
THE FABLED PREVENTIVE
Climb higher and you reach the jacinth,
named after the flower hyacinth and of
reddish 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, 1.-THE twelfth, an amethystw This
precious stone, when found in Australia or
India or Europe, stands in columns and
pyramids. For color it is violet bloom
ing in stone For its play Of light, for its
deep mysteries of color, for - uses in kgyp-
tian in Etruscan, in Roman AIT 1t has been
honored. The Greeks thought this stone q
preventive CT drunkenness. The Hebrews
thought it a source Of pleasant dreams. For
all lovers of gems it is subject OF admlra-
ton and suggestiveness. Yes, the word
amethyst means a prevention of drunken
ness.
Long before the New Testament made
reference to the amethyst in the wall Of
heaven the Pcrsians thought that cups
made out Of amethyst would hinder any
kind of liquor contained therein from becOm-
ing Intoxicating. But Of all the amethys-
tine cups from which the ancients drank
not one had any such result of prevention.
For thousands of years the world has been
looking in vain for such a preventive anne
thystine cup Staggering Noah could not
find it. Convivial Ahasuerus driving Vashti
from the yates could not find it. Nabal
breaking the heart Of beautiful Abigail
could not find it. Belsha2zar, the kingly
reveler, on the night that the Chaldeans
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 hol-
lowed amethyst imbrutes the same as
strong drink from pewter mug. 1t is not
the style of emp 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 today,
out of cups costlier 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 amethystine cups that do
the widest and worst slaughter. The
smash Of the filthy goblets of the rum
meries would long ago have taken place
by law, but the amethystine chalioes pre-
vent-the chalices out Of which legislatures
and congresses drink before and after they
make the laws. Amethystine chalices
have been the friends of intOXication in
stead 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 4O0,O00000 victims of opium come
out to meet the 150O00,0OO victims Of alco-
hol, and the two agents take the contract
for tumbling the human race into perdi-
ton, but whether they will succeed in ful-
filling the contract depends on the action
Of the amethystine cups, the amethystine
demijohns, the amethystine ale pitchers,
the amethystine hagons, the amethystine
wine cellars. Oh, Persiansl Oh, Assyriansl
Oh, Greeksl Oh, Egyptiansl You were
wrong in thinking that cup Of amethyst
would prevent inebriation.
But standing on the top Of this amethys-
tine layer Of the foundation Of the wall Of
heaven / bethink myself of the mistake
that many Of the ancient Hebrews made
when they thought that the amethyst wGs
a producer Of pleasant dreams. just wear