The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-02-13
RUBIES SURPASSED.
WISDOM IS BETTER THAN THESa
PRECIOUS STONES.
TIE Most Valuable Ruby in the w orld Is
Owned by the Russian Court-But
Above These Gems Is Wisdom.

text: Proverbs Sill: Wisdom is better
than rubieS
You have all seen the precious stone COM
monty called the ruby. 1t is of a deep red
color. The Bible makes much OF 1t. 1t
glowed in the first row of the high priests
breastplate. Under another name 1T stood
in the wall of heaven. jeremiah compares
the ruddy cheek of the NaZarltes 10 the
ruby Ezekiel points it out in the robes
of the king of Tyre. Four times does Solo
man use il as a symbol by which to eXtol
wisdom. or religion, always setting its val
lie as better than rubies.
The world does not agree as to how the
preciols stones were formed. The anclents
thought that amber was made OF drops OF
,,er.nir,ation of the goddess Ge The thun-
derstone was supposed to have dropped
from a stormCloud. The emerald was said
10 have been made of the FREELY. The laps
lazuli was thought to have been born of
the cry OF an Indian giant And modern
T1ineralogists say that the precious StCLes
were made of gases and liquids. To me
the ruby seems like spark from the anvil
of the setting sun.
The home of the genuine ruby is Burmah,
and sixty miles from it's capital, where
lives and TeignS the ruler, calle-!, Lord OF
the Rubies." Under Il careful governmental
guard are these valuable mines ct ruby
kept Rarely has any foreigner VISITED
them. When ruby of large value vas c's-
covered it brought forth with @laoor-
ate ceremony, procession WIS lorlheu,
and with all hammered pomp, military guaid
and prnccly attendants. the gem was
brought to the kings palace
OF great value is the ruby, much more
50 than the diamond, as lapidarles ana
Jewellers viii tell you. An expert on this
subject writes: - ruby of perfect color
v,:,Hin4 five carats is worth at the pres
ent Jay ten times as much as "ldmoh1
Of equal weight 1t was Il disaster Wien
charles the Bod lost The luby he ;|d5 Neai-
ing at the battle of GrandSo II was a
great afluence when Rudolph Ill
Of Austria, inherited ruby from his SIS
Ter tue Queen DowaGcr. 1t Vas thought
10 have much t. 10 win the victor. CT
Henry y. as he wore it into the battel of
Agincourt 1t is the pride of the Russian
court to own the largest ruby OF all the
world presented by GustaVus i'll 10 the
Russian empress. WondrOuS ruby! 1t has
electric characteristics and there are light
71inss compressed in its double, siX-Slded
prisIls. What shall l call it? 1t IS frozen
FIRE! it is petrified blood! IN ell the world
there is only one thing more "aluapie
and my text makes the comparison: w is
Gom is better than rubies-
But it is impossible to compare two thlnSs
together unless there are some points OIL
similarity well as difference am glad
there is nothing lacking here. The ruby
IS more beuatiful in the night and uhder
Inc Janplight than by day. 1t is preferred
for evening adornment- How the rupies
GLOW and burn. and fash as the hghtS III
the darkness, Catherine, of ArraSon' had
on her finger q ruby that fairly lanterned
7he night. Sir John Mandeville, the cele-
brated traveller of four hundred years ago
said that the emperor of China had d fupy
that made the night as bright as the DAY
The nr0ba hility is that Solomon ulcer
some of the lamps that illumined his cedar
ralaca by night, noticed the peculiar grow
Of the ruby as il looked IN the mt % ~
euCrd. or hung in some lold Oh Tue upi
story- or heautiGcd the lip of some cEatiSe,
while he was thinking a the same uhe VI
the exraIlencv OF our holy religion as thel-
y seen in the night Of trouble ana ~, ne ciie'
out Wisdom is better than rupleS.
oh YES it is a good thing 10 nave re-
1ieion while the sun nf prosperity rldeS
rich and everything is brilliant IN fortune
IN health I'm worldly favor Yet YOU tdlI
a such time hardly tell how mueh OF ~ -
natural exuberance and how much OF IL -
1t,o ,,-ara of Cod But let the sun set, ana
~ shadows avalanche the plain, ana the
thick darkness of sickness, or poverty oI
persecution. or mental exhaustion III ny :,
soul and nj the house, ana MI the Wotiu
+ben ,-rfI sit down by the lamp OF COO $
word and under its light the conscientious
of the gospel come ont; the peace oL oo''
which paSseth all understanding appeai :? -,
Won never appreciate their power aiiui
4, The deem right of trouble the divine lamp
revealed their CXquisiteness PearlS ana
?r7,etnvsts for the day, but Tubles Tor the
might. No., -..f :,
come z,-av the aSsua cement of mist )ttlihe.
Of the one hundred and fifty 1sl.'1ls ~
D7s-i7 at Icust ninety allude |" t'"p'e'
rt,l,.,, .-g. -ieHiugS in every WIND, d:.a ita >
I'm every brook. and panGs IN every hef'i /
It vas originally proposed to call the pres
idert-S residence at Washington, ne Pa
... ~. the executive mansion, hul
ate. il was destroyed IN inc VA % 80
AMI rebuilt 4 was painted white, ~ toNe.
AZ, 49,. marks of smoke and IRE mat iit4
hiarS.1ed the stone walls Hence II Wa
called "thc white house. Most o. the ti-'i7a
TOW white with a1tram tsrl'+3' iS
ono. l}a,1z with disaster. W nat the ""ti''
most needs is the copsolatory. and mere IL
,o,oee. our holy religion with hoth 'ahu9
mi al auodyroe and scdatiVes ana balSaihS'
as nm Daniels time To stop mouths ieohiHe'
- in efsGr3rh' s. time ia cool blast furnaces
. IT., T..oJ.5oi's time to console captivity, as
I'm ~ Johns time to mroll an apocalypse
over rocky dcSolationS Hear ITS SOOTHING
voice as 70 ierlar"S- Nv cplnE may en-
diIre fer night. but joy cometh IN the
7,,,rri,,.-..' The mountains shall depart and
thc hills hc removed, but my loving KIND
ness shall not depart from YOU; wv nom
The Lord l0Veth He chaSteueth' Ihey
shall hunger no more. neither thirst any
more. neither shall the sun light on them
nor any heat, FOR the Lamb which is in the
midst OF the throne shall lead item TO liV-
ing fountains of water, and God shall wipe
away an tears from their eyes The most
wholesome JfltG on tSil IA u 'iot4pLt IL illN'
I'm Christian spirit. TO make Paul what he
was il took shipwreck. and whipping on the
bare back. and peuitenuary, and pursuit
Of wild mobs. and the sword of decapitation
70 make David what he was 1t took all that
thithopheI and Saul and AbsaIom and Go
Hath and all the Philistine hosts could dc
against him. 1t took Robert Chambers
rnaIforrnation of feet to make him the lit
erarv couquerer. 1t was bereavement that
brought William Haworth Of Wesley'S time
from wickedness TO an evangelism that
won many thousands for heaven. The
world would never have known what he
role stuff Ridley was made Of had not the
fires been kindled around his feet. and. mo-
liking their slow work, he cried, Il canno
burn; let the fire come to me; | canno
burn" Thank God that there are gems
that unfold their best glories under thu
lamp light! Thank God for the ruby!
Moreover. 1 am sure that Solomon was
right in saying that religion, or wisdom, Il
better than rubies. from the fact that
thing is worth what it will fetch. Religion
will fetch solid happiness and the ruby will
not. In all your observation did you eve