The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-07-23

indionation But these are the exceptions.
| Generally Dorcas would rather make gar
ment for the poor boy. Rebecca would
rather MI the trough for the camels Han
nah would rather make coat Tor samuel.
The Hebrew maid would rather give pre-
scr;ntion for Naaman's ieprosy The women
of Sarepta would rather gather few sticks
TO cook a meal for famished Elijah. Phoebe
would rather carry letter for the inspired
apostle. Mother Lois would rather educate
Timothy in the Scriptures.
When see woman going about her oaiiy
duty, with cheerful dignity presiding at tne
table. with kind and gentle but hRa dlscl-
Mine presiding in the nursery, going out into
the world without any blast Of trumpets, foi-
lowing in the footsteps Of Him VINO went
about doing good / say, "This is Vashti with
veil on" But when I see woman OF I'M
bushing holiness, loud-voiced, with
tongue OF infinite Glitter elatter, with AFRO .s
can't look. passing through the streets with
the step OF walking beam, gayly arrayed IN
a very hurricane OF millinery, cry out,
.Iyasbti has lost her veil!'' When l see
woman of comely features, and OF adroitness
of intellect, and endowed will al that me
schools can do for one, and OF high soclai
position, vet moving In society with super,
eiliousness and hauteur. as though Shewouid
have neonle know their place, and an unde-
fined combination OF giggle aud strut ana
rhodomontade. endowed with allopathic
quantities OF talk. but only homeopathic ln-
dnitesimals Of sense, the terror OF dry goods
clerks and railroad conductors, discoVerers
of significant meanings in PLAIN cohfersar
tion, prodigies Of badinage and innuendo, L
cav, ttLook iookl Vashti has lost her veil!'
Apain. | want you to consider WASN'T tue
sacrifice. Who Is this | see coming out Oh
that paace gate OF Shushan2 1t seems 10 me
that I have seen her before. she comes
homeless, houseless, friendless, truagih9
along with broken heart. VINO Is shef IL
is Vashti the sacrifice. Oh, what change II
was from regal position to Il wayIarers
crust, A little while ago approved ana
SOUGHT for: now none so poor as to acknoWl-
edge her acquantauceship. VashtI the sac
rilce! All, you and have seen 1t many a
timrl
Here is home empaaced with beauty.
All that refinement and books and wealth
can do for that home has been done, put
Ahasuerus, the husband and father, is taking
hold on paths of sin. He is gradually going
down Aftor awhile he will founder ana
struggle like wild beast in the hunters net
farther away from God, farther away from
the right Soon the bright apparel OF Ire
children vii tAE2 9'rass; 2aeh the mousse
,btFi song will become the sobblnS OF
broken heart The old story over again.
Brutal centaurs breathing up the mar,
riage feast of Lapithae The house fuil
of outrage and cruelty and abomina-
ton, while trudging forth from the
p1lace rnte are Vashti and her children.
There are homes that are III danger OF
such breaking up. Oh, AhiSuefus, ina,
YOU should stand in Il home, by dlsslpa,eu
, life destroy the peace and comfort OF that
home. God forbid that your children should
ever have to wiring thor hands ana nave peo-
ple point their finger at them as they pass
down the street and say, There goes a
drunkarl's child" God forbid that the littie
feet should ever have to trudge the pain Oh
, noyerty and Indebtedness. God forbid tnat
anv evil shirt born of the wine cup or the
, brandy glass should come forth and uproot
that garden, and with Il lasting bisterlng, all
consuming curse shut forever the palace gate
against Vashti and the children.
During the war went to 1Iagerstown to
look mt the army and ! stood in the night on
n hilltop and looked down upon them. L
saw the campiires all through the valleys
, and all over the hills. 1t was u weird speQ-
tacle. those campllres, and l stood and
watched them, and tho soldiers who were
/ gathering around them were, no doubt, tax
\ ing of their homes and of the long march
f they had taken and of the battles they were
f to fight. But after awhile | saw these camp
v fires begin to lower, and they continued to
: lower until they were all gone out and the
= army slept 1t was imposing when L saw
the camphres; it was imposing in the dark
ness when | thought of that great host
, asleep.
r We'll, God looks down from heaven, and
. He sees the firesides of Christendom and the
= loved ones gathered around these iiresides.
n These arc the campfres where we warm our
' selves at the close of the day and talk over
the battles of life we have fought ana me
/; battles that are yet to come. God grant that
!, whom ut last these fires begin to go out ana
t continue to lower, until finally they are eX-
q tinguishcd and the ashes of consumed hopes
| l,a ri of homestead.
: may be because we have
. Gone to sleep thai last long sleep
g From which mono ever wake to weep.
q Now we are an army on the march of life.
, Then we will be an army biyouHcked IN the
tent OF the grave.
Once more l want you to look at Vashti
i the silent. You do not hear amy cutlery from
this woman as she goes forth from the palace
a gate. From the very dignity of her nature,
+ You know there will be no vocrferation.
i Sometimes in life it is necessary to make a
retort; sometimes in life it is necessary to
p resist, but there are cries when the most
/ triumphant thing to do is to keep silence.
@ The philosopher, confident in his newly dis
: covered principle, waiting for the coming OF
- moro intelligent generations, willing that
men should laugh at the lightning rod and
r cotton gin and misunderstanding for long
wears through the scofling of philosophical
@ schools, in grand and magnificent silence.
: Galilei, condemned by mathematicianS and
n scientists, caricatured everywhere, yet wait
h ing and watching with his telescope to see
: tho coming up of stellar re-enforcements,
f when the stars in their courses would fight
f for the Copernican system, then sitting down
n in complete blindness and deafness TO wait
/ for the coming on of the generations who
t would build his monument and bow at his
: grave
r The reformer, exeerated by his coniem-
poraries, fastened ir .hi4 'Iory. the slow fire
Of public contemp. burning under him,
ground under the cylinders Of the printing
} press, yet calmly waiting for the day when
!, | purity of soul and heroiSm of character will
get the sanction Of earth and the plaudts of
, heaven. Affection, enduring without any
complaint the sharpness of the pang ana the
1 violence of the storm, and the heft of tho
A chain and Of tho darkness of night. Wait
1 ing until u divine hand shall be put forth to
: soothe the pans and hush the storm and re-
lease the captive. A wife, abused, prosecuted
} and perpetual exile from every earthly
| comfort-waitng, waiting, until the Lord
shall gather all His dear children in a heaven-
ly nome. and no poor Vashti will ever be
4 thrust out from the palace gate. Jesus, in
? silence and answering not Il word, drinking
, the gaIl, bearing the cross. in prospect OF the
raptuOuS contamination when