The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1896-06-19

liant as a star, and, like NORWOOD, he
embittered everything he touched. We
have studied the Star of Bethlehem,
and the Morning Star of the Revela-
ton, and the Star of Peace, but my
present subject calls us to gaze at the
star Norwood, and my theme might
be called Brilliant Bitterness"
A more extraordinary character his
tory does not furnish than this man
this referred to, Attila, the king of the
Huns. One day a wounded heifer came
nmping along through the fields and
a herdsman followed it's bloody track
on the grass to see where the heifer
was wounded and went on back fur
Their and further. until he came to a
sword fast in the earth. the point
downward, as though it had dropped
from the heavens, and against the
edges Of this sword the heifer had
been U The herdSman pulled up
Thai sword and presented it to Attila
Attila said that sword must have
fallen from the heavens from the grasp
oil Mars, and its being given to him
meant that Attila should and
govern the whole earth. Other mighty
men have been delighted at being
caiied Ilberators, or the merciful, OF
the good, but Attila called himself. and
demanded that others call him, the
Scourge of God. At the head of 700, 900
troops mounted IN ~Cappadocian horses.
he swept everything from the Adriatic
TO the Black Sea. He put his iron heel
on Macedonia and Greece and Thrace.
He made Milan and Pavia and Padua
and Verona beg for mercy, which ne
bestowed not. The Byzantine castles.
to meet his ruinous levy. put up at
auction massive silver tables and vases
OF solid gold. A city captured by him.
the inhabitants were brought out and
put into three classes: the first class,
those who could bear arms. who must
Immediately enlist under Attila or be
butchered; the second class, the beau
tliul women, who were made captiyes
to the Huns; the third class, the aged
men and women, who were robbed of
everything and let so back to the city
TO pay heavy tax.
1t was a common saying that the
grass never grew again where the hoof
of Attila's horse had trod. His armies
Redeemed the waters of the Seine and
the MoselIe and the Rhine with car
mage. 4 fought on the Catalonian
Plains the ~fiercest battle since the
world stood-500, 900 dead left on the
field! On and on, until all those who
could not oppose him with arms lay
PROSTATE on their faces in prayer, and,
a cloud OF dust seen in the distance, a
bishop cried: 1T is the aid of God!'
and all the people took up the cry,
at is the aid of God!' AS the cloud
of dust was blown aside the banners
OF reinforcing armies marched in to
help against Attila, the Scourge of God.
The most unimportant occurrences he
used as a supernatural resource, and
alter three months of failure to capture
the city of Aquileia, and his army had
given up the siege, the flight of a stork
and her young from the tower Of the
city was taken by him as a sign that
he was to capture the city, and his
army, inspired by the same occurrence,
resumed the siege, and took the walls
at a point from which the stork had
emerged. So brilliant was the conquer
or in attire that his enemies could not |
look at him, but shaded their eyes or
turned their heads.
Slain On the evening of his marriage
by his bride, Ildico, who was hired for |
the assassination, his followers be- |
walled him not with tears. but with
blood, cutting themselves with knives
and lances. He was put into three
coffins-the first of iron, the second Of
silver, and the third Of gold. He was
buried by night, and into his grave
were poured the most valuable coin and
precious stones, amounting to the
wealth OF a kingdom. The grave dig
gers and all those who assisted at the
burial were mastered, SO that it would
never be known where so much wealth
was entombed. The Roman Empire
conquered the world, but AttiIa con-
Quered the Roman Empire. He was
right in calling himself a scourge, but
instead of being the scourge of God,
he was the scourge Of hell. Because
of his brilliance and bitterness the
commentators were right in believing
him to be the star NORWOOD. AS the
regions he devastated were parts most
opulent with fountains and streams
and rivers, you see how graphic is this
reference in Revelation: There fell
a great star from heaven. burning as
1t were a lamp, and it fell upon the
third part of the rivers and upon the
fountains of waters, and the name OF
the star is called NORWOOD"
Have you ever thought how many
embittered ives there are all about us,
misanthropic, morbid, acrid, saturn
inc? The European plant from which
wormwood is extracted, artemisia alb
sinthium, is a perennial plant, and all
the year round it is ready to exude its
oil. And in man. human lives there
is a perennial distillation OF acrid ex-
periences. Yea. there are some whose
whole work is to shed a baleful infiu-
ence on others. There are Attilas OF