The Princeton union., 1896-07-16


! Or OF Mrs Hemans, who poured out
her holy soul in words which will for
ever be associated with hunters horn,
and captains chain, and bridal hour,
and lute's thrcb, and curfeW's knell at
the dying day? And to scores and.
hundreds of women, unknown on
earth, who have given water to the
thirsty and bread to the hungry and
medicine to the sick and smiles to the
discouraged heir footsteps heard.
along dark lane and in government men
hospital and in almhouse corridor and
by prison gate? There may be no.
royal robe there may be no palatial
surroundings She does not need them;
for all charitable men will unite With.
the era cking lips of fever-struck nos
pital and plague -blotched lazaretto IN.
greeting her as she passes: Hal. !.
Hail! Queen Vashtiv'
Again: 1 want you to consider wash
ii the Yelled Had she appeared De
fore Ahasuaerus and his court on that
day. with her face uncovered, she
would have shocked all the dellcacles
of Oriental society, and the very men
who. in their intOxication, demanded
that she come, in their sober moments
would have despised he:. AS some
flowers seem to thrive bestein the dark
lane and IN the shadow, and where the
sun does not seem to reach them, so
God appoints to most womanly ma
lures a retiring and unobtrusive spirit.
God does, once in while, call an lsa-
bella to throne, or a Miriam to strike
a tmbrel at the front OF host, or
Marie Antoinette to quell a French
mob, or Deborah to stand at the.
front OF an armed battalion, crying
out, '.Up! Up! This is the day on
which the Lord will deliver Sisera into
thine hand!' And when women are
called to such outdoor work and such
heroic positions, God prepares them
for it; and they have iron in their
souls and lightning in their eye and
whirlwinds in their breath, and the
borrowed strength Of the Lord Omnip-
otent in their right arm. They walk
through furnaces as though they We're
hedges of wild flowers, and cross seas
as though they were simmering sap
phire; and all the harpies of hell
down in their dungeons shiver at the
stamp of her womanly Indignation.
Dorcas would rather make a garment
for the poor boy; Rebecca would rath-
er fill the trough for the camels; Han
nah would rather. make coat for
Samuel; the Hebrew maid would rath-
er give a prescription for Namaans
leprosy; the woman of Sarpeta would
rather gather a few sticks to cooy
meal for famished Elijah; Phoebe
n lott or n.
.spired apostle; Mother Lois would
rather educate Timothy in the Script
ures. When see a woman going
about her daily duty-with cheerful
dignity presiding at the table, with
kind and gentle, but firm, discipline
presiding at the nursery, going out
into the world without any blast OF,
trumpets, following in the footsteps OF
Him who went about doing good
say: s'This is Vashti with a veil on
But when / see a woman of unblush-
ing boldness, loud-voiced, with az
tongue OF infinite clitter-clatter, with
arrogant look, passing through the
streets with the step of walking
beam, gaily arrayed in very hurri-
cane of millinery, | cry out: "Vashtl !
has lost her yeil!'' When I see wo-
man Of comely features and of adroit-
ness Of intellect, and endowed with all
that the schools can do for one, and Of
high social position, yet moving in So
ciety with superciliousness and hateur,
as if she wkould have people know
their place, and an uEdefined comb1na-
ton of giggle and strut and rhodo-
montade, endowed with allopathic
quantities of talk, but only homeopath-
ic intinitesinals of sense, the terror OF
dry goods clerks and railroad conduct
ors, discoverers Of significant mean
ings in plain conversation, prodfgies of
badinage and inuendo-I say: Look!
look! Vashti has lost her yei1v'
Again: / want you to consider Wash
ii, the sacrifice. Who is: this I see
coming out Of the palace gate of Shu-
shan? 1t seems to me that have seen
her before. She comes homeless
houseless, friendless, trudging along
with a broken heart. Who is she? 1t
is Vashti, the sacrifice. O., what a
change it was from the regal position
to a wayfarer's crust. A little while
ago, approved and sought for; now,
none so poor as to acknowledge her
mountaineering. Vashti, the sacri-
fce!,Ah! you and have seen it many
a time. Here is a home empa laced
with beauty. All that refinement and
books and wealth can do for that home
has been done; but Ahasuerus, the hus-
band and father, is taking hold on
paths of sin. He is. gradually going
down. After a while he will founder
and struggle like a wild beast in the
hunters net-further away from God,
further away from the right. Soon
the bright apparel of the children will
turn to rags; soon the household song
will become the sobbing Of a broken
heart. The old story over again. Brut-
al Centaurs breaking up the marriage
feast of Lapithae. The house full of
outrage and cruelty and abomination,
while trudging forth from the palace
gate are Vashti and her children
There are homes that are in danger of
such breaking up. Q, Ahasuerus! that
you should stand in a home, by dis
sipated life destroying the peace and
comfort Of that home. God forbid that
your children should ever have to
wiring their hands, and have people
point their finger at them as they go
II IL L L. S<&TNv