The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-10
LESSON STORY.

LESSON STORY.
The World was surely lavish in its
bestowments on Solomon.
We shall hereafter consider his most
praiseworthy work, the building OF the
temple. We are now to give attention
to his enormous OUTLAWS which pro-
NOTED specially his greatness and glory.
We recall his royal palace. Into his
palace Solomon put every costly luxury
which his imagination could conceive
and unbounded wealth could purchase.
The walls were of polished marble over
laid with carved cedar. 1t was clus-
ter of magnificent buildings; each build
ing devoted to specific purpose OF the
acknowledgements or the royal pleas
ure. The throne-room was especially
luxurious. The throne was of polished
ivory, ornamented with chased gold, and
q mute guard of carved lions, awakened
wonder in the mortal who was privil-
eyed or compelled to stand before it.
Solomon built another superb palace
for his queen. the daughter Of the king
OF Egypt. His harem finally We'd with
the royal Asiatic harems, numbering
seven hundred wives, three hundred
concubines. All these women were
housed in expensive palaces.
We recall his matchless parks. "The
Kings Garden" located near the south
eastern wall of Jerusalem, in the Kedron
Valley at it's junction with the Valley OF
Hinnom, contained full assortment OF
tropical flowers and shrubs, together
with aromatic plants, like henna, spike.
pard, cinnamon, calamus, lading the air
with perfume. The second park was To-
Gated eight miles at the southwark, be-
You'd Bethlehem. Its site is now marked
by three gigantic reservoirs. still bear
ing the name, "Solomon's Pools" A hill
near by, as a reminder OF what it was
under the magic hands of Solomon's
gardeners, continues to be called, "The
Little Paradise" The third royal park
was located in the Lebanon region at
the far north, on the side of Mount Her
mon, overlooking alike the plain of Da-
mascus and the Valley Of Baalbec. Here
was located a loyal summer palace OF
like magnifcence to the royal winter
palaces in Jerusalem. We are told of
one room of this royal summer house a
hundred and fifty feet long, forty-6ve
feet high, and 30 thickly crowded with
cedar pillars as to resemble forest. and
hung with two hundred immense shields
and three hundred bucklers Of pure and
beaten gold. All the table ware of this
summer palace, as we'll as the winter
palaces in Jerusalem, was OF pure gold;
of silver no account was made in Jerusa-
lem in Solomon's day.
The people who supplied the enormous
revenue requisite for such measureless
luxury, we're to certain extent bene6-
Charles of the colossal extravaganza.
Jerusalem was enlarged; its walls were
streng lhened; it was made architectually
splendid. An ample public water sup
ply was brought in aqueducts from dis
tant hills. The great "Solomon's Pools
in the southern park were in part the
reservoirs of the public water service.
Whether any ancient city surpassed or
equalled Israel's capital in the abund-
ance or purity of it's water supply we
may reasonably doubt.
Jerusalem also became a great COM
mercial center. An unlimited commerce,
extending to distant nations. was sum-
moned into existence and fostered by
the royal government. The roads lead
ing into Jerusalem were laid with black
basaltic paving stones. which marked
the highways IN all directions by the
contrast with the prevailing white lime
stone.
In continuance of the story of Solom-
on's pomp and the temporal prosperity
of the nation, we lake up the lesson
passage.
1. SOlOmOn's PrOfusiOn OfLuX.
ury.-vs. 25-2S.
Judah and Israel da0eH safely. eUery
man under his zine and under has fig
tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the
days of Solomon. The nation. subse-
quently divided into Judah and Israel,
was now at peace. From Dan at the
north to Beersheba at the south, the