The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-07-31

bost in the dark iano aud iu the shadow and
where tho sun does not soom 90 reach them,
so God appoints % most wOmanly natures q
retiring and unoblusiyo spirit God once
in o while does call an Isabella 90 throne,
or Miriam % strike the timbrol at the front
of host. or Marie Antolnoiic 90 quell
French mob. or Deborah 90 stand at the
front OF nn armed battalion, crying out
"Up. upl This Is the day in which the Lord
viii deliver slsera into thine hand. And
when women are called 20 such outdoor
work aud 90 such heroic positions God
prepares them Tor Il, aud they have iron b.
thoir souls ana lightning in their eve. and
vhirlwindsin their breath, and the borrowed
strength OF the Lord Omnipotent IN their
light arm. They walk through furnaces a8
though they were hedges Of Wild flowers and
cross sens as though they were shlmmerlng
sapphire, and all the harDies OF he'll down 10
iheir dungeon IT the stamp of her womnnlv
Indignation. But these are the exceptions.
Generally Dorcas would rather make gar
mant for the poor boy. Rebecca would
rather 900 the trough for the camels. Han-
nah would rather make n coat for Samuel.
The Hebrew maid would rather give n Pfc
scHption for Naaman's leprosy. The women
OF sarepta would rather gather a few sticks
30 cook q meal for iamished Elijah. Phnbe
would rather carry letter for the inspired
Timothy IN the Scriptures.
When ! sea n woman going about her daily
duty, with cheerful dignity presiding ut the
liable with kind and gentle but firm disci-
pline presiding IN the nursery, going out into
the world without any blast OF trumpets, fol-
lowing an the footsteps OF Him who went
about doing good, say, 'Thls Is Vashu With
veil on" But when / seea woman Of un-
blushng holiness, loud-voiced, with a.
tongue OF Infinite Glitter chatter, with arro-
rant look, passing through the streets with
the step OF walking beam, gaylY arrayed In
a very hurricane Of millinery, l cry out,
''Vashii has lost nor veill" When I sec a
woman Of comely features, and Of adFoltness
OF intellect, and endowed will all that the
schools can do for one, and OF high social
position. yet moving IN society with super
oiliousness and hauleur as though she,would
have people know their place, and an unde-
fined combination OF giggle aud strut and
rhodomonlade, endowed with alopathio
quantities Of talk. but only homeopathic IN
nnitesimnls Of sense, the terror OF dry goods
clerks and railroad conductors. discoyerers
Of significant meanings In plain conyersa-
ton, prodigies Of bqdinage and innuendo.
say: "Look, loozl Vashti has lost her velll"
Again. want You 10 consider Vashti the
sacrifice Who is this / see coming out OF
that palace gate Of Shushan7 II seems to me
that I have seen her before. She comes
! homeless, houseless, friendless, trudging
| along with a broken heart. Who Is she? It
| Is Vashu the sacrifice. OBJ what change II
was from regal position to q wayiarer's
crust! A little while ago approved and
sought for; now none 80 poor as TO aclnowl-
| edge her ncquaintanceship. Vasht the sac
| rlfice! Alb, you and I have seen 1t many a
/ timel
Here Is a home empalaced with beauty.
/ Ali that refinement and books and wealth
can do for that home has been done, but
! Ahasuerus, the husband and father, Is taking
! hold on paths Of sin. He Is gradually going
| down. After awhile he will founder and
! struggle like a wild beast In the hunters net
farther away from Cod, farther away from
tho right. Soon the bright apparel Of the
/ children will turn to rags; soon the house
/ hold song will become the sobbing OF a
| broken heart. The old story over again.
| Brutal centaurs breaking up the mar
| riage feast of Lapithae. The house full
/ OF outrage and cruelty and abomina'
ton, while trudgiug forth from the
palace gate are Vashti and her children.
There are homes that are in danger OF
such a breaking up. Oh, Ahasuerus that
you should stand in a home, by q dissipated
life destroy the peace and comfort Of thRt
| home. God forbid that your children should
ever have TO wiring their hands and have peo-
pie point their finger at them as they pass
down the street and say, "There goes d
drunkard's child" God forbid that the little
i feet should ever have to trudge tho path OF
poverty and wretchedness. God forbid that
anypevil spirit born OF the wine cup or the
brandy glass should come forth and uproot
! that garden, and with n lasting blistering, all
consuming curse shut forever the palace gate
against Vashu and the children.
During the war went to Hagerstown tc
look ut the army. and stood in the night on
a hilltop and looked down upon them.
saw the cRmphres all through the valley!
and all over the hills, 1t was weird spec.
tacle, those camptires, and I stood aud
watched them, and the soldiers who were
gathering around them we're, no doubt. talk
Ing OF their homes and Of the long march
they had taken aud Of the battles they werC
TO fight. But after awhile saw these camp
fires begin to lower, and they continued tC
lower until they were all gone out and thC
army slept. 1t was imposing when saw
the campiires; It was imposing In the dark
ness when I thought Of that great host
asleep.
Well, God looks down from heaven. anC
He sees the firesdes OF Christendom and tn,
loved ones gathered around these flresldes
These are the camphres where we warm our
selves at the close Of the day aud talk owe
the battles OF life we have fought and the
battles that are yet to come. God grant tina
whom at last these fires begin to 90 out anC
continue TO lower, until finally they are OK
tinguished and the ashes Of consumed hope
strew the hearth Of the old homestead,
may be because we have
Gone to sleep that last long sleep
From which none ever wake to weep.
Now we are an army on the march OF life
Then we will be an army bivouqcked In tn,
tent OF the grave.
Onco more I want yLu to look at WASN'T
the silent. You donot hear any cutlery from
this woman as she goes forth from the palac
gate. From the very dignity of her nature
you know there viii be no voclferation
Sometimes in life it Is necessary to make
retort; sometimes In life 1t Is necessary +
resist, but there are cries when the mos
triumphant thing to do is to keep silence
The philosopher, confident In his newly dis
covered principle, waiting for the coming Q
more intelligent generations, willing tina
men should laugh at the lightning rod an
cotton gin and teamboat-wating for lon
years through the soothing Of PHILOSOPHERS