Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-07-04

lAilltt Win AlNhestiit Afphs
passing through the streets with tho step
of n walking beam, gayly arraycd In "A very
hurricane Of millinery, cry out, "Vashti
has lost her vcilr' When sec woman
of comcly features, and OF adroitncss Of in
tellcct, and endowed with all that the
schools can do for one, and of high social
| position, yet moving In society with SUI
| pcrciliousncSs and hautcur, rs though she
would have people know their place, and
an underlined combination Of gigglc and
strut and rhodomontadc endowed with al
lopathic quantities of talk, but only home
opathic inilnitcsimals OF sense, the terror
of dry goods clerks and railroad conduc-
tors, discoveries of significant meanings
in plain conversation, prodigics Of hadi
mage and innucndO, say: Look Look
Vashti has lost her veil. "
A Broken Heart.
Again, want you TO consider Vashti
the sacrifice Who is this sec coming out
OF that palace gate of Shushan? 1t seems
To me that l have seen her before She
comes homeless, hosisclcss, friendlcss,
trudging along with broken heart. Who
Is she. 1t Is Vashti the sacrifice Oh,
what n change II was from regal position
| to wayfarcrs crust A little while ago,
approved and sought for; now, mono SO
ship. Vashti the sacrificed All. you and
l have seen II many timcl
Here is home impalaccd with beauty
All that refinement and books and wealth
can do for that home has been DONE but
Ahasucrus, the husband and the father,
Is taking hold on paths of sin. He Is grad
ually going down. After awhile he will
founder and struggle like wild beast in
the hunters nct-farthcr away from God,
farther away from the right. Soon the
bright apparel of the children will turn to
rags; soon the household song will become
the sobbing of broken heart. Tho old
story over again. Brutal ccntaurs break
ing up the marriage feast of Lapithm
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. Oh, Ahasucrus, that you
should stand in n home by dissipated life
destroying the peace and comfort of that
home! God forbid that your children
should ever havo 10 wiring their hands and
have people point their finger Mt them rs
they pass down the street and say, There
goes drunkard's child" God forbid that
the little feet should ever have to trudge
the path of poverty and wretchednessl
God forbid that any evil spirit born Of tho
wine cup or the brandy glass should come
forth and uproot that garden and with n
lasting, blistcring, all consuming curse
shut forever the palace gate against Vashti
and the childrenl
During the war / went to Hagcrstown
| TO look mt the army, and / stood In tho
night on hilltop and looked down upon
them. i saw the campflres all through
the valleys and all over the hills. It was
n weird spectacle, those campflres, and /
stood and watched them, and the soldiers
who were gathered around them were no
doubt talking OF their homes and of the
long march they had taken and of the hat
ties they Were 10 fight, hut after awhile /
saw these campfircs begin 10 lower, and
they continued To lower until they were all
gone out and the army slept. II was inn
posing when saw the campflrcs. II was
imposing in the darkness when thought
of that great host asleep.
! Well, God looks down from heaven, and
he sees the fircsides of Christendom and
the loved ones gathered around these fire.
sides These are the campflrcS where we
warm ourselves at the close Of the day and
talk over the battles of life we have fought
md the battles that are yet tn come. God
grant that when at last these fires begin to
go out and continue to lower until finally
they are extinguishcd and the ashes of CON
sumcd hopes strcw the hearth of the old
homestead ii may he bccausSc we have
Gone 10 sleep tina; last long sleep
From which none ever wake To weep.
Now we are an army on the march Of
life. Then W. will be an army bivouackcd
In the tent OF the grave.
A Hope and Its FninIIment.
Once more want you to look at Vashti
the silent. You do not hear any outcry
from this woman as she goes forth from
the palace gate From the very dignity
of her nature you know there will be no
vociferation. Sometimes In life IL Is ncccs-
sary 90 make retort; sometimes in life IL
is necessary To resist, but there are crises
when the most triumphant thing to do Is
TO keep silence. The philosopher, conf
dent in his newly discovered principle,
waiting for the coming OF more intelligent
generations, willing that men should laugh
at the lightning rod and cotton gin and
steamboat, waiting for long years through
the soothing of philosophical schools in
grand and magnificent silence. Galile!,
condemned by mathcmaticians and scien-
lists, caricatured everywhere, yet waiting
and watching with his telescope to SEQ the
coming up OF stellar RI achievements, when
the stars in their courses would fight for
the Copcrnican system, then sitting down
In complete blindness and deafness to walt
for the coming on Of the generations who
would build his monument and bow at his
grave
The reforner, execratcd by his contem-
poraries, fastened In n pillory, the slow
fires OF public contempt burning under
him, ground under the cylinders Of the
printing press, yet calmly waiting for the
day when purity of soul and hcrosim OF
character will get the sanction Of earth and
the plaudits of heaven. Afiiiction, endur-
ing without any complaint the sharpness
Of the pang and the violence of the storm,
and the heft of the chain and of the dark
ness Of night. Waiting until divine hand
shall be put forth to soothe the pang and
hush the storm and release the captive. 4
wife abused, prosecuted and a perpetual
exile from every earthly comfort-waiting,
waiting until the Lord shall gather all his
dear children In heavenly home and no
poor Nashti will ever be thrust out from
the palace gate Jesus, In silence and an
swcring not a word, drinking the gall,
bearing the cross, In prospect of tho rap
turous contamination when
Angels throneed his chariot wheel
And bore him to his throne,
Then swept their golden harpS and sung
The glorious work Is done.
o woman, does not this story of Vashti
the queen, Vashti the yelled. Vashti tho
sacrifice, Vashti the silent, move your soul
My sermon convcrgcs into the one absorb
Ing hope that none of you may be shut out
of the palace gate of heaven. You can en-
durc the hardships and the privations and
the crucltics and the misfortuncs Of this
life If you can only gain admission there
| Through the blood OF the everlasting Gov
enant, you 60 through these gates or never
go ut all. God forbid that you should at
| last be banishcd from the society of angels
and banishcd from the companionship Of
your glorificd kindred and banishcd for
ever. Through the rich grace Of our Lord
Jesus Christ may you be enabled to imi-
/ tate the example of Rachel and Hannah
and Abigail and Deborah and Mary and
Esther and Vashti Amen.
When the Unlocking Bird" Was New.
THE Marine band concerts at the White
! House grounds, observed james Ryder
who has figured rs hotel waiter for nearly
! half n century, Were before the war
! closed event rs far as we colorcd people |
Were concerned, for no colorcd persons
Were ever admitted to the grounds unless |
| they went there In the capacity Of nurses |
! for children err attendants ttunn alforlv |