Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-06-17
A PLOTTER 0UTDONE.
LESSON DEoUcED FROM FAMOUS
BIBLE STORY.

fs4l- Aa7tA'A AAAss A"s
Here Is an Oriental courtier. about the
most offensive man In Hebrew history.
Haman by name. He plotted for the de-
structiOn of the lsraelitish nation. AMI I
wonder not that In some of the Hebrew
synacosues to this day when Humans
name Is mentioned, the congregation
clench their fists and stamp their feet and
cry let his name be blOtted OUT" Ua-
man was Prime Minister in the magnificent
court of Persia. Thoroughly appreciative
of the honor conferred, he expects every
body that he passes to be obsequiOus.
Coming in one day at the gate Of the pal
ace. the servants drop their heads in honor
of his office; but Hebrew, named Morde-
cal, gazes upon the passing dignitary
without bending his head Or taking of his
hat. lie was good man, and would not
have been negligent in the ordinary court
estes of life, but he felt no respect either
for Hannah or the nation from which he
had come. So he could not be- hypocriti-
cal; and while others made Oriental
salaam. getting clear down before this
Prime Minister when he passed, Mordecai,
the Hebrew. relaxed not IA muscle Of his
neck, and kept his chin clear up. Because
of that alIront HamRn gets II decree from
Ahasuerus, the dastarlly king, for the
massacre of all the Israeites and that. of
course. will include Mordecai
TC make 4 long story short. through
Queen Esther this whole plot was revealed
to her husband, Ahasuerus. One night
Aha"urrus. who was afflicted with in
s0muia, in his sleepe-S hours calls for his
secretary to read him a few passages Of
Persian history, and 50 while away the
night. Ia the book read that night to the
king an account was given of II conspi-
racv, from which MOrdecai, the Hebrew
had saved the kings life and for which
Kindness ,lordecai had never received any
reward. Hannah, who mad been fixing up
a nice gallOws to hang Mordecai on, was
walking outside the door of the kings
sleeping apartment and was called in. The
king told him that he had just had read to
him the account of some one who had
saved his, the kings life. aud he asked
what reward ought to be given to such II
one Self-cOnceited Hannah, surprising that
he himself was to get the honor. and not
imagining for moment that the drliv-
erer Of the kings life was MOrdrrai, SAYS:
"Whv, your ma osty ought to make Il tri-
umph for him, and put Il crown ON him
and set him on asplendid horse high-Step-
ping and full-blOOded. and then have one
of your princes lead the horse through
the streets. crying, Bow the knee, here
comes II man who has saved the kings
life!' Then said Ahasuerus in severe tones
to Haman: Il know all about Your scoun-
dreliSas Now You go out aud make Il
triumph for Mordecai, the Hebrew, whom
YOU hate. Put the best saddle on the
finest horse and you, the prince, hold the
stirrup while Mordecai gets on, and then
lead his horse through the street Make
haste"
Wnnt IA spectacle, A comedy and tragedy
at one and the same time. There they got
Morde"ai, who had been drspised. now
starred and ROBBED, in the stirrups. Hannah,
the chancellor afoOt holding the pranc-
ing rearing, champing stallion. Mordecai
bends his neck at last but it Is to look
down Mt the degraded Prime Minister
walking beneath him. Huzza for Nor
decai! Alas for Hannah! But what Il pity
to have the gHllows, recently built, en-
tirely wasted! 1t is fifty cubits high and
built with care. Aud Hannah had erected
| it for Mordecai, by whose stirrups he now
walks rs groom. Stranger and more start
ling than any romance, there so mp the
steps OF the scatlolding, side by side, the
! hangmhn and Hannah the eN-chancellor.
so they hanged Hannah on the gallows
that he had prepared for Mordecai."
Although so many years have passed
| since cOwarily AhasuerGS reigned, aud the
! beautiful Esther answered to his whims
and Persia persisted, yet from the life and
death of Hannah We may draw living les
first, We come to the practical suggestion
that, when the heart is wrong, things very
insignificant will destroy our comfort
Who ' )uld have thought that a great
Prime Minister admired and applauded by
| millions of Persians, would have been 50
nettied and harassed by anything trivial.
| What more could the great dignitary have
wanted than his chariOtS and attendants
aud palaces and banQuets? If affiuence OIL
air ct una, tnt, tt
and happy. surely Hannah should have
been contented and happy. No; Morie
cai'S refusal of a bow takes the glitter from
the gold and the richness from the pur
pie, and the speed from the chariots. witt
heart putIed up with every initiation o
vanity and revenge, it was impossible fol
him to be happy. The silence Of Mordera
mt the gate was louder than the brayng o
| trumpets in the palace. Thus shall it al
ways be il the heart is not right. Clrcu Il
stances the most trivial will disturb til,
spirit
1t is not the great caamities of life tina
create the most wOrriment. | have seel
men. felled by repeated blows OF msfor
tune, arising from the dust, never despond
ing. But the most of the disquiet whicl
men suffer is from insignificant causes; IL
IL lion attacked by some beast of prey turn
easily around and Stays him, yet runs roar
ing through the forests at the alighting OF
his brawny neck of Il few insects. You
meet some great loss in business with CON
paratiVe compOsure; but you can think o
petty trickeries inflicted upon you, which
arouse all your capacity for wrath, and re
| main in your heart an unbearable annoy
| ance. If YOU look back upon your life
you will find that the most of the yeXatiOn
and disturbances Of spirit, which You felt
were produced by circumstances that wer