The Progress., 1898-07-09

| tanka"d has been DESTROYED and ShuShan
is Il ruin, but us long as the world stands
there will be multitudcs Of men and wom-
en- familiar with the Bible who will come
into this picture gallery of God and ad-
mfo the divine portrait of Vashti the
queen, Nashti the ycilcd Nashti the sacri-
flee, Nashti the silent
In the first place, want you to look
upon EaShti the queen. A blue ribbon,
rayN with white, drawn around her fore
head, indicated her qucenly position 1t
was no small honor to be queen in such a
realm as that Hank to the rustic of her
robes! Sec the blaze of her Jewels and
yet 1t Is not necessary to have place and
regal robe in order to be queenly. When
l see a woman with stout faith in God
putting her foot upon all meanncss and
SELLS rsS and goddess display, going right
forward to serve Christ and the race by a
grand And glorious service, 1 say, THAT
woman is aqucen, and the ranks of heav-
en- look over the battlcments upon the cor
onation, and whether she comes up from
the shGnty on the commons or the man
! sion of the fashionable square l greet her
| NAoAA viz ol-Oue, <hai iittil, NytttI uSuIl!
Things to Consider.
What glory was there on the brow of
Mary of Scotland, or Elizabeth of Eng
land, or Margaret Of France, or Catherine
of Russia compared with the worth of
some of our Christian mothers, many Of
them gone into glosy; or of that woman
mentioned in the Scriptures who pat her
all into the Lords treasury; or of .Jeph-
thahs daughter, who made demonstra-
ton of unselfish patriotism; or of Abigail
who rescued the herds and flocks of her
husband; or of Ruth, who toiled under a
tropical sun for poor, old, helpless Naomi
or of Florence Nightingale, who went at
midnight to stanch the battle wounds of
the Crimea; or of Mrs Adoniram Judson,
who kindled the lights Of salvation amid
the darkness of Burma; or of Mrs.
Hemans, who poured out her holy soul in
words which will forever be associated
with hunters horn, and captive's chain,
and bridal hour, and lutos thrOb as cur
Jews knell at the dying day, and 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 tho discouraged, their
footsteps heard along dark lane and in
government hospital and in almshouse
corridor and by prison gator There may
be no royal robe. There may be no pala-
tial surroundings She does not need
them, for all charitable men will unite
with the cracking lips of fever struck
hospital and plague blotched lazaretto in
greeting her as she passes: Hail Hail!
Queen Vashti!"
Again, L want you to consider Vashti
the yelled. Had she appeared before Alias
uerus and his court on that day with her
face uncovered she would have shocked all
the delicacies of oriental society, and the
very men who In their intoxication de-
manded that she come in their sober mo-
ments would have despised her. AS some
flowers seem to thrive best in the dark
lane and in the shadow and where the sun
does not seem to reach them, so God ap-
points to most womanly natures retiring
and unobtrusive spirit. God once in awhile
does call an Isabella to a throne, or
Miriam to strike the timbrel at the front
of host, or Marie Antoinette to quell
French mob, or Deborah to stand at the
front of an armed battalion, crying out:
up! Up! This is the day in which the
Lord will deliver Sisera into thy hands"
And when the women are called to such
outdoor work and to such heroic positions
God prepares them for it, and they have
iron in their soul, and lightnings in their |
eye and whirlwinds in their breath, and
the borrowed strength of the Lord omnip-
otcnt in their right arm. They walk
through furnaces as though they were
hedges Of wildflowers and cross seas as
though they were shimmering sapphire,