Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-07

Lord will deliver Sisera into thy hands"
And when tho women arc called to such
outdoor work and to such heroic positions
God prepares them for it, and they have
Iron In their soul, and Legitimacy in their
eye and whirlwinds In their breath, and
the borrowed strength of tho Lord omnip-
otcnt in their right arm. They walk
through furnaces as though they wcre
hedges OF wildflowers and cross sens rs
though they wen shimmcring sapphire,
and all tho harpics Of hell down to their
dungeon at the stamp of womanly indg-
nation.
vashti Unveiled.
But tNNso arc the exceptions Generally
Dorcae .-H"d rather make garment for
tho poor boy, Rcbocca would rather III
tho trough OF the camcls, Hannah would
rather mako coat for Samuel the He
brew maid would rather Rivo prcscrp-
ton for Mammals lcprosy, tho woman of
Saropta would rather gather u few sticks
to cook meal for furnished elijah, phcbo
would rather carry letter for tho inspired
apostle, Mother Lois would rather educate
Timothy In tho Scriptures. When l see u
woman going about her daily duty, with
cheerful dignity presiding at tho table,
with kind and gentle but firm discipline
presiding In the nursery, going out into
the world without any blast of trumpcts,
following in tho footsteps OF him who won't
about doing good, I say, "This is Vashti
with u veil on. y
But when | sec n woman Of unblushing
boldncss, loud voiced, with tongue of in
finite Glitter clutter, with arrogant look
passing through the streets with the step
Of n walking beam, gayly arraycd in a
very hurricane of millinery, cry out,
"Vashti has lost her veil" When l see a
woman struggling for political prefer
mont, trying to force her way on up to
conspicuity amid tho masculine dcma-
goRucs, who stand with swollen fists and
bloodshot eyes and pestifcrous breath to
guard the polls, wanting to go through
tho loafcrism and dcnlemcnt OF popular
sovcrcigns, who crawl mp from the saloons
greasy and foul and vcrmin covered to de-
eide questions OF justice and order and
civilization--whcn l sec woman, say,
who wants to press through all that hor-
rible scum to get to public place ard pow
or, say: "Ah, what pityl Nashti has
lost her veil r.
When | see woman of comcly features
and of adroitncss OF intellect and endowed
with all that the schools can do for her
and of high social position, yet moving in
society with supcrciliousncss and hautcur
rs though she would have people know
their place and with an underlined COM
blnation of gigge and strut and rhodo-
montndc, endowed with allopathic quanH-
tics OF talk, but only homeopathic infn-
itcsmals Of sense, tho terror Of dry goods
clerks and railroad conductors, discoveries
Of significant meanings in plain converse
ton prodigies of badinago and innuondo,
l say, "Nashti has lost her veil "
Mans Cruelty.
Again, l want you this morning to con-
slider Nashti the sacrifice. Who is this
that sec coming out CT that palace cato
of ShushanY 1t seems to me that l have
seen her before. She comes homeless,
houselcss, fricndlcss, trudging along with
"a broken heart. Who is shcf 1t is Vashti
tho sacrifice. Oh, what n change it was
from regal position to wayfarer's crust
little while ago approved and sought
for. Now. mono so poor as to acknowledge
her acquantanccship. Nashti the sacrifice.
All, you and / have seen 1t many timol
Hero is II home cmpalaccd with beauty.
All that refinement and books and wealth
can do for that homo has been done; but
Ahasucrus, tho husband and the father, is
taking hold on paths Of sin. He is gradu-
ally going down. After awhile he will
founder and struggle like wild beast In
the hunters nct-farther away from God,
farther away from tho right. Soon tho
bright apparel Of the children will turn to
rags; soon the household song will be-
como the sobbing Of broken heart, Tho
old story over again. Brutal ccntaurs
breaking up tho marriage feast of Lapi-
thm. The house full OF outrage and cruel
~ and abomination, whilo trudging forth
from tho palace gate are Vashti and her
children. There arc homes in all parts Of
this land that are in danger Of such break
ing up Oh, Ahasuerus, that you should
stand in home by a dissipatcd life de-
stroying tho peace and comfort Of that
homo God forbid that your children
should ever have to wiring their hands and
have people point their finger at them as
they pass down the street and say, There
goes n drunkard' S child" God forbid that
tho little feet should ever have to trudge
the path of poverty and wrctchcdncss
God forbid that any OWL spirit born Of tho
vino cup or tho brandy glass should como
forth and uproot that garden, and with a
lasting, blistcring, all consuming curse
shut forever tho palace gate against Vashti
and the children.
LIES Campnres.
Ono night during our civil war I went
to lIagcrstown to look at the army and l
stood on hilltop and looked down upon
them. l SOW tho campilres all through
the valleys and alb over tho hills. 1t was
woird spectacle, those campilres, and l
stood and watched them, and the soldiers
who were gathered around them were no
doubt talking Of their homes and Of tho
long march they had taken and of tho
battles they were TO fight, but after awhile
/ saw these campfrcs begin to lower, and
they continued to lower until thoy were
all gone out, and the army slept. 1t was
imposing when l saw tho campnrcs. 1t
was imposing in the darkness when l
thought of that great host asleep. Well,
God looks down from heaven and he secs
the frosidcs OF Christendom and the loved
ones gathered around these fresdes.
These are the cqmpfrcs whore we warm
ourselves at the close Of day and talk over
the battles Of lifo we have fought and the
battles that arc yet to come God grant
that when at last these fires begin to 20
out and continue to lower until finally
they are cxtinguished and tho ashes Of
consumed hopes strcw the hearth OF tho
old homestead 1t inGy be because we have
Gone to sleep that sleep
From which none ever wake to weep.
NOW we nro an army on the march Of
life. Then we shall be an army bvouackcd
in the tent Of the grave.
The Silent Martyr.
Once more, want you to look at Vashti
the silent. You do not hear any cutlery
from this woman Sbn forth from,
the palace gate. From the very dignity Of
linn I'm !.