The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-06-17
HAMAN WAS HANGED.
lessons from the Life and Death Of
Haman.
The Oriental Story Brings Home the Fact
that Wrongs We Prepare for Others
Are Apt to Return Upon
OnrnelNea.


! lowing sermon, draws lessons from the
life and death of Hannah, the most of
fensive man in Hebrew tradition. The
text is:
| So they hanged Haman on the gallows that
| he had prepared for MordecaL-Esther vii, 10.
There is an oriental courtier, about
the most offensive man in Hebrew his
tory, Haman by name. He plotted for
the destruction of the Israelitish ma
ton, and | wonder not that ia some of
the Hebrew synagogues to this day
when Humans name is mentioned the
! congregation clcnch their fists and
stamp their feet and cry: Let his
name be blotted OUT" Hannah was
/ prime minister in the magnificent court
| of Persia Thoroughly appreciative of
| the honor conferred, he expects every
! body that he passes to be ObscquiOus
| Coming in one day at the gate of the
| palace, the servants drop their heads in
| honor of his Office; but Il IIebRew,
named Mordecai, gazes upon the pass
| ing dignitary without bending his
head or taking off his hat He was a
| good man, and would not have been
negligent of the ordinary courtesies of
| life, but he felt no respect for Hannah
or the nation from which he had come
| So he could not be hypocritical; and
| while others made oriental salaam,
I getting clear down before this prime
minister when he passed, Mordecai, the
| Hebrew, relaxed not a muscle of his
neck, and kept his chin clear up. Be
cause of that affront IIaman gets 4 de-
cree from Ahasuerus, the dastardlg
a, Il Il
| ties, and that, of course, will include
| MOrdccai
To make long story short, through
| Queen Esther this whole plot was re-
vealed to her husband, Ahasuerus.
One night Ahasuerus, who was afflicted
with insomnia, in his sleepleSS hours
! calls for his secretary to read him a
few passages of Persian history, and
so while away the night. In the book
read that night to the king an account
was gwen of Il conspiracy, from which
Mordecai, the Hebrew, had saved the
kings life, and for which kindness
Mordecai had never received any re-
ward. Hannah, who had been fixing
up nice gallows to hang Mordecai on,
was walking outside the door of the
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 and he asked what reward ought
to be given to such 4 one. Self-con-
ceited Hannah, suppOsing that he him
self was to get the honor, and not inn
agining for 4 moment that the de-
livcrer of the kings life was Mordecai,
says: why, your majesty ought to
make a triumph for him, and put
crown on him, and set him on
splendid horse, housekeeping and full
blooded, and then have one of your
princes lead the horse through the
streets, crying: Bow the knee; here
comes Il man vino has saved the kings
lifeI" Then said Ahasuerus in severe
tones to Hanan: Il know all about
your scoundrelisn. Now you go out
and make 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 streets!'
What a spectacle. n comedy and
tragedy at one and the same time.
There they go! MOrdecai, who had
been despiseI, now starred and
robed, in the stirrups. Uaman, the
chancellor, atOot, holding the prancing,
rearing, champing stallion. Mordecai
bends his neck at last, but it is to look
down at the degraded prime minister
walking beneath him. Huzza for Nor
dccai. Alas for Haman! But what a
pity to have the gallows, recently built,
entirely wasted! 1t is 50 cubits high,
and built with care. And Hannah had
erected it for Mordccai, by whose stir
rups he now walks us groom. Stranger
and more startling than any romance,
there go up the steps OF the scaffold
ing, side by side, the hangman and
Hannah, the ex-chancellor. 80 they
hanged Hannah on the gallows he had
prepared for Mordecai."
Although so many years have passed
since cowarily Ahasuerus reigned,
and the beautiful Esther answered to
his whims, and Persia persisted, yet
from the life and death of Hannah we
may draw living lessons of warning
and instruction. And, first, we come
to the practical suggestion that, when
the heart is wrong, things very insig
nifcant viii destroy our comfort. Who
would have thought that a great prime
minister, admired and applauded by
millions of Persians, would have been
SO nettled and harrassed by anything
trivial? What more could tine great
dignitary have wanted than his chart
OTIS and attendants, and palaces and
banquets? Iii affiucncc of circum-
stances can make a man contented and
happy, surely Hannah should have
been contented and happy. No; Nor
decai's refusal of bow takes the gilt
ter from the gold, and the richness
from the purple, and the speed from
the chariOts. With n heart pulled with
every imitation of vanity and revenge,
It was impossible for him to be happy.
The silence of Mordecai at the gate
was louder than the braying of the
trumpets in the palace. Thus shall it
always be if the heart is not right.
Circumstances the most trivial will |
disturb the spi-it.
1t is not the great calamities of life |
that create the most worriment. l have !
seen men, felIed By repeated blows of |
misfortune, arising from the dust. |
never Responding. But the most of the |
which men suffer from is from |
causes; as lion attacked /
by some beast of pray turns easily |
around Stays him, yet runs roaring |
the forests at the aGghting on his |
brawny neck of n few insects You /
meet some great loss in business with |
composure, but you can
think of petty trickeries inflicted upon
~ n