Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-03-16

copyright. 1899, by American Press Asso-
ciation1
WASHINGTON, March 12.-Thc contrast
Between life of selflshncss and a life of
kindness is set forth by DR. Talmage
while discoursng upon the balcful char
actor of a conqueror of oldcn time; text,
Revelation viii, 10, II, There fell
great star from heaven, burning as it
verc lamp, and it fell upon the third
part of the rivers and upon the fountains
OF waters, and the name of tho star is
called Norwood. "
Patrick and Lowth, Thomas Scott, Mat
thew Henry, Albert Barnes and some 9th
er commentators say that the star Worm
wood of my text was IL type of Attila, king
of the Huns He was SO called because he
was brilliant us star, and like worm
wood, he imbittercd everything he touch
ed. We have studied the star of Bethlehem
and tho Morning Star of Revelation and
the star Of Peace, but my subject calls us
to gaze at the star NORWOOD and my
theme might be called Brilliant BFtor-
mess
moro extraordinary character history
docs not furnish than this man Attila, the
king of the Huns. The story goes that
one day % wounded hcifcr came limping
along through the fields and IA hcrdsman
followed its bloody track on the grass to
see where the hcifcr was wounded, and
went on back farther and farther until he
came to u sword fast in the earth, the
point downward a. though it had dropped
from the heavens, and against the edges
of this sword the hcifcr had been cut. The
hcrdsman pulled up that sword and pre-
scented it to Attila. Attila said that sword
T,-.., 1,.,1 f~,,,,
the grasp of the god Mars, and its being
given to him meant that Attila should
conquer and govern the whole earth. 9th
er mighty men have been delighted nj be
ing called liberators. or the Mcrciful, or
tie Good, but Attila called himself and
demanded that others call him 1.-THE
Scourge Of God.
At the head of zoo 0OG troops, mounted
on Cappadocian horses, he swept every
thing, from the Adriatic to the Black sea.
He put his iron heel on Macedonia and
Greece and Thrace. lie made Milan and
pavia and Padua and Verona beg for
mercy, which he bestowed not The BY
pantine castles, to meet his ruinous levy,
Jut up at auction massive silver tables
md vases Of solid gold. When a city was
captured by him, the inhabitants were
brought out and put into three classes.
The first class, those who could bear arms,
must Immediately enlist under AttlIa or
bc butchered; the second class, the beauti-
1ul women, were made captlNes TO the
liunS; tho third class, the aged men ana
women, were robbed OF everything and let
go back to the city to pay "a heavy tax
scourgc of He'll.
1t was common saying that the grass
never grew where the hoof of Attila's
horse had trod. His armies Redeemed the
waters Of the Seine and the Mosolle anu
the Rhine with carnage and fought on the
Catalonian plains the flercest battle since
the world stood-300 600 dead left on the
field ON and on until all those who could
not oppose him with arms lay PROSTATE
on their faces in PRAYER then q cloud of
dust was seen in the distance, and bishop
cried, at is the aid of God" and all the
people took I'D the cry, 1T is the aid of
God" AS the cloud Of dust was blown
aside the banners of reinforcing armies
marched in to help against Attila, the
Scourge of God. " The most unimportant
occurrences he used as n supernatural re
source. After three months of failure to
capture the city of Aquilcia, when his
army had given up the siege, the flight
of n stork and her young from the tower
of the city was taken by him as "a sign
that he was to capture the city, and his
army, inspired with the same occurrence,
resumed the siege and took the walls at Il
point from which the stork had emerged
So brilliant was the conqueror in attire
that dis enemies could not look at him,
but shaded their eyes or turned their
heads
Slain on the evening of his marriage by
MS pr4ue' AiuIco VINO was hlreo ior the
hssassluatloh' MS followers peWalleu MN
ioo win Tears puu WIN plooa' culIillS
themselves WIN KNIVES ana lahces. lie
was put INTO three colllhs, thc nrst OF IRON
the secoHu OIL SILVER ana the 'hlru Oh golu
he was puflcu by Night ana INTO ms
grave were poureu inc most Naluaple COINS
anu precious Stones amounting TO the
"eaItn OF klhsuohi. Inc eraVedlg Rers
anu al uhose VINO assisted at the burial
~ero ihasslcred, so that IL would never be
known where SO much wealth. was en-
toinocu'
The Roman empire conquered the world
but Attila conquered the Roman empire
lie was right in calling himself a scourgo,
but instead OF being the Scourge OF God
lie was the scourge OF hell.
Because of his brilliancy and bitterness
the commentators might well have sup
posed him TO be the star Norwood of the
text. AS the regions he devastated wert
parts most opulent with fountains anC
streams and rivers, you see how graphic
any text Is; There fell great star iron
heaven, burning as it were lamp, anc
1T fell uDOn the third Dart of the rivers uuJ