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

tnie vnApo,of tree uc planted beside u
roscbush, it grows little higher than the
bush and spreads out above 1t a crown
II 1t be planted by tho side of another
tree it grows n little higher than that
tree and spreads above it u crown Would
God thnt this religion of Christ u more
wonderful emperor tree, might ovcrshadow
all your lives Are you lowly in ambition
or circumstance, putting over you its
CROWN Are you high in talent and posi-
ton, putting over you its CROWN Oh
for more of the saccharin in our lives ana
less of the wormwood
What is true of individuals Is true OF
nations. God sets them up to rcvovc a
stars, but they may fall wormwood. Tyr
tho atmosphere of the desert, fragraT
with spices coming in caravans to he
fairs; all seas cleft into foam by the kce.
of her laden merchantmen; her market
rich with horses and camcls from ToRdr
nah; the bazaar filled with upholstery
from Dcdan, with emerald and coral ant
agate from Syria, with mines from llcl
bon, with embroidered work from Ashu
and Chilmad. Where now the CLEAN o.
her towers? Where the roar of her char
iotsy Where W masts of her ships? Let
the fishermen who dry their nets whcr,
once she stood, let the sea that rushcs
upon the barrenncss where once she chal
lcngcd the admiration of all nations, let
| the barbarians who set their rude tent.
where once her palaces glittcred, answer
| the questions She was star, but by her
| own sin turned to NORWOOD, and has
fallen
Star of NORWOOD.
Hundred gated Thebes, for all time to
| be the study of antiquarian and hicrog
| yphist; her stupendous ruins spread
! Jver ~ miles; her sculptures presenting
n figures of warrior and chariot the vic
cries with which the now forgotten kings
| Egypt shook the nations; her obelisks
| nd columns, karnak and Luxor, the
upendous temples of her pride. Who can
uagne the greatness of Thebes in those
dys, when the hippodromc rang with her
ports and foreign royalty bowed at her
| hrines aud her avenues roared with the
vheels of professions in the wake of re
urning conqu0rorsy What dashed down
he vision g chariots and temples and
| hronesP What hands pulled upon the col
| INNS of her glory? What ruthlessncss de
iced her sculptured wall and broke ODE
SKIS, and LETT her understandable temples
'reat skeletons of graniteY What spirit of
I
her royal sepulchers and taught the
liserable cottagers of today to build huts
/ the courts of her temples and sent desc
.ton and ruin skulking behind the obc
SKIS and lodging among the sarcophagi
nd leaning against the columns, ano
looping under the arches, and weeping
II the water which go mournfully by At
hough they vere carrying the tears of a
lgess Let u G mummies break their lon
silence and come up to SILVER in the desc
lation and point to fallen gates and shat
tered statues and dcfnced sculpture, re
spending: "Thcbes bailt not one tempt
to God. Thebcs hated righteousness an
loved sin. ,hebes was a star, but sh,
turned to woImwo od and has fallen.
Babylon, nth her $50 towers and hcl
brazen gates and her embattled walls, the
splendor Of the earth gathered within hei
gates, her hanging gardens built by Neb
uchadnezzar TO please his bride, Amytis
who had been brought up in "a mountain
Gus country and could not endure the fla
country round Babylon. These hanging
gardens, built terrace above terrace till n
the height OF 400 feet there were wood
waving and fountains playing the yer
durc, the foliage, the glory looking as if
mountain were on the wing On the tip
top king walking with his queen
Among the statues, snowy white looking
up at birds brought from distant land
and drinking out Of tankards of solid golC
or looking of over rivers and lakes upol
nations subdued and tributary, crying
lis not this great Babylon which l hay,
built?"
Salvation For Millions.
What battering ram smote the walls
What plowshare upturned tho gardens
What army shattered the brazen gates
What long, fierce blast of storm put on
this light which illuminated the world
What crash of discord drove down the mu
sic that poured from palace window ant
garden grove and called the banqueters T.
their revel and the dancers to their feet
] walk upon the scene Of desolation to fin,
an answer and pick up pieces Of bituIe
and brick and broken pottery, the remain
of Babylon. | hear the wild waves say
ing, Babylon was proud, Babylon wa
impure, Babylon was IA star, but by si
She turned to wormwood and has fallen.
From the prosecutions of the pilgrim
; fathers and the Huguenots in other land
God set upon these shores II nation Tn
council fires of the aborigines went out i
, the greater light of free government
ed for the thousand wheels of enterpris
and progress The mild winters, tn
fruitful summers, the healthful skie.
charmed from other lands race Of hard
men, who loved God and wanted to l.
free. Before the woodman's ak forest
! fell and ross again into ships masts an
!. churches pillars Cities on the banks c
% lakes began to rival cities by the sea. Tn
land quakes with the rush of the rail cal
and the waters are churned white with tn
steamers wheel. Fabulous bushels {
western wheat meet on the way fabulou
tons Of eastern coal Furs from the mort
+ pass on the rivers fruits from the soutl
and trading in the same market are Main
luInberman and South Carolina rice mel
; chant and Ohio farmer and Alaska fu
= dealer and churches and schools and asy
lums scatter light and love and mercy an
: salvation upon 10000, 900 people
', The Lords Goodness.
n / pray that our nation may not COPY tn
crimes OF nations that have persisted
v that our cup of blessing turn not
a NORWOOD and we go down. l am by n;
, ture and by grace an optimist, and l G,
poet that this country will continue to nc
10 vance until the world shall reach the mi
- lcnnial era Our only safety is in RICH
j. eousness toward God and justice towar
= man, If we forget the goodness of I'll
J. Lord to this land and break his Sabbath
70 and improve nc by the dire disasters thu
70 have again and again come to us rs PEE
IS pie, and we learn saving lesson Meth,
O. from civil war nor raging epidemic, mt
i, drought NOR w'dcw NOR scnurge OF Il