The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-04-08
BITTERNESS OF LIFE.
DR.. Talmage Draws a Contrast Be-
tween Selfshness and Kindness.
Should Make the World n Pleasant
Place-Scatterers of NORWOOD
Are Likened to Attila
the Hun.

Inc contrast between Il llle Oh Sell
ishness and life of kindness is set
forth by DR.. Talmage while discours-
ing upon the baleful character of
conqueror of olden time; text, Rev.
elation viii. 10, IL: "There fell great
star from heaven, burning as it were
lamp, and it fell upon the third part
of the rivers and upon the fountains
of water, and the name of the star is
called NORWOOD"
Patrick and Lowth, Thomas Scott,
Matthew Henry, Albert Barnes and
some other commentators say that
the star Norwood of my text was
type of Attila, king of the Huns. He
was so called because he was brilliant
as a star, and. like NORWOOD, he en-
FILTERED everything be touched. We
have studied the Star of Bethlehem
and the 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 Bril-
liant Bitterness"
A more extra ordinary character his
tory does not furnish than this man
Attila, the king Of the Huns. The
story goes that one day wounded
heifer came limping along through the
fields, and herdsman followed its
bloody tracks on the grass to see
where the heifer was wounded, and
went on back farther and farther un-
til he came to sword fast in the
earth, the point downward, as though
it had dropped from the heavens, and
against the edges of this sword the
heifer had been cut. The herdsman
pulled up that sword and presented
it to Attila Attila said that sword
must have dropped from the heavens
from the grasp of the god Mars, and
its being given to him meant that At
tia should conquer and govern the
whole earth. Other mighty men have
been delighted at being called liber-
ators. or the Merciful or the Good,
but Attila called himself and demand
ed that others call him 'the Scourge
of Cod
At the head of 100000 troops, mount
ed on Cappadocian horses, he swept
everything from the Adriatic to the
Black sea. He put his iron heel on
made Milan and Pavia and Padua
and Verona beg for mercy, which he
bestowed not. The Byzantine castles,
to meet his ruinous levy, put up at
auction massive silver tables and vases
of solid gold. When city was cap
tured by him, the inhabitants were
brought out and put into three classes.
The first class, those who could bear
arms, must Immediately enlist under
Attila or be butchered; the second
class, the beautiful women, were made
captives to the Huns; the third class
the aged men and women, were robbed
of everything and let 60 back to the
city to pay heavy tax.
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 Moselle and the Rhine with car
mage and fought on the Catalonian
plains the fercest battles since the
world stood-3OO,OOO dead left oil the
field. On and on until all those who
could not oppose him with arms lay
prostrate on their faces in prayer
then cloud of dust was seen in the
distance, and bishop cried: at is
the aid of God" and all the people
took up the cry: ut 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 un
important occurrences he used as 9
supernatural resource. After three
months of failure to capture the city
of Aquileia, when his army had giver
up the siege, the fight of stork ant
her young from the tower of the city
was taken by him as sign that h
was to capture the city, and his army
inspired with the same occurrence
resumed the siege and took the walls
at point from which the stork hat
emerged.
Slain on the evening of his mariag
by his bride, Ildico, who was hiret
for the assassina ton, his followers be
walled him not with tears, but witt
blood, cutting themselves with knive
and lances. He was put into thre
collins, the first of iron, the second o
silver and the third of gold. He wa
buried by night, and into his grav
were poured the most valuable coin
and precious stones, amounting to tn
wealth of kingdom. The gravedig
gers and all those who assisted at tn
burial were massacred, so that i
would never be known where so muc
wealth was entombed.
The Roman empire conquered tn
world, but Attila conquered the Re
man empire. He was right in CALM
himself a scourge, but instead of be
ing "the Scourge of God" he was tn
scourge of hell.
Because of his brilliancy and bitter
ness the commentators might well hav
supposed him to be the star Wormwoo
of the text. AS the regions he devas
tated were parts most opulent wit
fountains and streams and rivers, 20
see how graphic my text is: "Ther
fell great star from heaven, burnin