The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-06-09
INTERNATIONAL S. S. LESSON
june 10, 1900; Mark Vi, 1929.
peath o. Iohn &c pAptlgt.

Death Of John the Baptist.
Extremes met in tha fortress palace
Of Herod Antlpas on the occasion Of his
birthday banquet. NazaritIsh abste-
mIousness kept vigil In the dungeon.
Herodun wantonness blazed and reelad
In the banquet chamber. saif-obiivtous
devotion below Is matched By an over
woenlng ambition above. This forgiving
spirit ready to pray for dcsptterut users
rs offset by a vlndlctlyc thirst for the
blood Of one whose very NE WAS re-
bukc to dinners. on the inky agate OF
the HerudIan court the character of
John the Baptist stood out in high re-
lief, u clear-cut cameo of snowy luster,
II any Herod ever needed n
post graduate course in the art Of lux
ury this onu had 1t. He received his
finishing touches during his visit to
Rome. AT that capital Of dcbauchery
he contracted the lnCestuous and adul-
tcrous connection which called forth
the Baptlsts stern and constant ut Is
mt inyful," This banquet
comes to have been, In part at least,
military affair ARlpas was ton ting
and feastIng his chiliarchs, He was put
ting them In heart for tho war into
which hts unnatural crime had Plunged
him. Their ivory couches rested upon
the tcssrlIatod lloor Of the banquet hall
In the marble palace, within the I'M
prpgnubla fortress Of Machaerus. The
totrarch's courlcrs had brought ip haste
from every quarter the daintiost vtnnds
of fish, flesh and fowl, while wine flied
golden goblcts to thulr brim AMI the air
was scented with Jet and spray OF per-
fumc. Hcrolas was In her
boudoIr. Ambition was her ruling vice.
She had discarded her rlghtful husband
father ~ her beautiful daughter be-
cause, forsooth, he had no tits. She
married one who had already sustained
the relation Of uncle ana brothcT-in-law
to her. and In doing no Displaced u loyal
wife from her husbands side,
At length H,rodIns had title and nu-
mrlous palaces and fnwning courtlers,
but shc had also \ Nemesis, whose I'M
pcrlouB 1T Is not lawful' neither thrrnt
nor eaJeiary nor bride could silence
Her strait was desperate. Th2 uncom-
promiylng preacher OF righteousness
was making progress with her para
mour II he converted him she would
be- discarded and all would DO lost She
had secured the Bupttsts imPrlseH-
ment hut locks and bars seemed no
restrunt to the subtle influence. while
his dungeon wallis seemed to echo, 1T
Ia not lawful" with ever louder de-
donations. The desperate and
wicked woman baitad her hook with her
daughters modcsty, und went angling
In thu pool OF drunken rpvclry When
AntIps found himself caught he lacked
moral courage to snap the hook, He
feared to vcN Ilcrodhs and had super
stltlous sCruples about breaking his
oath. lie doubted the effect OF his vac
llatlon upon the Courtlpra anu chill
lurchs whom he was seeking by this
very banquet TO attach more slonely to
hlnsplr ON mo otber hand no was
anmr,na,s,yo ~ ,hc rrcct on ,hr p,opls
OF the murder Of ono who stood 30 high
",,s ~, nwnI,r no,n, In Ma c,recr.
WIN ~, ,nromors chn,cn o, ,his bnur
Il, hoean m, Irsc,r, which terminated
In disgrace. exile, death, A
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