Connecticut western news., 1900-10-25
A PRECIOUS BURDEN.
SCION OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID IN
 JEhosHEBAS ARMS.

JEhoSHEBAS ARMS.
 Dr. Talmaxe Draws . Lesson From ! the Slaughter of the Prtnoes-Ex- horts Parents to Lead Their Chil- drsn to Christ.
 WASHINGTON, Oct. 21.-In this dis course on . neglected incident of the Bible Dr. Talmage draws some com forting lessons and shows that all around us are royal natures that we may help deliver. The text Is II Kings xii, ?, 8: "Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the kings sons which were slain, and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years"
 Grandmothers are more lenient with their children's children than they were with their own. At 40 years of age if discipline be necessary chastise- ment is used but at 70 the grandmoth- CT, looking upon the misbehavior of the grandchlld, Is apologetic and disposed to substitute confectionery for whip. There Is nothing more beautiful than childhood. Grandmother takes out her pocket handkerchief and wipes her spectacles and puts them on and looks <l t,,k> (o nfh hor Sah and rebellious descendant and says: "1 don't think he meant to do 1t. Let him off this time. I'll be responsible for his behavior in the future" My mother, with the second generation around her, a boisterous crew, said one day: T suppose they ought to be disciplined, but I can't do 1t. Grandmothers are not fit to bring up grandchildren" But here in my text we have a grandmoth- CT of different type.
 have been at Jerusalem, where the occurrence of the text took place, and the whole scene came vividly before me while I was going over the site of the ancient temple and climbing the towers of the kings palace. Here in the text 1t Is old Athaliah, the royal murderess. She ought to have been honorable. Her father was king. Her husband was king. Her son was a king. And yet we find her plotting for the extermination of the entire roy al family, including her own grand children. The executioners' knives are sharpened. The palace is red with the blood of princes and princesses. On all sides are shrieks and hands thrown up and struggle and death groan. No mer- cy! Kill, kill! But while the ivory floors of the palace run with carnage and the whole land Is under the shad- ow of a great horror a fleet footed wo- man, a clergyman's wife, Jehosheba by name, stealthily approaches the im- perial nursery, seizes upon the grand child that had somehow as yet escap- ed massacre, wraps it up tenderiy but in haste, snuggles 1t against her, flies down the palace stairs, her heart in her throat lest she be discovered in this compassionate abduction. Get her out of the way as quick you can, for she carries precious burden, even a young king. With this youthful prize she presses into the room of the an cient temple, the church of olden time, unwraps the young king and puts him down, sound asleep as he Is and unconscious of the peril that has been threatened, and there for six years he is secreted in that church apartment. Meanwhile old Athaliah smacks her lips with satisfaction and thinks that all the royal family are dead. But the six years expire, and 1t Is time for young Joash to come forth and take the throne and to push back into dis grace and death old Athaliah.
 Come to Light.
 The arrangements are all made for political revolution. The military come and take possession of the temple, swear loyalty to the boy Joash and stand around for his defense. See the sharpened swords and the furnished shields! Everything Is ready. Now Joash, half afrrighted at the armed tramp of. his defenders, scared at the vociferation of his admirers, Is brought forth in full regalia. The scroll of au- thority is put in his hands, the coronet of government is put on his brow, and the people clapped and waved and hug zaed and trumpeted. What Is thatp said Athaliah. What Is that sound over in the templeT And she flies to see, and on her way they meet her and say: "Why, haven't you heardf You thought you had slain all the royal family, but Joash has come to light" Then the royal murderess, frantic with rage, grabbed her mantle and tore 1t to tatters and cried until she loaned at the mouth: You have no right to crown my grandson. You have no right to take the government from my shoulders. Treason, treasonw
 While she stood there crying that the military started for her arrest. and she took a short cut through a back door of the temple and ran through the royal stables, but the battleaxes of the mili- tary fell on her in the barnyard, and for many a day when the horses were Ibeing unloosened from the chariot aft CT drawing out young Joash the fiery
 steeds would snort and rear passing the place as they smell the place of the
 carnage.
 The first thought I hand you from
 this subject Is that the extermination
 of righteousness Is an impossibility. When a woman is good. she Is apt to
 be very good, and when she Is bad she is apt to be very bad, and this Athaliah was one of the latter sort. She would exterminate the last scion of the house tof David, through whom Jesus was to
 eome. There was plenty of work for
 embalmers and undertakers. She would
 clear the land of all God fearing and God loving people. She would put an end to everything that could in any.
 wise interfere with her imperial crim- anality. She folcs her hands and says
 '"The work Is done. It is completely