Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-11-10
. WoMAN's PLOT F0iLeD

~ ~ UsFNuV 1Ox n
This might almost be a story from
modern china or Turkey, but it is
really a page from the history of the
ancient kingdom of Judah. The trick
of numbering all possible aSpirants to
a throne is not singular to the s%ultans;
and there have been other cruel. mnlip-
mi and .desrotie Women usurpers
The resemblance. between the latter
and Queen Athaliah, however, is so
marked as to be of interest.
TIE situation in Judah was this:
Good King J~ehoshaphat had a foolish
son. Jehoram. who made what the So
ciety papers would call "a brilliant
match" marrying the daughter of the
princess and Israelite queen. This
daughter was true to the blood of her
infamous mother, and Athaliah proved
to be a second Jezebel. She was
shrewd. etrongwilled. and a determined
partisan of the heather god, Baal. 1t
Is universally true that a wick ed, force
full woman is as powerful an angel of
darkness as the hosts of light hav had
to contend with; and SO it proved in
his case.
When Athaliah's son. Ahaziah.
reiSned, he was merely the puppet of
his mothers will. Upon his sudden
death. after "A brief reign, she conceived
the purpose to be queen In name, as
we'll as In fact, so the slew all OF the
possible heirs apparent to the throne.
All except one; the infant Joash, son
of King Ahaziah, was spirited away by
his aunt. the wife of Jehoida. the high
priest of Jehovah. Cared for by a faith
full nurse. he was kept In hiding for six
years, n then proclaimed king, thus
foiling Athaliah's plot and securing the
kingly succession to David's line.
A MARRIAGE AND SOME CoNSE-
QUENcES.
This story has a bearing upon the big
question of marriage and divorce which
has been steadily forced upon the at
tention OF the public during recent
months. Most of the bloody crimes
and dreadful SHINING of this period, In
both Israel n Judah were due to I'M
wise marriages., in which the relation
had beer entered into at the bidding
of ambition and self interest, rather
than of sincere and o affection.
Ahab married Jezebel, and Jehoram
married her daughter Athal.ah. The
weddings were great social occasions,
but they were national disasters
Idolatry, oppression, war. murder and
u~nspealSable misery were direct results
of these alliances. The wise Sunday
school teacher will not neglect this OPP
%portunity to speak frank. sensible
words to his class of young men or
young women. concerning the marriage
relation.
ONE WoMAN's POWER.
Athaliah was a strong character: an
is doubly dangerous. The boy and girl
with traits OF leadership and natural
ability should be the special object
of the solicitude of parents, teachers
and friends. that they may be led into
right ways, and thus become leaders
of others. The world owes much to
Lord Shaftesbury's old Scotch nurse,
to Lincoln's s~tep-mother, and to the
countless other unknown persons who
countless other unknown persons who
That influenced humanity.
In her unrestrained wickedness and
a vaulting ambition that would rather
reign in hell h a serve in heaven
Athaliah conceived the daring idea of
sweeping from her path all opposition.
Little did she reckon the forces against
which she thus arrayed herself. The
selfish person is always at odds with
the universe. The deepest feelings of
the Hebrew people were violated by
this foreign usurper. for she aimed to
exterminate the household of David,
their first n dearest king. and the
man OF prophecy. Furthermore, she
set herself against the religion Of Je-
'hovah, which still had hosts of adher-
ents in Judah. The national and the
religious spirit were thus both antag-
onized.
WOMAN AGAINST WOMAN.
The first agent in thwarting the cruel
queens designs. 1t is interesting to note,
was another woman. Jehosheba. the
daughter of Athaliah's own husband.
1t was woman's cunning matched
against woman's cruelty. The younger
woman was working on h side of Je-
hovah. and SO she won. Her immediate
ally was her husband, Jehoida, the high
priest. Together they rescued the in
FAINT JOash, at the time of the slaughter
of the innocents, and concealed him in
a temple chamber where the bedding
was stored. A faithful nurse was a
party to the scene; and as Queen Ath-
allah and her cOurtier never went near
the temple Of the Lord. 1t was COM
paratively asy to preserve the secret.
The situation was a dramatic one.
The queen on her throne thought that
h was secure without opposition or
rivel. Yet all the while the baby prince
lived in ~concealment. He was only an
infant-a tiny little bit of humanity,
snuffed out, yet in his frail person CEN
tered he hope of Judah and the full
hlment of the. prophecy OF God. Only
q baby; but enough, for he was one
with Gods purpose. which Is irresis-
THE PEOPLE AND A MAN.
All Judah seethed with mutterings
the people. their religion, had been In
suited. They were rcbellious at heart,
and yet hopeless. They saw no light:
submission seemed the only thing pos
slble. To their discouraged and UNI
believing hearts. Gods caust had sur