Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-10-07


almost identically In the position Of
the brave Roman lady. ARIA by name.
whose husband, Octavia Paetus. was
convicted Of one OF the most heinous
Of all crimes, treason. lie was not
only n traitor, hut coward. The
findings Of the court declared that he
must die the death of suicide. Fear
ing to take his own life. his wife. who
stood by his side In the courtroom,
picked up dagger and plunged II
into her own heart Then as she was
about TO totter and fall she handed
this dagger to her husband, saying:
"Paetus. II does not hurt. Hurry. Be
quick and die with me-" ARIA was
willing TO die for her disgraced hus-
band. Queen Esther was ready to lay
down her life for the Hebrew people, a
collection Of despised captives
She was ready TO do In the capital OF
Shushan what that greatest Of all hui
man leaders, Moses, who was called
the son Of pharaoh's daughter, had
been ready 20 do In the Egyptian capt.
tal-to die She was ready to do In
Shushan whit David Livingstone had
been ready to do In Africa. and Hud-
son Taylor In China. and John Patton
IN the New Hebrides, and as Judson
and Brainard and John Elliott and
Father Marquette and Father Damien
were ready to do for the despised peo-
piles TO whom they ministered. She was
ready To do as the hosts Of Christian
martyrs did In the times OF the Roman
prosecutions. She was ready 10 DO as
the Salvation Army girls are doing
down In the slums Of great city. She
was ready 10 give up her life for those
who are despised and downtrodden
and helpless. as you and I should no
willing to try TO lift the fallen ones up
out OF sin. up out Of ignorance. up out
or superstition. up out Of moral, mental
and physical filth. God help us to be
like Queen Esther and to he ready. in
the name Of Christ. TO surrender our
lives for despised, downtrodden and
sinful race
The Honor of a Wife.
But as | follow the noble resolution
OF this brave woman l am struck with
another overwhelming fact Queen Es-
ther was willing to defy all the social
conventionalities that govern oriental
Ideas Of woman. She was ready II nee.
essary to lay down her life for some
ex-slaves. But she was ready to do
more than this. She was ready to
wrench this concession II possible from
very bad man. King Ahasuerus
lived In the depraved east In a de-
PRAYED age. but he must have been a
most notorious example even In that
vile generation. No man but the most
morally corrupt. even In the depraved
east IL willing To allow wife TO incur
dishonor before other men. The more
depraved man ~. as a rule, the more
no tries TO guard and shield the honor
Of his wife from the depravities OF
other men.
strosity. man lost TO all semblance of
deccncy and honor. wish his wife to ell
ter banquet hall filed with drunk
ards nnd social lcpers. as King Alias
ucrus demanded OF Queen Vashti?
Why, even In India. where love Is new
err reckoned as nm essential OF the mar
riage altar and where virtue In q man
Is looked upon as an unknown quaint
| ty. the women are protected. The
wives and the sisters and the daugh-
tiers are shut up In harcns. They are
not even allowed To look upon the faces
OF their fathers and brothers after
marriage. a woman IL guarded from
the eyes Of the world until her death.
II the wife OF Hindoo travels she 10
carried TO the station inclosed IN con
yeyance which suggests big coffin.
,, Then big sheet or curtain IL thrown
from the chr door over this box. and
the wife. heavily yelled. crawis into
drawn and every door tightly shut. II
Is considered n disgrace for her to be
seen by man. No sooner does man
enter street where the women are
than the cry Is raised. The men. the
men" And every woman PUSHES In
doors. fearing the eyes OF man as she
would the fangs Of deadly cobra. II
i u nun NOT UuSDuuu UT " son uure ell
ter the womcns apartments he Is shot
down or cut into pieces. rs though he
We're mad dog And yet here In licen-
tious Shushan we find King Ahasuerus
demanding that his wife unveil herself
before drunken and debauchcd men.
Yet II was TO this VIGOROUSLY depraved
monarch that Queen Esther was to
plead for the salvation Of doomed
race.
Is there no practical application OF
this Incident? Yes. II you and are
ever to accomplish much good in this
world we must work through many
different kinds OF instrumentalities. II
q man IL notorious libertine or scoun-
drel. that Is no reason why You and
should regard him as wholly out OF
the reach Of effort and beyond recla-
nation. Mr.. Moody started his great
Sunday school in Chicago by bravely
going and asking a dissolute saloon
keeper for his children that he might
teach them Of Jesus. Young Moody
1 a -. n