Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-06-21

VI NluR COlOulOu WIS ITEI VVHIGu DY
the queen Of sheba before ehc came to
the Jerusalem capital to visit the wis.
est of all men. Legend tells us TINT
she first sent q letter to Solomon by
her ambassadors. Accompanying these
ambassadors she sent 500 youths dress
cd as maidens and 800 maidens dress.
ed as youths. Then she sent n chnlice
and n diamond ~intricately pierced.
Then, writes DR.. Kitto, the letter was
supposed to read thus: "As u true
prophet thou wilt be able to separate
the maidcns from the boys, perforate
the diamond and fill the goblet with
water that hath not dropped from the
clouds nor gnshed forth from the earth
beneath" Legend tells us further that
King Solomon told the ambassadors the
contents Of the letter before it was
opened. Then he solved the three rid
dies In the following way: First he
placed a basin Of water before ench
youth and maiden, and by the way
they washed he was able to distinguish
the boys from the girls. Second, he
threaded the intricately pierced dia-
mond by compelling n small worm to
crawl through the crystal labyrinth.
while there was tied TO the body Of the
worm n small silkcn thread. Thirdly,
he filed the golden goblet with water
which had not fallen from the heavens
above or gushed up from the waters
beneath by driving n colt around and
around and around until his latlcrcd
TANKS were covered with foam and
filed the goblet TO tho brlin. These ex-
nmples of the wisdom of Solomon may
be only fables; but, whether they nre
fables or not, n fact We do know.
and that Is that the wisdom OF King
Solomon stands rs n type Of the MI
knowing wisdom, the wisdom Of an
omniscient. all seeing Cod
God Knows Everything.
IL It not q blessed satisfaction to you
that God knows everything? The world
for years may have been misjndging
and condemning us, o because It is
m unjust world ut heart, but simply
because its knowledge Is so meagcr
How differently the world would treat
Il Washington or a Lincoln II they
could only come back to earth. How
differently we would treat our own
dear ones II we only knew the true
conditions Of their lives. | think the
saddest remark I ever heard af any
one making was by n dear member of
my church. She was lying in bed about
TO die of Il cancer. One day she looked
UP and said: II wonder If God will ever
forgive me for being irritable and fault
think | was not to blame for being
cross. I sometimes think that this can
Ger has been working upon me and I'M
dermining my system for years and
years. and ! did not know 1t. and my
|irritabillty was due to my sickness and
not because my nature was naturally
cross" All, yes, the world may not
know the causes of Il actions, but
God knows. Is it not a blessed thought
TO YOU that God knows YOUR every
thought and your every deed and does
not misinterpret your actions. as the
world so often does: He knows all
Yes. all.
King Solomon. in the next place. was
not a man Of blood. He was not the
central figure of %sanguinary battle
fields. His chief musical instinct was
not the bugle to sound forth the clarion
call to arms. He was the prince OF
peace. He was the creator and the de
veloper of a nations industries during
ar era when the sword was turned into
n plowshare and the spear into a prun
ing hook. He was not like a Napoleon
or n Frederick the Great or a Caesar
or an Alexander or n Cyrus or an Ar
t%axerXes. whose greatest claim to fame
was dependent upon the rapidity witt
which they could unshcath theil
swords and the uncrring power Will
which they could strike and destroy
trembling foe. But King solomon.
greatest claim TO fame rests upon III,
fact that he was a builder and not ;
destroyer, a creator and not a con
queror.
Rivers of Gold.
Like Moses bringing forth waite
from Ilorcb, King Solomon lifted hi,
magic wand and struck the hard bowl
ders Of national finance, and at one,
there gushed forth rivers of moltel
gold. Work. work, work, there seemed
TO be plenty of work in his kingdom
There was work for everybody an,
high wages and prosperity for all. A.
we wander today over the hillsidcs W.
find them covered with orchards. TIL
trees are bending so low under thu
weight of the fruit that the branchet
have to he propped up. When we q
down into the valleys W. find then
covered with the golden headed har
vests. When we go down to the sea
shore we hear the "Yo. hcavc." of tn,
sailors whose ships have come from
Tarshish. The busy marts are crowd
ed with merchantmen. The fat, wei
fed cattle are upon n thousand hills
The long caravans. heavy laden witt
gold and silver and ivory and preciou
spices and silks and rare treasures o
all sorts, arc crossing the deserts iron
fie east and the south. All. yes, ncve
was there such an era Of prosperity n
that of the Solomonic reign. Read tn
ninth chapter of Kings and sccon'
chapter Of Ecclesiastcs IL you woul'
know what was the extent of that pros
perity. 80 ! was great" That al
ludes not only to his own individual
greatness, but also to the greatness o
his people. And Increased more thai
all that were before me in Jerusalem
Also my wisdom remained with me
A, ,-l >t,>n nro, Io.;,>J