Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-04

nfyA tiny. Every man who has risen
wv to mastery among men, owes it.
as a rule, to the influence and inspiration
of some woman The power exerted by
woman is such that the history Of every
great advance has been marked by the
molding genius of some woman who has
heard the cali of God to service Joan of
Arc. responded to the vol es that sum-
1noned her to duty. Her dark hours came
when, in response to the kings request,
she tarried for the strife when the voice
was calling her home.
Esther tho heroine OF our lesson. was
drawn into the political vortex of the cor
rupt court to save her people from the
perils of persecution that threatened the
conlriete extinction of the great jewish
people. The scene of Esther's success was
the palace at Susa about which rests the
halo of biblical interest. Thanks largely
TO the dis oyeries of Dievlafoy Shushdn
the palace" has been WILDLY and accu-
rately restored as q result OF TINS eminent
explorers excavations.
Two large rooms of the Louvre IN
Paris contain the antiquities brought by
NJ. Dieylafoy from Susa The palace has
been restored in model so that the en-
yironment for the dramatic events re-
corded in Esther can be seen l, was IN
heard of the broken down condit on OF the
walls of Jerusalem, the city of his IA
theirs.
Daniel was transported in vision to this
palace to receive the revelation of COD
Another scene. marked by excessive
drunkenness, must be recalled before we
can understand the circumstances OF the
story of how Esther. the captive orphan
queen. Xerxes the Great. for tbs is the
name by which Ahasuerus Of our lesson
is known summoned for a great imperial
conference and banquet the nob.e warriors
of his vast empire to consider the ques-
ton of making war upon the Greeks
whose interests ciaShed with the FER
SANS.
The success of xerxes in putting down
az instruction among the Egyptians led
the mobiles to favor war The commerce,
colonies, civilization. as we'll as the cities.
country and culture of Greece. faced
crisis that threatened their very exist
ence Xerxes recruited an army of over
a million men, which he led across the
Hell espont. along the coast OF Tnrace
crushed by defeat ard he fastened to his
capital, at Susa. 1t was during the BAN
quet after they had decided to give bat
tie to Greece that the king summoned
yashti his queen, to appear to show her
beauty. She refused. She was divorced
for her contumacy. Our sympathfes go
out to the wronc ed queen. We can have
only contempt and condemnation for the
king.
While Xerxes was absent. bridging the
Hellespont, cutting a canal through the
peninsula through Athos. marching the
plains Of Thessaly. winning the costly
victory at Thermopylae, capturing and
destroying Athens and meeting defeat at
Salamis, in all the provinces of the king
dom the fairest virgin was sought
wife for the king. When the cowardly
XerXes returned Esther was chosen to
he queen because of her surprising beau
~ The glamour of such a court could
offer no attractions to a Christian girl
of today The picture of the sadness and
debasement OF woman in those days
shows by contrast what the teachings of
Christ have done for women The en-
trance of Esther into the court gave her
the opportunity to serve and save her
people. The name of God does not appear