Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-10
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
For Aug 13.-Esther
BY DIR. MARION NIGH. HULL

| ders, he was called on for an opin.
ion as to what should be done. He
played upon the kings weakness
and put it in the light of making q
public example of one in such a high
position as the queen. 1t is hard to
say whether he was one of those
deSpicable characters who advise
what they think the person asking
wants or whether he had a shreW of
a wife at home whom he couldn' t
handle and wanted help from the
law.
| Wives were regarded in the east
as mere property, like sheep and
oxen; and it is easy to see how such
a law could have been passed. But
it was a law that could not be en-
forced in a country like this, even
| if it was desirable, for a determined
woman could still rule her husband
and even public sentiment couldn t
help him any
|, Memucan's trouble was that he
! proceeded from the wrong point of
vieW-he thought rule should be by
despotism; it will not work. Rule
must be by love. Any man can rule
his wife absolutely today by loving
her. She will do anything he wants
done if she sees that.
VaSIlti
| Memucan'6 advice makes us con-
sider NaShti's refusal; was she right
or wrong? Our first impression is
that she was right. Ahasuerus was
asking her to break over all the
bounds of custom. Persian women
live a most secluded life, and are
never seen by men outside Of the
harem. Ahasuerus demanded that
she come and exhibit herself before
a drunken lot of men, who because
of the effect of wine in inflaming
the passions and at the same time
destroying the inhibitions, would I'M
doubtedly have subjected her to the
grossest insults Vashti regarded
| her seIf-respect and her Womanly
virtues more than her own position
or life itself, for she fully realized
that to refuse such q peremptory de-
mand was fraught. with the danger
of life itself.
However,, there is another side.
Vashti had been giving a banquet
to the women at the same time that
the men had been feasting and
drinking, and since drinking was
such an overwhelming fault of the
Persians it is highly probable that
the women had been drinking heav-
| lily too. Under these circumstances
| it is possible that her refusal was a
kind of daredevil independence that
she would not have displayed had
| she been herself. Remember, she
was a woman Of SURPRISING beauty,
who knew nothing about God. There
is no more dangerous person on
earth today than a beautiful woman
who doesn't know Christ. She might
go to any length-and they do.
Was Vashti right or wrong then?
Was her punishment an injustice
or just retribution?
Hannah
Hannah was the personification Of
vanity and vanity is magnified
egotism. Vanity feeds upon the
glorification of self and depends for
it's sustenance upon the other per-
son. Pride may be satisfied by ones
own self but vanity must have the
praise of others. Hannah was in
ordinately vain, for while he had
been exalted to the first place in
the great Persian kingdom he was
keeper would not give him the obei-
sance he thought he should have. He
recounted to his family the various
things he had, was exceedingly
puffed up by the fact that he alone
had been invited to Esther's banquet
and then again the next day too--but
none of these things satisfied him
as long as Mordecai, the Jew,
| Il
His vanity showed itself also in
his supposing that there was no
one else whom the king would de-
light to honor so much as himself,
and it was a terrible blow to him to
have to act as valet to the despised
Jew for whom he had had a gallows
made fifty cubits high.
Vanity is cruel. 1t cares not what
others suffer so long as it is salts
fed. This cruelty reached its height
in Haman's plan to annihilate a
whole race because one member of
it had offended him.
Hannah had energy and determina-
ton. He knew what he wanted and
he set out with energy and determl-
nation to get it done. He secured
the order of the king and put the
whole postal system of the empire
into operation at once. So effective
was this that there was mourning
and fasting among the Jews through
out the whole of the empire very
shortly.
Such a fault usually overreaches
itself, however, and Hannah soon
found that he had been outwitted
by a clever woman and had built a
gallows for himself. His real char
acter and cowardice are shown when
he begs for his life, being so indis-
Greet as to throw himself on Esther S
. couch.
His wife, Zeresh, knew how to
! handle him, for she had learned that
he must be pleased if he would be
, directed. 1t was she who suggested
that the gallows for Mordecai be
made, not so much that she desired
that particular form of death for
! him, but that it would tickle
Hamans vanity. She was super
F stitious, though; for when Hannah
+. came back to tell how Inundated he
had been to walk over town leading
the kings horse with Mordecai on
it's, back, she warned him to look
; out for this man if he was of the
: Jewish race. She had seen them and
: known something of their marvellous
history and was convinced that
something superhuman was guard
! ing and guiding them.
. Mordecai ...-
This grand old man stands out in
=