Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-12

hlHSuoiH IOT SUCH tAHc 40 ttho'
Esther Ala.
Darius Hystaspes was the grand
son of Cyrus. He became great
king and was called the Great Shah
or ArtaXerXes. The Hebrew form OF
this Greek word is AhaSuerus.
In the third year of his reign after
signal victory he had a great cele-
bration for all his princes and SER
wants. The festivities lasted SIX
months. They were closed with a
great feast that lasted seven days.
The preparations were elaborate and
luxurious, and among other things
royal wine was served in costly and
diverse vessels of gold.
At the same time Vashti made
feast for the ladies.
On the last day, under the 1nflu-
ence of wine, the king commanded
Vashti to be brought before the king
and princes to show her beauty.
Whe you remember that ersian wo-
men are so yelled that they cannot
be seen by any man you may appre-
ciate in a manner how far the king
had forgotten himself to think for
moment of humiliating his queen
by causing her to make show of
herself. Every bit Of wOmanly mod
esty in II revolted, and she rightly
refused to obey such an order, even
though it came from despotic king.
His anger burned within him; his
wine had as much to do with this as
her refusal had. He turned to his
unwise wise men for advice. MENU
can was the spokesman; he evidently
had had trouble at home, and
thought it wisdom that every wife
in the kingdom should hear of this
and there would be no end Of
trouble unless the queen were sum
marily dealt with. She should be
deposed. What would any woman
care if the queen had been deposed
if she had such a foolish husband
as Memucan?
The king must have regrstted his
rash step after he was over his
cups, but the law of the Modes and
Persians was unalterable even
though it was a bad law. And this
was the best evidence Of its being
a poor system. To continue a mis-
take after it has been recognised is
only to multiply the mistakes, and
no amount of mistakes will ever
make a thing right.
The 0eposal of Vashti was the oc-
casion of a Jewish girl, Hadassah,
being elevated to the position of
first lady of 1.-THE land, the favorite
wife of the King among all women
in the harem. Her beauty attracted
the attention of the officers who
ranked and combed the land for fair
young maidens; and her beauty of
character as we'll as of face won her
favor in the sight of Hagai, the
kings chamberlain. No one in the
palace knew to what race she be-
longed, for her uncle Mordecai, who
had raised his orphan neice, had in
structed her not to tell it. After a
years training she was chosen by
the king, and crowned, and Toasted
amid great rejoicing throughout the
kingdom. 1t was in the tenth month
of the seventh year of his reign that
this event took place.
MOrdecai's Promotion
All went we'll for five years. Ha,
man, the prime minister, had devel-
oped an enormous growth of egotism.
He was inordinately vain because he
had developed a greatly exaggerated
opinion of himself. Hannah was not
crazy, but was on the borderIand,
for insanity is usually characterized
by an inordinate opinion of self
With his vanity he was cruel; he
would stop at nothing that sttod in
the way Of his attaining his object.
1t CALLED him greatly when an old
Jew who had position at the gate
refused him homage. He broodej
over it until, insp1te Of everything
that he had, he could not be happy
until Mordecai honored him. Since
Mordecai would not do this, ne plan
ned his death, by foul means, and
not only his death, but the annihila-
ton of all of Mordecai's people. 1t
seems to me that Mordeca: must
have told Hannah why he could not
bow to him, as that was the homage
which he and his people could only
give to God. If, therefore, MOrdc-
cal would not do it, neither would
the others, and he would get rid of
them land his chief troubles at one
stroke. The death order had al.
ready been signed, the day for the
massacre had been set, and the pos
tai system had been occupied, spread
ing news. Hannah had even made a
gallows fifty cubit high upon which
to hang MOrdecai.
Mordecai's knowledge of the dan
ger Of his people brought him to
tears and mourning bitterly.
Through him the knowledge reach
ed the Jewish queen. and with d
copy of the decree of death came to
her his charge that she should go
into the king and plead for her peo-
pies salvation
Esther sent word, calling his at
tention to the danger that she would
take in doing this; and Mordecai's
reply was to the effect that she had
no right TO count the danger to her
self when her peoples life was at
stake, Who knows but what she
had come to the kingdom for such
a time as this? The old Jew was a
firm believer in the sovereignty Of
God, that nothing just happens, but
that every mans life is planned.
How did she know but that all of
the circumstances which had been
working out during all the last six
years were just part Of Gods plan
to keep His covenant with His peo-
pie and protect them? Of this one
thing Modecai was sure.-God was
going to protect them, whether by
Esther's hand or not he could not
tell
Noble Esther! Forgetting self en-
tirely, she gave herself to prayer
for three days, and only asking of
Mordecai that he and the Jews in
Shushan do the same, she offered
herself on the altar for her people.
Il will go in unto the king, which
is not according to the law; and il I
perish, I perish"
The beauty OF Esther's life was
not primarily physical, though that
must have been great. 1t lay in the
fact that she had not been spoiled
by her elevation There are not
many people who can rise from a
lowly position to one of prominence
and keep sweet. They are very apt
tn hecOrYnP Droud arrooant ma trOp.