Evening star., 1924-05-11

Mothers day recalls the worlds
debt to the noble women, who in all
ages have given of their life, labor
and love, SO that humanity should be
blessed by their children. Back of
every reform movement in the
worlds history can be traced the
power of the hand who rocked the
cradle of the person whose life was
the center of that epochal movement.
We turn away from the study of
1sraefs history to study one of the
most vivid and dramatic events in
the record of Judah, during the pc
riod of the divided kingdom, that i'm
pressively illustrates the power of
women in the affairs of men and ma
tions. The lesson is a bloody one.
The revolving picture is due to the
presence of Athaliah, the strong will
ed. coarse, selfish and imperious
woman who introduced Baal worship
into Judah. In contrast with the in
fuence of this bad woman, we have
in the power of Il good woman illus
trated by Jehosheba. whose intiutive-
ness, ingenuity and influence saved
Joash and moved Jehoiada to place
the young lad upon the throne and
purge Judah from idolatry.
Jehosaphat. when in the height of
his prosperity, was filled with the de-
sire to unite both Kingdoms under
one ruler. He visited Ahab and
brought about the marriage of his
son Jehoran with Athaliah, the
daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. The
was disastrous. The curse of Ahab IS
house, foretold by Elijah. came into
conflict with the promised blessings
upon the seed of David. Athaliah in
/, alNIf fif,t1
cruelty and craftness, as well as her
zeal to propaga the religion OF
Baal. Through her influence over her
husband both nations were united In
early death of Jehoram and her son
Abaziah, Athaliah waded through
blood by series of assassinations to
the throne of Judah. With one blow
she had apparently destroyed all OF
the royal family of the nation
There is no age so dark with crime
but what there is hope that the seed
of righteousness, religion and reform
will take root, spring forth and bear
fruit Athaliah did not succeed in
completely destroying all the House
of David. because there was true
woman. who sought to save the young
son of Abaziah, when his bloodthirst%
grandmother sought to destroy the
baby prince with the other members
of the royal family who stood be-
tween her and the throne. 1t was
due to the providence of God and the
patriotism of JehoSheba. "A daughter
of Athaliah's husband and another
royal wife. that the yearold infant
was saved at the time Of the maSSa-
ere and placed for safe keeping and
training within the temple, where
Jehoiada was priest.
While the title of the lesson makes
Jehoiada the central figure in the
battle against Baal, his victory un-
der God was due to the influence of
his wife through whose vigilance and
strategy the baby boy was saved.
Jehoiada as well as JoaSh owed their
success to the influence of Jehosheba,
just as thousands of men whose lives
have benefited humanity would at
tribute their success to the influence
and inspiration of some good woman,
who nodded their lives, as much as
-Athaliah Influenced her hus band and
son to do evil. There is only one
female figure among the nations
great in the Statuary contributed
by the states to the nations capital.
If the story of their lives is studied,
the source of their greatness will be
found to be due to the mother, who
taught them to lisp the Lords name
in prayer.
Fenelon's influence in transform
ing the character of the young Duke
of Burgundy was due to the fact
that he placed his chief reliance upon
the religious principle. Americas
peril, as well as that of the world, at