ESTHER AND THE KING.

STHER was the wife of King Ahasuerus. She was a Jewess, who had been adopted by her cousin Mordecai, for both her parents were dead; but no one knew she was a Jewess, for Mordecai had charged her not to make it known. Mordecai was a servant in the King's Palace. One day he overheard a conspiracy against the King, and informed Esther, who told it unto the King. When the truth was found out, both the chamberlains who had conspired were hanged upon a tree, and the whole matter was written down in the book of the chronicles.

There was also among the King's officers a man named Haman, and after these things the King promoted him above all the other officers and princes. But when all the other servants bowed down before Haman and reverenced him, Mordecai would not. Then Haman was wroth, and sought out how he could injure Mordecai. So he went to the King, and told him that there were throughout his kingdom many people called Jews who did not keep the King's laws, and asked the King that these people might be destroyed. Then the King took off his signet, with which he sealed all laws, and gave it to Haman, saying, "Do with them as it seemeth good to you." So Haman ordered that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month the people should destroy all Jews, and take their goods from them. And Haman had a great gallows made on which to hang Mordecai.

When Mordecai heard this, he was very sorry for his people, and sent word of it to Esther, and told her she must intercede for them with the King. But it was a law, that if anybody who was not sent for should approach the King he should be put to death, unless the King should hold out his sceptre. But Esther promised to go to the King, and try to save her people, saying, "If I perish, I perish.'

Now when the King saw Esther standing in the inner court

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of the palace he was pleased with her, and held out his sceptre. And Esther drew near and touched it, and asked the King and Haman to come to the banquet which she had prepared. Haman was delighted with this mark of favour, but when he saw the face of Mordecai still sitting at the palace gate, it took away all his pleasure. And he went to the King to ask to have Mordecai hanged. But the King had been unable to sleep that night, and commanded the book of chronicles to be brought to him; and there he read how Mordecai had saved his life from the conspirators, and he asked what honour and dignity had been done to him for this. And they said, "There is nothing done for him." When Haman came in to ask for the life of Mordecai, the King said to him, "What shall be done unto the man whom the King delighteth to honour?

Now Haman thought in his heart that he was the man whom the King wished to honour, so he replied, "Let the royal apparel which the King wears, and the horse that the King rideth, and the royal crown be brought and given unto one of the most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the King delighteth to honour. And bring him on horseback through the streets of the city, and proclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour." Then the King commanded Haman to do all these things unto Mordecai the Jew, and Haman was forced to do them, though he hated the Jew. When the King and Haman had come to the Queen's banquet, Esther told the King that the Jews were her people, and as she was a Jew, she would be killed also. She denounced Haman as the enemy of the Jews, and the King ordered him to be hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. And the King caused letters to be sent, allowing the Jews to protect themselves and to kill their enemies throughout his kingdom. Mordecai was advanced above all others in the kingdom, and stood next in authority to the King.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

A

S Jesus was talking to His disciples, a certain lawyer stood up and asked, "Who is my neighbour?" And Jesus answered by telling them this story:

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who robbed him, stripped him of his clothes, and, wounding him, left him on the road half-dead. By chance there came a priest that way, and, as a teacher of religion to men, he should have stopped to help the poor man. Instead of this, he pretended not to see, and passed by on the other side of the road. Then there came by a Levite, who also, as an official of the church, should have given help. But he merely came and looked on the injured man, and passed on the other side as the priest had done.

Afterwards there came by a Samaritan, and, when he caught sight of the wounded Jew, he went over to him and was very sorry for him. Now the Jews hated the Samaritans, and were their enemies, so that it would not have been surprising if he, also, had done as the priest and the Levite did. But, no! Though it was his enemy, he could not pass him by and leave him on the road, perhaps to die. He examined his wounds and bound them up; doing all that he could to soothe them. Then he lifted him carefully on his own beast, and brought him to the nearest inn, and took care of him through the night. The next day, when the Samaritan departed, he paid the man who kept the inn, and said to him, "Take care of this poor man until he is well, and whatever it may cost for his lodging and food, that I will pay thee when I come again."

"Which of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among thieves?" The lawyer answered, He that showed mercy unto him." Then said Jesus, "Go, and do thou likewise."