The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-22
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Veil Of Modesty."

vi
the series of sermons there are certain woman
ly excellencies which wish to commend, but
instead of putting them in dry abstraction,
present you their imperSonation in one wht
seldom, if ever, gets sermonic recognition.
We stand amid the palaces OF Shushan
The pinnacles are aflame with the morning
light. The columns rise festooned and
wreathed, the wealth Of empires flashing
from the grooves; the ceilings adorned with
images Of bird and beast, and scenes Of
prowess and conquest. The walls are hung
with shields, and emblazoned until it seems
that the whole round of splendors is ex
hausted. Each arch is mighty leap OF
architectural achievement Golden stars
shining down on glowing arabesque. Hang
lngs OF embroidered work, in which mlngle
the grass and the whiteness of the sea foam
Tapestries hung on silver rings, wedding TO-
gether the pillars of marble. Pavilions
reaching out in every direction. These for
repose, filed with luxuriant couches, in
which weary limbs sink until all fatigue is
submerged. These for carousal, where Kings
drink down kingdom at one swallow
Amazing spectacle! Light of silver dripping
Floors OF stained marble, sunset red and
night black, and inlaid with cleaning pearl:
Why, it seems as if heavenly vision OF
amethyst, and jacinth, and topaz, and
chrysoprasus had descended and alighted
upon Shushan. 1t seems as if a billow
OF celestial glory had dashed clear over
heavens battlements upon this :metrop-
Oils & OF Persia In connection with this this
the mighty f1 men of foreign seos1l lands snar are
seated at banquet Under the spread Of
oak, and linden, and acacia, the tables are ar
ranged. The breath of honeysuckle and
frankncense fills the air. Fountains leap up
into the light the spray struck through with
tainbows falling in crystalline baptism upon
towering shrubs-then rolling down through
channels Of marble, and widening out here
and there into pools swirling with the finny
Tribes OF foreign aquariums, bordered with
scarlet anemones, hypericums, and many col
ored ranunculus. Meats Of rarest bird and
beast smoking up amid wreaths of aromatics
The vases filled with apricots and almonds.
The basket piled up with apricots, and
dates, and figs, and oranges, and pomegran-
ates. Melons tastefully twined with leaves
OF acacia. The bright waters of Eulaus
nihng the urns, and sweating outside the
rim in flashing beads amid the traceries.
WINE from the royal vats Of Ispahan and
shaped cups of silver. and fagons and tank
ards OF solid gold. The music rises higher,
and the revelry breaks out into wilder trans
port, and the wine has flushed the cheek and
touched the brain, and louder than all other
voices are the hlccough Of the inebriates the
gaoole OF fools, and the song Of the drunk
ards.
In another part of the palace Queen vashti
Is entertaining the princesses Of Persia at
servants: SYou 60 out and fetch Vashti
trom that banquet with the women, and
bring her to this banquet with the men, asd
let me display her beauty" The servants
Immediately start to obey the kings COM
mand, but there was rule in Oriental soci-
ETY. that no woman might appear in public
without having her face yelled. Yet here
was mandate, that no one dare dispute, de-
manding that Vashti come in unveiled before
the multitude. However, there was in Vashti's
soul principle more regal than Ahasuerus,
more wealth than the revenue Of Persia,
which commanded her to disobey the order
OF the King: and so all the righteousness
and holiness and modesty Of her nature
rises up into one sublime refusal. She
Gays: II will not 60 into the banquet
unveiled" OF course, Ahasuerus was
tnfuriated; and Vashti, robbed of her po
sition and her estate, is driven forth in
naD aRa rua na to Ss suffer f rsesvs sss s'fFa be
applause Of after generations, who
shall rise up to admire this martyr to
kingly insolence. Well, the last vestige Of
that feast is gone; the last garland has faded;
the last arch has fallen: the last tankard has
been destroyed, and Shushan is ruin; but
as long as the world stands there will be
rnultitudes Of men and women, familiar with
the Bible, who will come into this picture
gallery of God and admire the divine portrait
Of Vashti the Queen. Vashti the vei!ed,
Vashti the sacrifice, VaShti the silent
In the first place, want you to look upon
Vashti the Queen. A blue ribbon, rayed
with white, drawn around her forehead, in
dicated her queenly position. 1t was no
small honor to be queen in such q realm as
that Hark to the rustic Of her robes! See
the blaze Of her jewels! And yet, my friends.
robe in order to be queenly. When see
woman with stout faith in God, putting her
foot upon all meanness, and selfShness, and
goddess display, going right forward to serve
Christ and the race by grand and glorious
service, I say: THAT woman is a queen,"
and the ranks Of heaven look over the
battlements upon the coronation; and
whether she come up from the shanty on
the commons or the mansion of the
fashionable square, l greet her with the
shout: "All hail Queen Vashti." What
glory was there on the brow of Mary, of
Scotland; or Elizabeth, of England or
Margaret, Of France, or Catharine, Of Rus
sia, compared with the worth of some Of our
Christian mothers, many Of them gone into
glory-or of that woman mentioned in the
Scriptures, who put her all into the Lords
treasury2-or Of Jephthah's daughter, who
made a demonstration of unselfSh patriotism!
or Of Abigail, who rescued the herds and
focks of her husband or of Ruth, who
helpless Naomia-or of Mrs. Adoniram Jud
son, who kindled the lights Of salvation amid
the darkness Of Burmah!- or Of Mrs. Hemans,
VIII, poured out her whole sole in words
which will be forever associated with
hunters horn, and captive's chain, and
bridal hour, and lute's throb, and curfews
lnell at the dying day?-and scores and nun
given water to the thirsty, and bread to the
hungry, and medicine to the sick, and smiles
to the discouraged footsteps heard
along dark lane and in government hospital,
and in almshouse corridor, and by prison
gatei There may be no royal robe-there
may be no palatial surroundings. She does
not need them; for all charitable men will
unite with the cracking lips of fever struck
hospital and plague blotched lazaretto in
greeting her as she passes: Hail! hail!
Queen Vashti."
Among the queens whom honor are the
female day school teachers of this land.
put upon their brow the coronet. They are
the sisters and the daughters Of our towns
and cities, selected out of a vast number OF
applicants, because Of their especial intel
telectual and moral endowments There are
in none of your homes women more worthy.
These persons, some Of them, come out from
aff1uent homes. choosing teaching as useful
profession: others, finding that father IS older
than he used to be, and that his eyesight and
strength are not as good as once, go to teach
ing to tighten his load. But l tell you the
history Of the majority of the female teach
ers in the public schools when say: "Father
is dead" After the estate was settled, the
family, that were comfortable before, are
thrown on their own resources.