The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-02-09
THE VEIL OF MODESTY.
DR.. TALMAGe'S FIFTH SERMON TO
THE WOMEN OF AMERICA.

THE WOMEN OF AMERICA.
The Great Preacher Says That a Mans |
Character Is Determined by His APP
probation of Woman-MiChtiest Innu-
enccs Are Ever the Most Silent.
BRooLKTN, Feb. 5.-The annual pew
letting in Brooklyn tabernacle has Just
taken place, and the rental exceeds all
previous years For the best pews five,
Elk, seven and eight hundred dollars were
paid. But parts of the house are kept
Tree, SO that no, one can truthfully say
That he cannot attend church here for
lack of means.
III this immense structure were twice
as large it would not contain all who de-
sire to worship here. By the time the
service begins the streets are blocked
with people going away
The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, d. D.,
the pastor, preached this morning the
fifth in the ''Series of Sermons to the
Women of America, with Important
Hints to Men" His subject was 1.-The
Veil of Modesty,' and his text: Esther
i, -: 1.-The Queen Vashti refused to
come -
If you will accept my arm I will escort
you into throne room. In this fifth
sermon of the series of sermons there are
certain womanly excellencies which /
wish to commend, but instead of putting
theql in dry abstraction, l present you
Their impersonation in one who seldom,
II ever, gets serlnonic recognition.
We stand amid the palaces of Shushan.
The pinnacles are atiame with the morn
ing 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
1t seems that the whole round of splen-
dors is exhausted. Each arch is mighty
leap of architectural achievement Golden
stars, shining down on glowing arabesque.
Hangings of embroidered work in
which mingie the blueness of the sky,
the greenness of the grass and the white
ness of the sea foam. Tapestries hung
on silver rings, wedding together the pill
lars of marble. Pavilions reaching out
III every direction. These for repose,
filled with luxuriant couches, In which /
weary limbs sink until all fatigue is sub
merged. These for carousal, where kings
drink down a kingdom at one swallow
Amazing spectacle! Light of silver
dripping down over stairs Of ivory on
shields of gold. Floors of stained marble,
sunset red and night black, and inlaid
with cleaning pearl. Why, it seems as
if a heavenly vision of amethyst, and
jacinth, and topaz, and chrysoprasus had
4 IL
1t seems as if a biilow of celestial glory
had dashed clear over heavens battle
ments upon this metropolis of Persia In
connection with this palace there is a
garden, where the mighty men of foreign
lands are seated at a banquet. Under
the spread of oak, and linden, and
acacia the tables are arranged. The
breath of honeysuckle and frank
incense fills the air.. Fountains leap
up into the light, the spray struck
through with rainbows falling in crystal
line 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 baskets piled up with
apricots, and dates, and figs, and oranges,
and pomegranates. Melons tastefuIly
twined with leaves of acacia. The
bright waters Of Eulaeus filling the
urns, and sweating outside the
rim jim flashing beads amid the
traceries. Wine from the royal yats
of Ispahan and Shiraz, in bottles of
tinged shell. and lily shaped cups Of sill
yer, and fagons and tankards of solid
gold. The music rises higher, and the
revelry breaks out into wilder transport,
and the wine has flushed the cheek and
touched the brain, and louder than all
other voices are the hiccough of the inc
briates, the gabble of fools and the song
of the drunkards.
In another part of the palace Queen
VasIti is entertaining the princesses of
Persia at a banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus
saws to his servants: you go out and
fetch Vashti from that banquet with the
women, and bring her to this banquet
with the men, and let me display her
beauty" The servants Immediately start
to obey the kings command; but there
was a rule in oriental society that no
woman might appear in public without
having her face veiled. Yet here was a
mandate that no one dare dispute, de-
manding that Vashti come in unveiled
before the multitude. However, there
was in Vashti's soul a principle more
regal than Ahasuerus more brilliant than
the gold of Shushan, of more wealth
than the realm of Persia, which COM
manded her to disobey this order of the
king: and so all the righteousness
and holiness and modesty of her
nature rises up into one sublime
refusal. She says: 81 will not go into
the banquet unveiled" OF course
Ahasuerus was infuriate; and Vashti,
robbed of her position and her estate, is
driven forth in poverty and ruin to suf
fer the scorn of a nation, and yet to re-
ceiye the applause Of after generations
who shall rise up to admire this martyr
TO kingly insolence. Well, the last yes
tioe of that feast is gone; the last garland
has faded; the last arch has fallen; the
last tankard has been destroyed, aud
Shushan is ruin; but as long as the
world stands there will be muititudes of
men and women, familiar with the
Bible. who will come into this picture
gallery of God, and admire the divine
portrait of Nashti the queen, Vashti the
yeiled, Vashti the sacrifice, Vashti the
silent.
In the first place. / want you to look
upon Vasht, the queen. A blue ribbon,
rayed with white, drawn round her fore
head. indicated her queenly position. II
was no small honor to be queen in such a
realm as that. Hark TO the rlsstle of her
robes See the blaze of her jewels! And
vet. my friends. it is not necessary to
have palace and regal robe in order to be
oueenlv. When l see a woman with
stout faith in God. putting her foot upon
all 1neanness, and seliishness, and goddess