Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-02-15
THE VEIL OF MODESTY.
IF you WILL ACCEPT MY ARM,
WILL ESCORT you INTO
A THRONE-ROOM
SOME TALK ABOUT NOBLE WOMEN
VASHTI THE SILENT.
''The Queen Yashti Refused to Come.
Esther, |. IL.
DIR. TALMAeE's SERMON SUNDAY, FEE. 9TH

BROOKLYN, February 5.-The annual
pew-letting in Brooklyn Tabernacle has just
taken place, and the rental exceeds all previ
Gus years. For the best pews, five, six,
Geven and eight hundred dollars were
- paid. But parts of the house are Kept
free, so that no one can truthfully say
that he cannot attend church here for lack
of means.
If this immense structure were twice as
large it would not contain all who desire to
worship here. By the time the service be.
gins the streets are blocked with people 60
ing away.
The Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, DID, the
pastor, preached this morning the fifth ir
the "Series of Sermons to the Women oi
His subject was: s'The Veil of Modesty,' u
and his text, Esther j, IL. The Queen
Vashti refused to come"
If you Will accept my arm, l will escort
you into a throne-room. In this fifth ser.
mon of the series of sermons there are Ger
tain womanly excelleuces which 1 wish tc
commend, but instead of putting them in
dry abstraction, present you their imper.
souation in one who seldom if ever gets SER
monic recognition.
We stand amid the palaces of Shushan.-
The pinnacles are afame 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
ings of embroidered work in which mingle
the blueness of the sky, the greenness of thu
grass, and the whiteness of the seafoam.-
Tapestries hang on silver rings, wedding to
gether the pillars of marble. Pavilion
reaching out in every direction. These fo
repose, filed with luxuriant couches, il
which weary limbs sink until all fatigue il
submerged. These for carousal, wher
kings drink down kingdom at ont
swallow. Amazing spectacle Ligh
of silver dripping down over stairs o
ivory on shields of gold. Floors o
stained marble, sunset red and nigh
black, and inlaid with cleaning pearl
Why, it seems as if heavenly vision Q
amethyst, and jacinth, and topaz, an
chrysoprasus had descended and alighte
upon Shushan. 1t seems as if a billoy
|
~ heavens battlements upon this metroE
oils of Persia. In connection witt
this palace there is a garden, wher
the mighty men of foreign lands are seate
at banquet. Under the spread of oak, an
linden, and acacia, the tables are arranged
The breath of honeysuckle and frankincens
fills the air. Fountains leap up into th
( light, the spray struck through with rair
bows falling in crystalline baptism upo
Towering shrubs-then rolling dow
through channels of marble and widenin
out here and there into pools swirling wit
the fnny tribes, of foreign aquariums boz
dered with scarlet anemones, hypericum
: and many colored ranunculus. Meats {
rarest bird and beast smoking up ami
yreaths of aromatics. The vases file
with apricots and almonds. The basket
piled up with apricots and dates, and figs
and oranges, and pomegranates. Melon
tastefully twined with leaves of acacia
The bright waters of Eulacus filling th
urns, and sweating outside the rim in flash
ing beads amid the traceries. Wine fron
I the royal watts of Ispahan and Shiraz in bot
ties of tinged SHE'LL and lily shaped cups o
silver, and 1agons and tankards of soli
gold. The music rises higher and tn
revelry breaks out into wilder transport
and the wine has flushed the cheek an
touched the brain, and louder than all othe
voices are the hiccough of the inebriates, tn
gabble of fools and the song of the drunk
ards.
In another part of the palace, Queel
Vashti is entertaining the princesses of Per
sia at a banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus say!
to his servants: "You go out and fetcl
Vashti from that banquet with the women
and bring her to this banquet with the men
and let me display her beauty" The ser
wants Immediately start to obey the king
command; but there was rule in Orienta
society that no woman might appear il
public without having her face veiled. Ye
here was a mandate that no one dare dis
mute. demanding that Vashti come in un
yelled before the multitude. However, Their
was in Vashti's soul principle more rega
than Ahasuerus, more brilliant than th
cold of Shushan, of more wealth than tn
realm of Persia, which commanded her t.
d;sohev this order of the king; and s.
all the righteousness, and holiness, an,
NJ odesty of her nature rise up into on
wi sublime refusal. She says: 81 will no
90 into the banquet unveiled, O
course Ahasuerus was infuriate; and Vashti
rohbed of her position and her estate,
driven forth in poverty and ruin to suffe
the scorn of nation, and yet to receive tn
applause of after generations who shall ris
up to admire this martyr to kingly insc
lence. Well, the last vestige of that feast
; gone; the last garland has faded; the las
arch has fallen; the last tankard has bee
DESTROYED. and Shushan is a ruin; but a
lono as the world stands there will
mnItitudes of men and women, familis
with the Bible, who will come into the pie
ture-gallery of God and admire the Divin
! portrait of Vashti the queen, Vashti th
+ yelled. Vashti the sacrifice, Vashti the s
lent.
p In the first place, want you to look VI
ON Vashti the queen. A blue ribbon, raye
i with white, drawn around her forehead, il
j dicatcd her queenly position. 1t was +
i small honor to be queen in such realm
| - +La r11Stla of her rohac s.