The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-02-16
THE VEIL OF M0DEsTY.
Dr.. Talmage's Fifth Sermon to the
Women of America.


Are Ever the Most Silent.
BROOKLYN, 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,
six, seven, 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 we're twice as
largeit would not contain all whv desire
10 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: "The Veil of Modesty,"
and his text: Esther /, II: "The Queen
Nashti refused to come"
If you will accept my arm 1 will escort
you into throne room. In this fifth SER
mon Of the series of sermons there are
certain womanly excellencies which wish
to commend, but instead Of putting them
in dry abstraction, l present you their i'm
personation in one who seldom, If ever,
gets sermonic recognition.
We stand amid the palaces of Shushan.
The pinnacles are Rhame with the morn
ing light. The columns rise festooned and
wreathed, the wreath 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 exhausted. Each arch is mighty leap
of architectural achievement. Golden stars,
shining down on glowing arabesqUe.
Hangings of embroidered work in which
mingle the blueness of the sky, the green
ness of the grass, and the whiteness Of the
sea foam, Tapestries hung on silver rings,
wedding together the pillars of marble.
Pavilions reaching out n 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 king
dom 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,
md inlaid with cleaning pearl. Why, 1t
seems as if heavenly vision OF. amethyst
and jscinth, and topaz, and chrysoprasus
had descended and alighted upon Shushsn.
II seems as if billow Of celestial glory
had dashed clear over Heavens battle-
ments upon this metropolis of Persia. In
connection with this palace there is q
garden, where the mighty men of foreign
lands are seated at banquet. Under
the spread of oak, aud linden, and
acacia the tables are arranged. The breath
of honeysuckle and frankincense fills the
air. Fountains leap up into the light, the
spray struck through with rainbows falling
in crystalline baptism upon towering
shrubs-then rolling down through chan
nels 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
colored 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 tastefully
twined with leaves of acacia. The bright
waters of Eulaeus filling the urns, and
sweating outside the rim in flashing beads
amid the traceries. Wine from the royal
watts of Ispahan and Shiraz, in bottles of
tinged shell, and lily shaped cups of silver
and fagons and tankards of solid gold.
The music rises higher and the reyelry
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 inebriates, the CAB
BILE of fools and the song of the drunkards.
In another part of the palace Queen
Nashti is entertaining the Princesses of
Persia at q banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus
says 10 his servants; "You go out and
fetch Vashti from the banquet with the
women, and bring her to this banquet with
the men, and let me display her beauty"
h. ,kc a1iokaIr, 81 fo bar fba
Kings command; but there was a rule in
oriental society that no woman might ap-
pear in public without having her face
yelled. Yet here was mandate that no
one dare dispute, demanding that Nashti
come in unveiled before the multitude.
However, there was in Vashti's soul
principle more regal than Ahasuerus, more
brilliant than the gold of Shushan, of
more wealth than the realm of Persia,
which commanded her to disobey this
order of the King; andso AL the righteous
ness and holiness and modesty of her ma
ture rises up in one sublime refusal. She
says: II will not go into the banquet un-
veiled." OF course Ahasuerus was in
furiate; and Vashti, robbed of her posi-
tion and estate, is driven forth in poverty
and ruin to suffer the scorn of nation,
and yet to receive the applause of after
generations who shall rise up to admire
this martyr to kingly insolence. Well, the
last veslige of that feast is gone; the last
garland has faded the la5s arch has fallen;
the last tankard has been destroyed, and
Shushan is a ruin; but as long as the
world stands there will be multitudes of
men and women, familiar with the Bible,
" no will come into this picture gallery OF
God, and admire the divine portrait of
Vashti the Queen, Vashti the veiled, Yashti
the sacrifice, Vashti the silent.
In the first place, want you to look
upon Vasht, the Queen. A blue ribbon,
rdved with white, drawn round her fore
head. indicated her queenly position, It
was no small honor to be queen in such
realm as that. Hark to the rustic of her
robes See the blaze of her jewels! And
yet, my friends, il is not necessary to have
palace and regal 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, l say:
That woman is queen" and the ranks
of Heaven look over the battlements upon
the coronation, and whether she comes up
from the shanty on the commons or the
mansion of the fashionable square, 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 Cath
crime of Russia, 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 treasury?-or of
Jephthah's dnughter, who made demon
stration of unselfsh patriotism?-or of
Abigail, who rescued the herds and Aocks
for her husband2-or of Ruth, who toiled
under tropical sun for poor, old, helpless
Naomi? or Of Mrs Adomrain Judson, who
kindled the lights OF salvation amid the
darkness of Burmah?-or of Mrs. Hemans,
who poured out her holy soul in words
which will forever be associated with