The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1888-02-15
DR.. TALHAGE'S FIFTH SERMON TO
TIE WOMEN or AMERICA.

The Great Preacher Says That a Mans
Character Is Determined by Hi, APP
pTeciatiou OF Woman-NIirhtiest Innu-
enccs Are Ever the Most silent.
RRoOLKYN. Feb. j.-Thc annual pew
letting in Brooklyn tabernacle has just
taken place. ana the rental exceeds all
previous years. For the best pcws five.
siA, seven ami eight hundred dollars were
paid. But parts of the house are kept
free. 20 that no one can tuthfully say
that lie cauno, attend church here for
lack Of means.
If this immense structure were twice
as large j, would not contain all who de-
sire to worship here. BY the time the
scryicc begins tho streets are blocked
with people going away.
The Rev. I. DE Witt Talmage. ID. D..
the pastor preached this morning the
iiith III The Series Of Sermons to tho
Women Of America, with Important
Hints to Men His subject was The
Veil Of Mod"sty,' and his text: Esther
i, ~; Tile Queen Nashti refused To
come.
II you will accept my arm | will escort
you into q throne room. In this fifth
sermon of the series of sermons there are
certain womanly excellcncies which |
wish To commend, but instead OF putting
them III dry abstraction, | present YOU
their n~npcrsonation III one who seldom,
if ever, gets scrmOnic recognition.
We stand amid the palaces Of Shushan.
The pinnaClcs are atiame with the norm
ing light. The columns rise festooned and
wrcathcd, the wealth of empires flashing
from the grooves; the ceilings adorned
with images OF bird and beast, and scenes
Of proves and conquest. The walls are
hung with shields, and emblazoned until
ii seems that the whole round Of splon-
doris is exhausted. Each arch is n mighty
leap Of architectural achievement Golden
stars, shining down on glowing arabesque.
Haugings OF embroidered work in
which minglc the blueness OF the sky.
the ]grccnneNa 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
in every direction. These for rcposc.
filed with luXuriant couches, in which
weary limbs sink until all fatigue is sub
merged. These for carousal, where kings
drink down 4 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
IL a heavenly vision Of amethyst. and
jacinth, and topaz, and chrysoprasus had
descended and alighted upon Shushan.
1t seems as if a biIlow of celestial glory
had dashed clear over heavens battle
mcnts upon this metropolis OF Persia. In
connection with this palace there is a
garden, where the mighty men of foreign
lands are seated ut a banquet. Under
the spread Of oak. and linden, and
acacia the tables are arranged. Tho
breath of hOncysuCkle and frank
incense fills the air. Fountains leap
up into tho light. the spray struck
through with %rainbows falling in crystal
line bapti nupon Towering shrubs-thcn
rolling down through channels of marble,
and widening ont here and there into
pools swirling with the fnny tribes of
foreign aquariums, bordered with scarlet
anemoncs, hypericums, and many col.
Ored ~ranunculus. Meats Of rareSt bird
and beast smoking up amid wreaths Of
nromatics. The vases filled with apricots
and almonds. The baskets piled up with
apricots, and dates, and figs, and oranges,
and pomcgramatcs. Melons tastefully
twined with leaves Of acacia. The
bright waters Of Eulaeus filling the
urns, and sweating outside the
rim in flashing beads amid tho
!racerics. Wine ron the royal watts
IF Ispahan and Shiraz, in bottles of
hinged shell, and lily shaped cups of sill
:er, and fagons and tankards of solid
gold. The music rises higher, and tho
.evelry breaks out into wilder transport,
and the wine has flushed the cheek and
iouchcd the brain, and louder than all
other voices arc the hiccough of the inc
briates, the gabblc OF fools and the song
of the drunkards.
In another part of the palace Queen
Vashti is entertaining the p~rincesses of
Persia at a banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus
says to hia servants: "You go out and
fetch Vasbti from that banquet with the
women, and bring her 10 this banquet
with the men, and let me display her
beauty" The servants Immediately start
to obey the kings command; but there
was n rule in oriental society that no
v'cal"n might appear In public without
having her face yelled. Yet here was q
mandate that no one dare dispute, de-
manding that Vashti come In unveiled
before the multitude. However, there
was in Yashti's soul q principle more
regal than AhaaueIIis, moro brilliant than