Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-03-02
TEKEL.
DANIEL D: y.

and there, bearing burdens of richest
viands in dishes of silver, or finest
wine in golden goblets. Everything
around was luXuriant and gay. a
thousand of Babylon's mobiles were
gathered in answer to Belshazzar's
invitation, to spend the night in royal
feasting and widest revelry. Dull
care was gone, and mighty concerns
of state were forgotten. Who cared
that Darius, the mighty conquerer,
with his host of Medes and Persians,
lay encamped at the city's gates.
Every heart was full of pleasure as
heart could hold. Now the wine cup
goes round and round; the song
grows louder and coarser; the dance
more obscene until the very fury of
drunken revelry is reached. In the
very widest of the revelry, some one
suggests, "Let us bring out those
beautiful, golden Vessels taken from
the Temple in jerusalem. Don't you
remember how those Jews use TO
boast of the greatness of their God.
But we conquered even him and took
these vessels from his very house.
Who is so great god as Belshazzar 4?
Shall not he, the worthy son of Nebu-
chadnezzar, drink his wine from
these very vessels ?" The command
is given the vessels are brought and
filled to the very brim with sparkling
wine, and passed round and round,
The revelry grows wilder, and the
mirth more noisy. But suddenly the
music ceases, the dance stops, and
the song, half sung, is hushed. A
silence as of death falls upon all thai
drunken crowd. Every eye is fixed
upon the wall, and every face i:
blanched with terror. The fingers O
mans hand only are seen tracing
strange, weired letters upon the wall
The last letter is formed, and tn,
finger fingers but a moment, as i
pointing every eye to the writing
and then it fades away. But there
on that wall, those strange letters re
main, and as he locks ii seems to hin
that every letter is full of eyes, ant
every eye is looking into the yer.
depths of his soul. What is it? VIVA
do they mean? Who can read them
Belshazzar is sober now. But he j
as pale as death, and shakes as tn
aspen leaf until his very knees smit
against each other, and joints al
loosed.
"Run! run quick and bring ever
astrologer, Chaldean, and soothsaye
ofsthe city ~ cries the King alouC
II must know the meaning of thoi
words that are burning into my yer
soul, and setting my very brain
blaze with madnessw
They come; they look wise as the
gather; they gaze upon the writing
but are silent. Soothsayer, Chaldea
and astrolger are as unable to read I
interpret those words as the most j
norant servant in all the palace.
Clothing of scarlet; chain
gold and to be third in authori
under the King, to him who wi
read and interpret to me the writing
cries the King. Still all are siler
Belshazzars countenance begins
change as if in death, and all his n
bles stand around him helpless, pa
alyzed by establishment. IT'S no tin
for court ceremony now. Unbiddt
the queen rushes in to the royal ba
quoting hall, and waiting not for
extending of the royal scepter, S
filings herself at the Kings feet al
tells of the wonderful Hebrew ca
tive, Daniel, whom Nebuchadnez2
had so highly honored, and who h
proven himself so worthy of the he
or. "Send quick, and bring Daniel
is Belshazzar's command. "Wf
though he be but dog Of Jew, J
if he can but bark out the meant
of yon writing on the wall the rewa
shall be his" Why did Belshaz1
fear? Why this wild, mad terrC
To him those words were but l
meaning letters. If meaning tn
had, why might it not as well be
word of blessing as curse, a word
hope as of doom?
All! aguilty consciencehad alrea
interpreted those words to Belsh
zar's soul. AS those fingers first
peared upon the wall, a silent with
had started up from the depths
Belshazzar's soul, and as those fling
traced those letters one by one, C,
science was busy gathering all
evil deeds of Belshazzar's life il
memory's hall, and e'er the last LET