Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-09-11

OMAHA, NEB., september 1.-Great in
terest was manifested here to-day, and Rev.
T. De Witt Talmage, DID, preaching to
an immense congregation. His text was,
Thou art weighed in the balances, and
art found wanting. Daniel, ", 81. The
preacher said:
Babylon was the paradise of architecture,
and driven out from thence the grandest
buildings of modern times are only the evil
dence of her fall. The site having been Sc
lected for the city, tso million men were
employed in the rearing of her walls and
| the building of her works. 1t was city
sixty miles in circumference. There was a
trench all around the city, from which the
material for the building of the city had
been digged.
There were twenty five gates on each side
| the city; between every two gates tower
| of defence springiDg into the skies; from
each gate on the one side, a street running
straight through to the corresponding street
on the other side, so that there were fifty
streets fifteen miles long. Through the city
ran branch of the river Euphrates. This
river sometimes ovelh )wed its banks, and
| to keep it from the ruin of the city lake
was constructed, into which the surplus
water of the river would run during the
time of freshets, and the water was kept in
| this artificial lake until time of drought,
and then this water would stream down
over the city. At either end of the bridge
spanning this Euphrstas the1e was a palace
the one palace a milo and half around,
the other palace savan and half miles
around.
The wife of Nebuchadnezzar had been
born and brought up il the country, and in
mountainous region, and she could not
bear this fiat district Of Babylon; and SC, to
please his wife, Nebuchadne zzar built in the
midst of the city fountain four hundred
feet high. This mountain was built out
into terraces supported on arches. On the
top of these arches layer of fat stones, on
the top of that a layer of reeds and bitumen,
on the top of that two layers of bricks close
| ly cemented, on the top of that heavy
sheet of lead, and on the top of that the soil
placed-the soil SO deep that a Lebanon
cedar had room to anchor it's roots. There
were pumps worked by mighty machinery
fetching up the water from the Euphrates
| to this hanging gardeo as it was called, SO
that there were fountains spoutiug into the
sky.
| Standing below and looking up 1t must
have seemed as if the clouds were in bios
som, or as though the sky leaned on the
shoulder of cedar All this Nebuehad-
nezzar did to please his wife. Well, she
ought to have been pleased. suppose she
was pleased. If that would not please her
nothing would. There was in that city also
the temple of Belus, With towers-One tow
er the eighth of mile high, in which there
was an observatory where astronomers talk
ed to the stars. There was in that temple
an image, Just one imag ge, which would cost
what would be our fifty-two million dollars.
o, what city! The earth never saw any
thing like it, never will see anything like
it. And yet have to tell you that it is
going to be destroyed. The king and his
princes are at feast. They are all intoxi-
Gated. Pour out the rich wine into the
cbalices. Drink to the health of the king.
Drink to the glory of Babylon. Drink to a
great future.
A thousand lords reel intoxicated. The
King, seated upon chair, with vacant
look, as intoxicated men will-with vacant
look stared at the wall. But soon that va
can't look takes on intensity, and it is an
affrighted look; and all the princes begin to
look and wonder what is the matter, and
they look at the same point on the wall.
And then there drops a darkness into the
room and puts out the blaze of the golden
plate, and out of the sleeve of the darkness
there comes a finger finger of fiery terror
circlipg around and clrcling around as
though it would write; and then it comes
up and with sharp tip of flame it inscribes
on the plastering of the wall the doom OF
the King; "Weighed in the balances, an6
found wanting" The bang of heavy fists
against the gates of the palace are followed
by the breaking in of the doors. A thou
sand cleaning knives strike into thou
sand quivering hearts. Now Death is king
and he is seated on a throne of corpses. Ii
that hall there is balance lifted. Goo
swung it. On one side of the balance art
,, put Belshazzar's opportunities on the 9th
er side of the balance are put Belshazzar'
sins. The sins come down. His opportu
mites go up. Weighed in the balances
found wanting.
There has been great deal of cheatin.
in our country with false weighs and mea
sures and balances, and the government, t.