The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-02-05
DREAD HANDWRITING
DR., TALMAee breaches A SERMON
ON BABYLoN'S FALL.

II You Do Not Fear God You May One
Day Expect to See the Handwriting on
the Wall Yourseif-A Powerful Dis
course.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 25,-Dr. Talmage
preached the following sermon this
morning in the Academy of Music in
this city, and he repeated it tonight at
The Christian Herald service in the
New York Academy of Music. His text
was Daniel v, 30; ''In that night was
Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans,
slain.
After the site of Babylon had been
selected, two million of men were EN-.
ployed for the construction of the wall
and principal works. The walls of the
city were sixty miles in circumference.
They were surrounded by trench, out
of which had been dug the material for
the construction of the city. There
were twenty-five gates of solid brass on
each side of the square city. Between
every two gates great watch tower
sprang up into the heavens.
From each of the twenty-five gates
on either side street ran straight
through to the gate on the other side,
SO that there were fifty streets, each
fifteen miles long, which gave to the
city an appearance of wonderful regu-
larity The houses did not join each
other on the ground, and between
them were gardens and shrubbery
From housetop to housetop bridges
swung, over which the inhabitants
were accustomed to pass, A branch of
the Euphrates went through the city,
over which bridge of marvellous
structure was thrown and under
which tunnel ran. To keep the
river from overlooking the city in times
of freshet a great lake was arranged to
catch the surplus, in which the water
was kept as in a reservoir until times of
drought, when it was sent streaming
down over the thirsty land.
A palace stood at each end of the
Euphrates bridge; one palace mile
and three-quarters in compass, and the
other palace seven and a half miles
in circumference The wife of Nebu-
chadnezzar, having been brought up
among the mountains of Media, could
not stand it in this fiat country of
Babylon, and so to please her Nebuchad
nezzar had mountain four hundred
feet high built in the midst of the city.
This mountain was surrounded by ter
races, for the support of which great
arches were lifted On the top of these
arches fiat stones were laid; then layer
of reeds and bitumen; then two rows of
bricks, closely cemented; then thick
sheets of lead, upon which the soil was
placed
The earth here deposited was so deep
that the largest trees had room to
anchor their roots All the glory of the
flowery tropics was spread out at that
tremendous height, until it must have
seemed to one below as though the
clouds were all in blossom, and the
very sky leaned Oh the shoulder of the
cedar. At the top an engine was con
structed which drew the water from
the Euphrates, far below, and made it
spout up amid this garden of the skies
All this to please his wifel think she
must have been pleased.
CITY OF REvELINGS
In the midst of this city stood, also
the temple of Belus. One of its towers
was one-eighth of a mile high, and on
the top of it an observatory, which gave
the astronomers great advantage, as,
being at so great a height, one could
easily talk with the stars This temple
was full Of cups and statues and cen
sers, all of gold One image weighed
thousand Babylonish talents, which
would be equal to f1fty-two million dol
lars All this by day; but now night
was about to come down on Babylon.
The shadows of her two hundred and
fifty towers began to lengthen. The
Euphrates rolled on, touched by the
fiery splendors of the setting sun, and
gates of brass, FURNISHED and glittering
opened and shut like doors of fame
The hanging gardens of Babylon,
wet with the heavy dew, began to pour
from starlit flowers and dripping leaf q
fragrance for many miles around. The
streets and squares were lighted for
dance and frolic and promenade The
theatres and galleries of art invited the
wealth and pomp and grandeur of the
city to rare entertainments Scenes of
riot and wassail were mingled in every
street; goddess mirth, and outrageous
excess, and splendid wickedness came to
the kings palace to do their mightiest
deeds of darkness.
A royal feast tonight at the kings
palace Rushing up to the gates are
chariots, upholstered with precious
cloths from Dedan, and drawn by fire
eyed horses from Togarnah, that rear
and neigh in the grasp of the chariot
GERS, while thousand lords dismount,
and women dressed in all the SPLEEN
doris of Syrian emerald, and the color
blending of agate, and the chasteness
of coral. and the somber glory of Ty
rian purple, and princely embroideries
brought from afar by camels across the
desert and by ships of Tarshish across
the sea-
Open wide the gates and let the
guests come in The chamberlains and
cup bearers are all ready. Hank to the
rustic of the robes, and to the carol of
the music See the blaze of the jewels
Lift the banners. Fill the cups Clap
the cymbals Blow the trumpets. Let
the night go by with song and dance
and ovation. and let that Babylonish
tongue be palsied that will not say.
"Oh. King Belshazzar, live forever"
10 COMMON BANQUET.
All my friends, it was not any com
mon banquet to which these great peo-
pie came. All parts of the earth haS
sent their richest viands to that table.
Brackets and chandeliers flashed their
light upon tankards of FURNISHED gold