Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-10-24
REV. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
He Talks on the Wonderful
Egyptian Pyramids.
He Describes the Vast Structures In Detail
The Ascent and Observation-Disclosures
on the Grand work-Hoav-
ems Alcmentoes.

Pyramids 10 the Acropolis, on What :
Saw in Egypt and Greece Confrmatory
OF the scriptures" His text was Isaiah
xix: 1920: I'm that day shall there be an
altar to the Lord in the midst
OF the land OF Egypt and q pillar
at the border thereof to the Lord. And
it shall! be for sign and for a witness
Isaiah no doubt here refers 10 the
great pyramid OF Egypt. The text
speaks OF pillar in Egypt and this Is
the greatest pillar ever lifted; and the
text says it is TO be at the border of the
land, and this pyramid is at the border OF
the land; and the text says it shall be for
witness, and the object Of this sermon
is the first OF course of sermons enti-
tied, From the Pyramids to the Aero
polls, or What Saw in Egypt or Greece
Confrmatory OF the Scriptures"
We had on the morning OF December,
1891, Landed in Africa. Amid the howl
ing boalmen at Alexandria we had come
ashore and taken the rail train for Cal
70, Egypt. along the banks OF the most
thoroughly harnessed river o! all the
world-the river Nile. We had, at
eyentide, entered the city OF Cairo the
city where Christ Qwelt while staying
in Egypt during the Herod;c persecu-
tuition. 1t was our first night in Egypt.
No destroying angel sweeping through
as once. but all the stars were out, and
the skies we're filed with angels OF
beauty and angels OF light, and the air
was balmy as an American June. The
next morning we were early awake and
at the window looking upon palm trees
in full glory OF LEAKAGE, and upon the
gardens OF fruits and flowers 1T the very
season when our homes far away are
canopied by bleak skies and the last
leaf Of the forest has gone down in the
eqinoctials.
But how can describe the thrill OF
expectation, for to-day we are to see
what all the world has seen or wants to
see-the pyramids. We are mounted
for an hour and half's ride. We pass
On amid bazaars stuffed with rugs and
carpets, and curious fabrics OF all sorts
from SMYRNA, from Algiers, from Per-
STA, from Turkey and through streets
where we meet people OF all coiors and
all garhs, carts loaded with garden pro-
auctions. priests In gowns, women in
black wells, Bedouins in long and SEEM
ingly superhuous apparel, Janissaries
in jacket OF embroidered gold-out and
on toward the great pyramid: for
though there are siXty-nine pyramids
still standing, the pyramid OF Gigeh is
the monarch OF pyramids. We meet
camels grunting under their load, and
see buffaloes on either side, browsing
in pasture fields. The road we travel
is for part the way under clumps Of AGA
cha, and by long rows OF sycamore and
tamerisk, hut after awhile 1t is pile OF
rock and sand, and We find we have
reached the margin of the desert, the
Sahara desert, and we cry out to abe
dragoman as we see huge pile of rock
looming in sight: "Dragoman, what is
that?', His answer il: "rhe pyra-
mid" and then it seemed as If we were
living O century every minute. Our
thoughts aud emotions were too rapid
and intense for utterance, and we ride
on In silence until we come to the foot
Of the pyramid spoken of in the text,
the Oldest structure In all the earth,
1900 years old at least. Here it is.
We stand under the shadow OF a struct-
ure that shuts out ali the earth and all
the sky and we look I'D and strain our
vision to appreciate the distant top. and
are overwhelmed while we cry: '"Tbc
pyramid! The pyramid"
had started that morning with the
determination Of ascending the pyra-
mid. One OF my chief objects in going
to Egypt was not only to see the base OF
that granite wonder, but tO stand on
the top OF 1t. Yet the nearer l came
to the eternity Of stone the more my de-
termination was shaken. Its altitude
to me was simply appalling. A great
height has always been to me o most
disagreeable sensation. AS we dis
mounted at the base OF the pyramid l
said: ''Others may 60 up it, but not l.
l will satisfy myself with view from
the base. The ascent OF il would he to
me q foolhardy undertaking." But
after had given up all idea Of ascend
ing found my daughter was deter
mined to 60, and could not let her 60
with strangers and changed my mind
and we started with guides. II can not
be done without these helpers. Two or
three times foolhardy men have at
tempted it alone, but their bodies came
tumbling down unacceptable and life
less. Each person in our party had
two or three guides or helpers. One Of
them unrolled his turban and tied it
around my wrist and he held the other
end Of the turban as a matter OF safety.
Many OF the blocks Of stone are four or
FIVE feet high and beyond any human
stride unless assisted. Buts two Arabs
to pull and two 70 Arabs push, found
myself rapidly ascending from height
TO height, and on, 10 attitudes terrific,
ana at last at the Zip top We found our
selves on level space OF about thirty
feet square. Through clearest atmos-
phere we looked of upon the desert
and of upon the winding Nile, and OF
upon the Sphinx with Its features OF