Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1892-02-13
LIVING LIKE BRUTES
Or. TALMAGE DRAWS MANY LES
SONS FROM NEBUCHADNEZzAR

Women Degrade Themselves to the
Level Of Brutes Intem perancc. Drugs.
Idi-ness. Luxury. UnbeIiet
BRooyLyS. Feb. Z. With mighty
acclaim the long meter Doxology rose
AT the beginning of the service. The
inestimable value of Christianity as
an elevating and ennobling influence
on the nature of man formed the sub
ject of DR.. Talmages sermon this
morning. The brilliant and original
preacher chose ~ his text the humili
alton of the Babylonish king who be.
ing destitute of religion sank to the
level of the brute Daniel iv. IS,
"All this came upon the King Nebu
chadneZzar.
Colonel Rawlinson. the oriental
traveller. says that the exhumed
bricks. not only of Babylon, but of a
hundred towns i'll an area of one hun.
dred miles in length and thirty in
breadth. are inscribed with the name
of NebuchadneZzar He WAS n great
warrior and at the glance of his
sword nations prostrated themselves.
He was great king and built city
reservoir ninety miles in circumfer
ence and one hundred and twenty
feet deep. and constructed a hanging
garden four hundred feet square ana
seventy five feet high, some say to
please Amuhia, his wife. who had
been born among the hills and others
say to get a pleasure ground free
from the mosquitoes. which affiict
the levels
think from his character the lat
ter reason may have impelled him as
much as the former. When he con
quered King Zedekiah. so as To have
no more trouble with him. he put
his eyes out-a most barharous way
of incapacitating an enemy But
Babylon was a great place the houses
surrounded by gardens and the
housetops were connected with each
other by bridges. and one day Nebu
chadnezzar walked ont ON those sus
pension bridges and showed. per
haps to n royal visitor. the vastneSs
of his realm ~ the sun kindles the
dOmes with glisteningS almost in
sufferable and the great streets thun
der up their rnmp into the ear of
the monarch. and armed towers
stand around adorned with spoils of
conquered empires
NebuchadneZZar waves his hand
above the stupendous scene and ex-
claims, is not this great Babylon
that | have built for the house of the
kingdom by the might of my power
and for the honor of my majesty"
In other words What a great man
am. Babylon was not anything
until | adorned it See those water
works; see those gardens; see those
forts did all this shall never
be forgotten Why. my name is on
every brick in all those walls. just
look AT me am more than a man
But IN an instant all that splendor
is gone from hus vision, for voice
falls from the heavens. saving. 20
King NebuchadneZZar. To thee it Is
spoken: the kingdom is departed
from thee and they shall drive thee
from men and tiny dwelling shall be
with the beasts of the field; they
shall make thee To eat grass ;ts oxen
and seven times shall p;,ss over thee
until thou know that the Most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men and
giveth il To whomsuever he will
One hour from the time he made
the boast he il ON his way to the
fields a maniac, and rushing into the
forests he becomes, IL one of the
beasts and IL after awhile covered
with eagles feathers for protection
from the cold. and his nails grow To
Look like birds claws in order that
he may dig the earth for roots and
climb the trees for nuts.
FORMS OF INSANITY.
The mental disaster that seized
him was what the Greeks called ~
canthropy 10y which man imag
ines himself Il beast and prefers TO 20
out and mingle with brutes. He
who had been eating pomegranates
and apricots off of plates of gold in
land with amethyst and diamond.
and drinking the richest wines from
the royal watts. now browsing ON grass
and struck 10y the horn of the OK as
he contends for a better tuft of the
pastuiage and instead of an orches
ira on bench.S OF ivory playing the
national airs. now listening to the
moan and below and gl'unt of the
beasts. This is not hard for me TO
believe. for the forms of dementia
are innumerable.
A few years ago. arriving III "A city
on summer afternoon. while wait
ing for my engagement in the even
ing sauntered forth into what
seemed to be park in front of
large public building. the use of
which ] knew not | met gentle
man. with whom fell into delight
ful conversation, and he seemed in
teIligent on all subjects After
awhile ] said. Let us sit down ON
this bench and rest awhile and enjoy
the scene of veriure and fountains"
No" said he. You sit down. but ]
cannot am made of glass, and if ]
should sit down would break to
pieces" Then saw that he was in
sane and belonged to the large build
ing just behind us.
After such an interview as that
can easily believe this account of my
text Here is Nebuchadnezzar on all
fours. He once prided himself on be
ing more than man. and now he
turns out less than man The cour
tiers look out Of the windows upon
him a. he moves among the royal
herds and cry A BEAST Seven
years pass when suddenly his reason
returns. and he comes back to Baby
L., 9, b,,,,lI.. ,r.,..l,i,.a, ,,f th.. f..,1