The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-01-23
REV. DIR. TAIMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN
b. DAY SERMON.
Subject: ssTomb and Temple"

Subject: ssTomb and Temple"
Tz1r: "From India even unto Ethiopia" ;"
Esther l., /.
!! In all the Bible this Is the only book In
which the word India occurs, but It stands
for realm of vast interest In the time OF
Father, as in our time 1t yielded then, as
now, spices and silks and cotton and rice
and indigo and ores of all richness and
precious stones Of all sparkle and Rad
civilization OF It's own as marked as Egyp-
tian or Grecian or Roman civilization. IL
holds the costliest tomb ever built and the
most unique and wonderful idolatrous tenn
pie ever opened. For practical lessons In
Z this, my sixth discourse in round the world
series, show you that tomb and temple OF
India.
In journey around the world It may not
be easy to fell the exact point which divides
the pilgrimage intoi halves. But there was
one structure toward which We we're all the
time travelling, and having seen that We felt
that II we saw nothing more our expedition
would be success. That one object was the
Tai Mahal Of India. It Is the crown OF the
met to enthrone king, and the spirit OF the
Parthenon OF Athens was there, and thesplrit
5of st. Sophia OF Constantinople was there.
and the spirit OF st. IzaaE Of St. Petersburg
was there, and the spirit Of the Baptistery OF
Z Piss was there. and the spirits OF the pyramid
and OF Luxor obelisk, and OF the Porcelain
tower OF Nankin. and OF st. Marks OF
I Venice, and the spirits ofall the great towers,
great cathedrals, great mausoleums, gfeas
OF great necropolises for the dead were there.
And the presiding genius Of the throng with
gavel Of Parian marble smote the table OF
Russian malachite, and called the throng OF
spirits to order, and called for vote
as to which spirit should wear the
chief crown, and mount the chief throne,
and wave the chief scerter, and by unani-
nous acclaim the cry was: "Loug live tne
spirit OF Tai, king Of all the spirits OF archi.
lecture Thine Is the Tai Mahal OF India !"
The building Is about six miles from Agra,
and as we rode out In the early dawn we
heard nothing but the hoofs and wheels that
pulled and turned us alongth the road, at every
yard OF which our expectations rose until
we had some thought that We. might be dis
appointed at tho first glimpse, as some say
they were disappointed. But how can any
one be disappointed withthe Tai is almost as
!, great q wonder to me as the Tai itself.
Thsre are some people always disappointed,
: and who knows but that, having entered
heaven they may criticiss the architecture OF
the temple and the cut OF the white robes,
and say that the River OF Life Is not quite up
to their expectations, and that the white
horses on which the conquerors ride seem
little spring halt or spavinedp
My son said, tsThere It Is" I said,
"Whare2" For that which he saw to be the
building seemed to me to be more like the
morning cloud blushing under the stare OF
the rising sun. II seemed not 30 much buut
fr,y,,5 nm r&k no LAT dnu-n from heaven.
Fortunately you stop at an elaborated gate
way of red sandstone one-eighth OF mile
from the Tai, an entrance sohtgh, so arched,
20 graceful, so four domed, 30 painted and
Sotl;seled and scrolled that you come very
gradually upon the Tai, which structure Is
enough to intoxicate the eye and stun the
! Imagination and entrance the soul. We go
up the winding stairs OF this majestic en-
trance Of the gateway, and buy q few pic
# look of upon the Tai, and descend to the
pavement OF the garden that rapturas every
thing between the gateway and the ecstacy
sof marble and precious stones. You pass
along q deep stream of water In which all
manner of brilliant fms swirl and float.
There are eighty-four fountains that spout
and bend and arch themselves to fall In
showers Of pearl In basins OF sEowy white
ness. Beds Of all imaginable fora greet the
pO6ltu OetOf6 tu6y uo tuo oS0 unu oocIa "
roll In waves OF color as you advance toward
the vision you are soon to have OF what hu-
man genius did when It did Its best; moon
flowers, Iilacs, madgolds, tulips and almost
eyerywherethe lotus thtckets OF bewllder-
: ing bloom; on either side trees from many
s lands bend their arborescence over your
head or seem with eonvoluted branches to
reach out their arms toward you In welcome.
On and on you go amid tamarind and cy-
! press and poplar and oleander and yew and
sycamore and banyan and palm and trees
! Of such novel branch and leaf and girth you
cease to ask their name or nativity.
ri As you approach the door OF the Tai one
experiences q strange sensation OF awe and
tenderness and humility and worship. The
building is onlya grave, but what gravel
Built tor queen, who, according to some,
was very good, and according to others very
bad. choose to think she was very good.
. At any rate, It makes me feel better to think
TINT this commemorative pile was set up for
the characterization Of virtue rather than
Vice. The Tai Is mountain Of white
marble, but never such walls faced each
other with exquisitepess never such tomb
was cut from block OF alabaster never such
acon9regation of precious stones frightened
J and gloomed and blazed aud chastened and
glorifed building since sculptor's chisel
cut its first curve, or painter'5 pencil traced
its first figure, or mason's plumb line
measured its first wall, or architects COM
pass swept its first circle.
The Tai hes sixteen great arched win
dows, four at each corner also at each OF
the four corners Of the Tai stands minaret
1877 feet high also at each side ofthis build
z ing is a splendid mosque Of red sandstone.
Two hundred and fifty years has the Tel
stood, and yet not wall Is cracked, nor
mosaic loosened, nor an arch sagged, nor q
panel dulled. The storms OF $50 winters
have not marred nor the heats Of $50 sum-
mers disintegrated marble. There Is no
story Of age written by MOSES on its white
surface. Montaz, the queen, was beautiful,
and Shah Jehan, the king, here proposed to
let all the centuries OF time know It. She
was married at twenty years of age and
died at twenty-nine. Her life ended as an
other life began. As the rose bloomed the
irosebush perished. -..
To adorn this dornitory OF the dead, at
the command OF the king, Bagdad sent to
this building its cornelisn and Ceylon its
1apis lszun, and Punjab its jasper, and
Persia its amethyst, and Thibet its turquoise,
and Lanka It's sapphire, and Yemen Its agate,
and Puma its diamonds and blood stones.
and sardonyx and chalcedony and moss
a9ates are as common as though they were
pebbles. You ind one spray OF vine beset
with eighty and another with 100 stones.
Twenty thousand men wero twenty years In
building II, and although the labor was
slave labor, and not paid for, the building
cost what would be about $50, 100000
Of our American money. Some Of the
Jewels have been picked out OF the
wall by iconoclasts or conquerors, and
substitutes Of less value have taken their