Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-01-07
ATOMB AND A TEMPLE
THE FAMOUS TAI MAHAL AND THE
ELEPHANTA CAVES.

tns. Spirituality Of the Christian Faith.
BROOKLYN, JAN 6.-In continuing
his series CT round the world sermons
through the press Rev. DR.. Talmage to-
day chose for his subject ''Tomb and
Temple" having reference to that most
famous and beautiful Of mausoleums,
the TAI Mahal. The text selected was,
''From India even unto Ethiopia" Els
ther i, y.
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 Esther, as in our time. 1t yield
ed then, as now, spices and silks and cot
ton and rice and indigo and ores Of all
richness and precious stones Of all
sparkle and had a civilization of its
own as marked as Egyptian or Grecian
or Roman civilization. 1t holds the cost
Hest tomb ever built and the most
unique and wonderful idolatrous temple
ever opened. For practical lessons in
this my sixth discourse in round the
world series I show you that tomb and
temple of India
In journey around the world it may
not be easy to tell the exact point which
there was one structure toward which
we were all the time travelling and hav-
ing seen that we felt that if we saw
nothing more our expedition would be
q success That one object was the Tai
Mahal of India. 1t is the crown of the
whole earth. The spirits of architecture
met to inthrone king, and the spirit Of
the Parthenon of Athens was there, and
the spirit Of ST. Sophia of Constantine
pie was there, and the spirit ST ST. Izaak
of ST. Petersburg was there, and the
spirit of the Baptistery of Pisa was there,
and the spirits of the great pyramid
and of Luxor obelisk, and of the Porce-
lain tower of Nankin, and of ST. Marks
of Venice, and the spirits Of all the
great towers, great cathedrals, great
mausoleums, great sarcOphagi, great
capitols for the living and of great ne
cropolises for the dead were there. And
the presiding genius Of the throng with
gavel Of Porian 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 scepter, and by unan
imous acclaim the cry was: "Long live
the spirit of the Tai, king of all the
spirits of Architectural Thine is the TAI
Mahal Of IndiaH'
FuliIIs All Expectations.
The building is about six miles from
Agra, and rs we rode out in the early
dawn we heard nothing but the hoofs
and wheels that pulled and turned us
along the road, at every yard of which
70 hol
thought that we might be disappointed
at the first glimpse, as some say they
were disappointed. But how can any
one be disappointed with the TAI is al
most as great a wonder to me as the Tai
itself. There are some people always
disappointed, and who knows but that
having entered heaven they may criti
else 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 lit
tie spring halt or spawned? n
Ny son said, ''There it isv' I saif
t'Where?" For that which he saw to-
the building seemed to me to be IRE
like the morning cloud blushing iHel
the stare of the rising sun. 1t ,ehleu
not SO much built up from cart Dis leC
down from heaven. FOrtun'oV YOU
stop at an elaborated gatew. u Ieu
sandstone one-eighth of ne from the
Tai, an entrance SO high, archeo' 50
graceful, so four domed, painted ana
chiseled and scrolled la1 you come
very gradually upopdhe TaJ' which
structure is enough t4ntox1cate the eye
and stun the imae.at1on and entrance
the soul. We 90 , the winding stairs
of this majestic trance of the gateway,
and buy a feu,ictures, and examine a
few eurios. A.. from it look oft upon the
Tai. and deeend to the pavement of the
garden tb. raptures everything between
tbe oate-ay and the ecstasy of marble
and 7,reious stones You pass along I
deem ,ream of water in which all man
per If brilliant fins swirl and float. :
Ttre are "a fountains that spout and 8
pad and arch themselves to fall in ,
MOWERS of pearl in basins of snowy
vhiteness Beds Of all imaginable fora ,
rect the nostril before they do the eye +
nd seem to roll in waves of color as !
on advance toward the vision you are ;
DON to have of what human genius did !
7hen it did its best; moon flowers, :
llacs, marigolds, tulips and almost Q
the lotus; thickets of bewil- .
erlng bloom; on either side trees from r
1any lands bend their arborescence over =
our head or seem with convoluted :
ranches to reach out their arms toward +
on in welcome On and on you go amid r
amarind and cypress and poplar and =
leander and yew and sycamore and ban =
an and palm and trees of such novel 4
ranch and leaf and girth you cease to ~
SIX their name or nativity. q
An Ideal Memorial n
As you approach the door of the Tai T