The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-11-15
BEISHAZZAR'S FEAST
REV. On. rAlMAGE breaches ON THE
HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

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HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
Lessons From q banquet OF sin-The Sud-
denness Of Gods Judgihents--A Word Of
wArning--An Echo of the Text.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10.-Since his
coming to Washington DR., Talmage's
pulpit experience has been remarkable
one. Not only has the church in which
he breaches been filled, but the audiences
have overfowed into the adjoining
streets to an extent that has rendered
them impossible. Similar scenes were
enacted at today's services when the
preacher took for his subject, Hand
writing ON the WALL" the text chosen
being Daniel v, 80, I'm that night was
Belshazzar. the king of the Chaldeans,
slain"
Night was about to come down on
Babylon. The shadows of her $50 tow
ers began to lengthen. The Euphrates
rolled on, touched by the fiery splendors
of the setting sun, and gates of brass,
FURNISHED and Rittering, opened and
shut like doors of flame, The hanging
gardens Of Babylon, wet with the heavy
dew, began to pour from starlit flowers
and dripping leaf fragrance for many
miles around. The streets and squares
were lighted for dance and frolic and
promenade. The theaters and galleries
of art invited the wealth and pomp and
grandeur of the city to rare entertain
ments. Scenes of riot and wassail were
mingled in every street, and goddess
mirth and outrageous excess and SPLEEN
did wickedness came to the king S palace
to do their mightiest deeds of darkness.
A royal feast tonight at the kings
palacel Rushing up to the gates are
chariots, upholstered with precious
cloths from Dedan, and drawn by fire
eyed horses from Togarmah, that rear
and neigh in the grasp of the characters,
while thousand lords dismount, and
women, dressed in all the splendors of
Syrian emerald, and the color blending
of agate, and the chasteness of coral,
and the somber glory Of Tyrian purple
and princely embroideries, brought from
afar by camels across the desert and by
ships Of Tarshish across the sea.
The Guests Assemble.
Open wide the gates and let the guests
come in. The chamberlains and cup
bearers are all ready. Hark to the rustic
of the silks, and to the carol Of the
musicl 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, 10 King
Belshazzar, live foreverr"
All, my friends, it was not any COM
mon banquet to which these great PEG.
pie camel All parts Of the earth had
sent their richest viands to that table,
Brackets and chandeliers flashed their
light upon tankards of FURNISHED gold.
Fruits, ripe and luscious, in baskets Of
silver, entwined with leaves, plucked
from royal Conservatives Vases, inlaid
with emerald and ridged with exquisite
traceries, filed with nuts that were
threshed from forests of distant lands
Wine brought from the royal watts, foam
ing in the decanters and bubbling in the
chalices. Tufts Of cassia and franklin
cense waiting their sweetness from wall
and table. Gorgeous banners unfolding
i'll the breeze that came through the open
window, bewitched with the perfumes
of hanging gardens. Fountains rising up
from Enclosures of ivory, in jets Of crys-
tai, to fall in Gathering rain of diamonds
and pearls Statues Of mighty men look
ing down from inches in the wall upon
crowns and shields brought from sub
dued empires. Idols of wonderful work
standing on pedestals Of precious stones
Embroideries STOPPING about the win
dows and wrapping pillars of cedar and
drifting on floor inlaid with ivory and
agate. Music, mingling the thrum of
harps, and the clash Of cymbals, and the
blast of trumpets in one wave of trans
port that went ripping along the wall
and breathing among the garlands and
pouring down the corridors, and thrill
ing the souls of a thousand banqueters.
The signal is given, and the lords and
ladies, the mighty men and women of
the land, come around the table Pour
out the wine. Let foam and bubble kiss
the rim Hoist every one his cup and
drink to the sentiment, 80 King Bel
shazzar, live forever' Bestarred head
band and carcanet of royal beauty CLEAN
to the uplifted chalices, as again, and
again, and again they are emptied
Away with care from the palacel Tear
royal dignity to tatters! Pour out more
wine! Give us more light, wilder music,
sweeter perfume! Lord shouts to lord,
captain ogles to captain. Goblets clash /;
decanters rattle. There come in the OBJ
seemed ng, and the drunken hiccough,
and the slavering lip, and the guffaw of
idiotic laughter, bursting from the lips
of princes, flushed, Keeling bloodshot,
while mingling with it all l hear,
"Huzza, huzza, for great Belshazzar |"
Seen on the Wall.
What is that on the plastering Of the
wall? Isit spirit? Is it phantomi Is
it God? The music stops. The goblets
fall from the nerveless grasp There is a
thrill. There is a start. There is thou
sand voiced shrek of horror Let Daniel
be brought in to read that writing. He
comes in. He reads it, Weighed in the
balance and found wanting"
Meanwhile the Medes, who for two
years had been laying siege to that city,
took advantage of that carousal and
came in. hear the feet of the conquer
ors on the palace stairs. Massacre PUSHES
in with thousand cleaning knives.
Death bursts upon the scene, and SHIT
the door of that banqueting hall, for l
do not want to look. There is nothing
there but torn banners, and broken
wreaths, and the slush of upset tanliards,
and the blood of murdered women, and
the kicked and tumbled carcass of a
dead king. For ''in that night was
Belshazzar, the king Of the Chaldeans,
slain.
60 on to learn some lessons from all