Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-07-14

adorned with I'M
ages of birds and beasts, and scenes
of prowess and conquest The walls
are hung with shields. and embla2oned
until it seems that the whole round
of splendors is exhausted. Each arch is
mighty leap of architectural achieve
ment. Golden stars, shining down on
glowing arabesque. Hangings of en-
broidered work in which mingles the
blueness of the sky, the greenness of
the grass, and the wilderness of the
eea-foam. Tapestries hung on silver
rings, wedding together the pillars Of
marble. Pavilions reaching out in
every direction. These for repose,
filled with luXuriant couches, into
which weary limbs sink until all ia
tigue is submerged. These for carous-
al, whore kings drink down a kingdom
at one swallow. Amazing spectacle:
Light of silver dropping down over
stairs Of ivory on shields of gold.
Floors of stained marble. sunset red
and night black, and inlaid with
cleaning pearls. Why, il seems as If
heavenly vision of amethyst and ia
cinth and topaz and chrysoprasus had
descended and lighted upon Shushan.
1t seems as il billow of celestial
glory had dashed clear over heavens
battlefeids upon the metropolis Of
Persia. In connection with this palace
there is a garden where the mighty
men of foreign lands are seated at 4
banquet. Under the spread of oak and
linden and acacia, the tables are ar
ranged. The breath of honeysuckle
and frankincense fills the air. Foun-
tains leap up into the light, the spray
struck through with rainbows falling
in crystalline baptism upon Towering
shrubs-then rolling down through
channels of marble, and widening out
here and therc into pools swirling with
the finny tribes Of foreign aquariums,
bordered with scarlet anemones, hy-
pericums, and many colored ranuncu-
lus. Meats of rarest bird and beast
smoking up amid wreaths Of aromatics
The vases filled with apricots and al
monds. The baskets filled up with
apricots and dates and figs and oranges
and pomegranates. Melons tastefully
twined with leaves OF acacia The
ITns and sweating outside the rim in
flashing beads amid the traceries.
Wine from the royal watts of Ispahan
and Shiraz, in bottles of tinged shell.
and lily-shaped cups of silver. and
fiagons and tankards Of solid gold The
music rises higher and the revelry
breaks out into wilder transport, and
the wine has flushed the cheek and
touched the brain, and louder than all
other voices are the hiccough of the
inebriates. the gable of fools, and the
song of the drunkards.
In another part of the palace. Queen
Vashti is entertaining the princesses
of Persia at a banquet. Drunken
Ahasuerus says TO his servants: "You
go out and fetch Vashti from that ban
quet with the women, and bring her TO
this banquet with the men, and let me
display her beauty" The servants i'm
mediately start to obey the kings COM
mand; but there was a rule in Oriental
society that no woman might appear in
public without having her face yelled.
Yet here was Il mandate that no one
dare dispute, demanding that Vashti
come in unveiled before the multitude.
However there was in Vashti's soul a
principle more regal than Ahasuerus.
more brilliant than the gold of Shu-
shan, of more wealth than tho realm |
of Persia, which commanded her TO dis |
obey this order of the king; and so all !
the righteousness and holiness and |
modesty OF her nature rises mp into one |
sublime refusal. She says: II will not !
go into the banquet unveiled" OF |
course Ahasnerus was infuriate: and |
Vashti, robbed of her position and her
estate, is driven forth in poverty and |
ruin to suffer the scorn of nation. and /
yet to receive the applause of after gen
erations who SHALL rise up to admire this
martyr to kingly insolence Well. the
last yestige of that feast is gone; the
last garland has faded; the last arch
has fallen; the last tankard has been
destroyed; and Shushan is a ruin; but
AS long as the world stands there will
be multitudes of men and women. ia
miliar with the Bible, who will come
into this picture gallery of God, and
admire the divine portrait of Vashti
'hS iuCCh, NdSHll IHe NelIeQ, taSnIi, !
the sacrifice. Vashti, the silent.
In the first place | want you to look
upon Vashti the queen. A blue rib
bon, rayed with white, drawn around
her forehead, indicated her queenIy
position. Ii was no small honor to be
queen in such realm as that Hank to
the rustic Of her robes, See the blaze
of her jewels! And yet, my friends. it
is not necessary to have palace and
regal robe in order to be queenly.
When | see a woman with strong faith
In God, putting her foot upon all mean
ness and selishness and goddess dis
play, going right forward to serve
Christ and the race by grand and
glorious service, ! say: THAT woman
Is queen, and the ranks OF heaven
ook over the battlements upon the
coronation, and whether she come up
rom the shanty on the commons or
he mansion of the fashionable square, |
greet her with the shout: IAN hail! S
queen Vashti." What glory was there G
n the brow of Mary Of Scotland or (
elizabeth Of England, or Margaret OF ,