The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-08-22
REV. DIR. TAIMAGE
RE Noted Divines Sunday Sermon.
Subject: "woman and Her Sacri-
fees"

TEXT: ITO bring vashti the queen before
the king with the crown royal to show tne
people and the princes her beauty, Ior
She was fair to look on. But the queen
Vashti refused to come at the kings com
mandments by his chamberlains; therefore
was the king very wrotb, and his anger
burned him. Esther L.. II, IL.
We stand amid the palaces OF Shusham.
The pinnaces are afame with the morning
light. The columns rise festooned ana
wreatbed. the wealth OF empires nashinS
from the grooves, the ceilings adorned WITH
images of bird and beast and scenes OF
noryers and CONQUEST. The walls are hung
with shields and emblazoned until 1t seems
that the whole round of splendors Is ex
hausted. Each arch is a mighty leap Oh
architectural achievement. Golden stars
shining down on glowing arabesque hang-
ings of embroidered work in which mingle
the blueness OF the sky, the greehness =. ,mo
grass and the whiteness OF the sea Ioan'
Tapestries hung on silver rings, wedding TO-
pether the pillars of marble. Pavil1ons
Teaching out in every direction. These Tor
repose, filed with luxuriant couches, INTO
which weary limbs sink until all fatigue ID
submerged. These for carousal. where
kings drink down a kingdom at one swallow.
Amazing spectacle! Light of silver dripping
down over stairs OF ivory on shields OF gold;
Floors of stained marble. sunset red and
night black aud inlaid with cleaning pearl.
Why, it seems as If heavenly vision OF anne
tbyst and jacinth anItopaz and chrysoprasus
had descended and alighted upon Shusnan.
II seems as IL a bii!ow of celestial glory had
dashed clear over heavens battlements upon
this metropolis OF Persia.
In connection with this palace there is a
garden where the mighty men OF foreign
lands are seated Mt a banquet. Under tine
spread of oak and linden and acacia me
- h~nuf IF
suckle and frankincense fills the cir. Foun-
tains leap up into the light, the spray struck
through with rainbows falling in crystalline
baptism upon fowery shrubs, then rolling
! down through channels OF marble ana
: widening out here and there into pools
q swirIing with the finny tribes OF foreign
aauariums, bordered with scarlet amen,
I ONES, hyperchms and many colored
s ranunculus Meats of rarest bird and beast
; smoking I'D amid wreathes OF aromatics
The vases filed with apricots and almonds
The baskets piled up with apricots ant
a dates and figs and oranges and pomegran
v ates. Melons tastefully twined with leaves
: acacia. The bright waters OF Eulsus filling
: the urns and sweating outside the rim II
It flashing beads amid the traceries. Van
IS from the royal watts of Ispahan and Shiraz
v in bottles OF tinged shell, and lily shape'
: cups of silver and fagons and tankards o
$ solid gold. The music rises higher. and tn
l. reyelry breaks out into wilder transport
"a and the wine has flushed the cheek an,
!. touched the brain, and louder than al
:, :, other voices are the hiceough OF the me
IL briates, the gable OF fools and the song
the drunkards.
= In another part OF the palace Quee
y vashti is entertaining the princesses ofPersi
8 at a banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus says
it his servants, "You go out and fetch Vasn
NJ from that banquet with the women, an
:. bring her to this banquet with the men, an
70 let mo display her beauty" The servant
r. Immediately start to obey the kings con
iy mand. but there was rule in oriental s.
re ciety that no woman might appear IN pubf
~ without having her face yelled. Yet hel
p was a mandate, and no one dare dispute, d.
ID manding that Vashti come in unveiled D
n fore the multitude. However, there was
J, vashti's soul principle more regal tina
Ahasuerus. more brilliant than the goia
u Shushan, of more wealth than the realm
he Persia. which commanded her to disobt
a. this order of the king, and so all the RICH
eousness and holiness and modesty OF h
a. nature rises up into one sublime retus;
C. She says, 81 win not go into the banquet u
veiled." OF course Ahasuerus was infuriat
and vashti, robbed OF her position and
ey estate, is driven forth in poverty and rain
az suffer the scorn of a nation and yet to J
- ce;ye the applause OF after generations W
~ shall rise up to admire this martyr to king
insolence. Well, the last vestige OF tn
~ feast Is gone; the last garland has fade
70 the last arch has fallen; the last tankard h
- been destroyed, and Shushan is q ruin. E
ne as long as the world stands there will
he multitudes OF men aud women. famili
ne with the Bible, who will come into this p
ha trre gallery of God and admire the divi
~ portrait OF Vashti the queen, Yashti I
'ut yelled, Vashti the sacrifice, Vashd I
nd silent.
ar In the first place, I want you to look up
~ vashti the queen. A blue ribbon. rayed W
no white, drawn around her forehead, in
Gated her queenly position. 1t was no SIN
. honor to be que In such realm as tn
Hark to the rustic OF her robes! See
blaze of her jewels! And yet, my friends,
is not necessary to have palace and rel
robe In order to be queenly. When / SO;
10 woman with strong faith in God putting
foot upon all meanness and seiffshness
goddess display, going right forward to sci
Christ and the race by grand and glorit
service, say, "That woman is a queer
ION and the ranks OF heaven look over the b
Elements upon the coronation, and whetl
she come up from the shanty on the CO
in mons or the mansion of the fashiona
. T square, I greet her with the shout: "All hi
Queen vashti." What glory was there
ms the brow Of Mary OF Scotland, or Elizab
Of England, or Margaret OF France or Ca
crime of Russia, compared with the worth
some of our Christian mothers, many
them gone into glory-or OF that won
mentioned in the Scriptures, who put
her money into the Lords treasury-or
y Jephthah's daughter, who made de
N onstration of unselflsh patriotism
~ of Abigail. who rescued the herds and flo
of her busband--or of Ruth. who toiled
! der tropical sun for POOR old, heIpl
II Naomi-or of Florence Nightingale, "
went at midnight to stanch the battle woul
OF the Crimea-or of Mrs. Adoniram Juds
who kindled the lights OF "a walton amid
darkness of Burmah-or of Mrs. Hema
who poured out her holy soul in words VIII
Will forever be associated with hunters b.
and captive's chain and bridal hour {
lute's throb and curfew's knel at the dy
day-and scores and hundreds of won
unknown on earth who have given watel
the thirsty and bread to the hungry
medicine to the sick and smiles to the
co3raged-their footsteps heard along d
lane and in government hospital and
almshouse corridor and by prison "a
There may be no royal robe-there may
no palatial surroundings She does not q
them, for all charitable men will unite "
the cracking lips of fever struck hosp
and plague blotched lazaretto in greet
her as she passes: "Hail! Hail! Gu