Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-07-17
SERMON
INTERESTING IIGEYC IA TnE
WASHINGTON PREACHER.
Subject, "Moman and Her saeri-
fees"

TIKI "To bring yasht the queen before
the king with the crown royal 60 show the
people and the princes her beauty Tor
she was fair 20 look on. But the queen
Nashti refused to come al the kings com
mAndments by his chamberlains; therefore
was the king very wroth, and his anger
burned him. '-Esther T.. II, u.
We stand amid the palaces Of Shusham.
The pinnacles are aflame with the morning
light. The columns rise festO0ned ana
wreathed, the wealth Of empires flashing
from the grooves. the ceilings adorned with
images Of bird and beast and scenes OF
powers aud conquest. The walls are hung
with shields and emhlaZOnel until Il seems
that the whole round oi splendorS j. eN-
hausted. Each arch is a mighty leap 81
architectural achievement. Golden siars
shining down on glowing arabesque. Hang
ings OF embroidered work In which mingle
the blueness OF the sky. the greenness OF the
grass and the whiteneSs Of the sea foam
Tapestries hung on silver rings, wedding to-
gether the pillars Of marble pavilions
reaching out in every direction. ] hese for
repOse, filled with luIuriant couches, into
which weary limbs sink until all fatigue is
submerged. These for carousal. where
kings drink down a kingdom at one swallow.
Amazing spectacle! Light OF silver dripping
down over stairs ofivory on shields of gold.
Floors OF stained marble, sunset red and
night black and inlaid with cleaning pearl.
Why, il seems a. II a heavenly vision OF anne
thyst and jaciuth ami topaz and chrysoprnsus
had descended and ahghted upon Shushan.
II seems rs il a billow OF celestial glory had
dashed clear over heavens hattlements upon
this metropolis OF Persia.
In connection with this palace there is a
garden where the mighty men OF foreign
lands are seated at a banquet. Under the
spread of oak and linden and acacia the
tables are arranged. Tho breath OF honey
suckle and frankincense fills the air. Foun-
tains leap up into the light, the spray struck
through with rainbOws falling in crystalline
baptism upon 1Owery shrubs then rolling
down through channels OF marble and
widening ont mere and there into pools
swirling with the iinnv tribes Of foreign
Rquariums bOrdered with scarlet anuem-
ONES. hypericums and many colored
ranunculus Meats OF rarCst bird and beast
smoking up amid wreathes of aromatics.
The vases filled with aprcots and almonds.
The baskets piled up with apricots and
dates and figs and oranges aud pomegrRu-
ates. Melons tastefully twined with leaves Of
acacia. The bright waters Of Euleus filling
the urns and sweating outside the rim in
flashing beads amid the traceries Wine
from the royal watts of lspahan and Shira2,
in bottles Of tinged shell, and Ply shaped
cups Of SILVER and fagons 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 Inc
eriates, the gable of fools and the song OF
the druukards.
In another part OF the palace Queen
Vashti is entertaining the princesseS of Persia
at banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus says to
his servants, "You 90 out and fetch Yashti
from that banquet with the women, and
bring her to this banquet with the men, and
let me display her beauty The servants
Immediately start to obey the kings COM
mand. but there was rule in oriental So
ciety that no woman might appear in public
without having her face yelled. Yet here
was mandate and no one dare dispute, de-
manding that Vasht come in unveiled he.
fore the multitude. However, there was in
Vashti's soul principle more regal than
Ahasuerus. more brilliant than the gold OF
Shushan, of more wealth than the realm oil
Persia. which commanded her to disobey
this order of the king, and so all the right
eousness and holiness and modesty Of hel
nature rises up into one sublime refusal
She says. II viii not go into the banquet I'M
yelled" OF course Ahasuerus was infuriate
and Yashti, robbed Of her position and he
estate, is driven forth in poverty ana ruin tC
suffer the scorn of a nation and yet 10 re
shall rise up TO admire this martyr to liingly
insoence. Well, the last vestige 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. Blu
as long as the world stands there will b,
multitudes of men and women, familiar
with the Bible, who will come into this pic
ture gallery of God and admire the divin,
portrait of Vashti the queen, Vashti tn
+ yelled, yashti the sacrifice, Yashti tn
silent
In the first place, l want you to look upor
Vashti the queen. A blue ribbon, rayed will
white, drawn around her forehead. indi
Gated her queenly position. 1t was no small
honor to be que Ii in such a realm as that
Hark to the rustic of her robes! See tn
blaze OF her jewels And yet, my friends, |
: is not necessary to have palace and rega
robe IN order to be queenly. When / see
woman with strong faith in God putting he
foot upon all meanness and selfishness AM
goddess display, going right forward to serv
Christ and the race by grand and gloriou
. service, | say, 'Ihat woman is a queen,
and the ranks of heaven look over the bal
Elements upon the coronation, and whethe
she come up from the shanty on the con
mons or the mansion Of the fashionabl
equare, greet her with the shout: "All hal
= Queen Fashti." What glory was there 0
the brow Of Mary of Scotland, or Eli2abet
OF England, or Margaret of France or Catl
crime of Russia compared with the worth
some of our Christian mothers, many
them gone into glory--or of that Woma
mentioned in the Scriptures, who put a
her money into the Lords treasury-or
Jephthah's daughter, who made a den
) onstratiOn of unselhsh patriotism-c
Of Abigail. who rescued the herds and flock
of her husband-or of Ruth. who toiled III
e der tropical sun for poor old, helple'
Naomi--or Of Florence Nightingale, VIII
a went at midnight to stanch the battle wount
of the Crimea-or Of Mrs. Adoniram Judsol
who kindled the lights of salvation amid ii
5 darkness of Burmah-Or of Mrs. Heman
who poured out herholyso in words whic
: will forever be associated with hunters hor
: and captives chain and bridal hour an
lute's throb and curfew's knell at the dyin
r day-and scores and hundreds of womel
unknown on earth who have given water
the thirsty and bread to the hungry an
= medicine to the sick and smiles to the di
= coIraged-their footsteps heard along dal
) lane and in government hospital and
almshouse corridor and by prison gat
There may be no royal robe-there may
no palatial surroundings. She does not nee
them, for all charitable men will unite wit
the cracking lips of fever struck hospit
and plague blotched lazaretto in greetir