The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-07-17
WOMAN'S OPPORTUNITIES
rev. DR.. Talmage Talks Upon .
Fruitful Theme.
n Lesson Drawn From tho Humiliation
Of Queen vashti. Particularly APP
plicable to Some Types OF
the New Woman.


Rev. I. dewitt Talmage before his
Washington congregation, being based
on the texts
10 bring vashti the queen before the
king with the crown royal, to shew the
people and the princes her beauty; for she was
fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused
to come at the kings commandment by his
chamberlains; therefore was the king very
wroth and his anger burned In him.-Esther
T., lila
We stand amid tho palaces of Shu-
shan. The pinacles are af1ame with
the morning light The columns rise
festooned and wreathed, the wealth OF
empires flashing from the groves;
the ceilings adorned with images OF
bird and beast, and scenes OF prowess
and conquest. The walls are hung
with shields, and emblazoned until it
seems that the whole round of spien-
doris is exhausted. Each arch is
mighty leap of architectural achieve
ment Golden stars. shining down on
glowing arbesque. Hangings OF en-
'broidered work in which mingle TIE
blueness of the sky, the greenness OF
the grass and the whiteness of the sea-
foam. Tapestries hung on silver rings,
wedding together the pillars OF mar
BILE. Pavilions reaching out in every
direction. These for repose filled
with luxuriant couches, into which
weary limbs sink until all fatigue is
submerged. These for carousal, where
kings drink down 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, and inlaid with cleaning
pearl. Why, it seems as if heav-
emily vision of amethyst and jacinth
and topaz and chrysoprasus had de.
seconded and alighted upon Shushan.
&c seems as if billow of celestial
glory had dashed clear over Heavens
battlements upon this metropolis OF
Persia. In connection with this pal
ace there is garden, where the
mighty men of foreign lands are
seated at banquet. Under the spread
of oak and linden and acacia, the Ia
bles are arranged. The breath OF
honeysuckle and frankincense fills the
air. Fountains leap up into the light,
the spray struck through with rain
bows falling in crystalline baptism
upon towering shrubs-then rolling
down through channels of marble,
and widening out here and there into
pools swirling with the finny tribes
of foreign aquariums. bordered with
scarlet anemones, hypericums and
many-colored ranunculus. Meats OF
rarest bird and beast smoking mp
amid wreaths of aromatics. The
vases filled with apricots and almonds.
The baskets piled up with apricots and
dates, and figs, and oranges, and pome-
granates. Melons tastefully twined
with leaves of acacia. The bright wa
ters of Eulaeus filling the urns 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 flagons and
tankards of solid gold. The music
rises higher and the revelry breaks
wine has flushed the cheek and touched
the brain, and louder than all other
voices are the hiccough of the inebri-
ates, 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 banquet. Drunken Alias
Herus says to his servants: You go
out and fetch Vashti from that ban
~ viii 1n h,.fp ha,-
to this banquet with the men, and let
me display her beauty" The servants
Immediately start to obey the kings
command; but there was a rule In
oriental society that no woman might
appear in public without having her
face yelled. Yet here was a mandate
that no one dare dispute, demanding
that Vashti come in unveiled before
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 of Persia, which COM
manded her to disobey this order of the
king; and so all the righteousness and
holiness and modesty of her nature
rises up into one sublime refusal. She
says: II will not go into the banquet
unveiled" OF course, Ahasuerus 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 APP
plause of after generations who shall
Else up to admire this martyr to king
~ insolence. 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 Shu-
shan is a ruin; but as long as the world
stands there will be multitudes of men
and women, familiar with the Bible,