The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-07-08
"a QUEEN DETHRONED
DIR. TALMAGE TELLS THE STORY OF
THE BEAUTIFUL VASHTl.

fcopyright. 1898, by American Press Asso-
WASHINGTON, July 3.-Dr. Talmage
in this discussion tells the story of a
beautiful queen dethroned, and draws
practical lessons for all conditions and
all times; text, Esther i, 1112, Bring
Vashti, the queen, before the king with
the crown royal, to show the people and
the princes her beauty; for she was fair
to look upon. But the Queen Vashti re-
fused to come"
We stand amid the palaces of Shu-
shan. The pinnacles are at1ame with
the morning light. The columns rise
festooned and wreathed, the wealth of
empires flashing from the grooves; the
ceilings adorned with images of bird
and beast and scenes of proves and
conquest. The walls are hung with
shields and emtlazoned until it seems
that the whole round of splendors is eX
hausted Each arch is a mighty leaf of
architectural achievement. Golden stars
shining down on glowing arabesque.
Hangings of embroidered work in which
mingle the blueness Of the sky, the
greenness of the grass and the white
ness of the sea 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, in which
weary limbs sink until all fatigue is
submerged. Those 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 stain
ed marble, sunset red and night black,
and inlaid with cleaning pearl. In
connection with this palace there is
garden where the mighty men of for
eign lands are seated at a banquet. I'm
der the spread of oak and linden and
acacia the tables are arranged. The
breath of honeysuckle and frankincense
fills the air. Fountains leap up into the
light, the spray struck through with
rainbows falling into crystalline bap-
tism upon Towering shrubs-then roll
ing down through channels of marble
and widening out here and there into
pools swirling with the finny tribes of
foreign aquariums, bordered with scar
let anemones hypericums and many
colored ranunculi.
Meats of rarest bird and beast smok-
ing up amid wreaths of aromatics. The
vases filled with apricots and almonds.
The baskets piled up with apricots and
figs and oranges and pomegranates.
Melons tastefully twined with leaves OF
acacia. The bright waters of Eul9us
filling the urns and dropping outside the
rim in flashing beads amid the traceries.
Wine from the royal watts of Ispahan and
Shiraz in bottles Of tinged shell aud lily
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 inebriates, the gable OF
fools and the song of the drunkards.
Bidder to the Banquet.
In another part of the palace Queen
Vashti is entertaining the Princess OF
Persia at banquet Drunken Ahasuerus
saws to his servants, "You go and fetch
Vashti from that banquet with the wom-
en- and bring her 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 mandate
that no one dare dispute demanding that
Vashti come in unveiled before the null
titude. However, there was in Vashti S
soul principle more regal than Ahasue-
rus, more brilliant than the gold of
Shushan, of more wealth than the realm
of Persia, which commanded her to dis
obey this order of the king, and so all
the righteousness and holiness and mod
esty of her nature rise up into one sub
lime refusal. She says, 81 will not go
in to the banquet unveiled. " Ahasuerus
was infuriate, and Vashti, robbed Of her
position and her estate, is driven forth
in poverty and ruin to suffer the scorn
of a nation and yet to receive the APP
plause of after generations, who shall
rise up to admire this martyr to kingly
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 Shushan is a
ruin, but as long as the world stands
there will be multitudes of men and
women, familiar with the Bible, who
will come into this picture gallery of
God and admire the divine portrait of
Vashti the queen, Vashti the yelled,
Vashti the sacrifice, Vashti the silent.
vashti the Queen.
In the first place, want you to look
upon Vashti, the queen. A blue ribbon,
rayed with white, drawn around her
forehead, indicated her queenly posi-
ton. 1t was no small honor to be queen
in such realm as that. Hank to the
hustle of her robes. See the blaze of
her Jewels. And yet it is not necessary
to have place and regal robe in order to
be queenly. When l see woman with
stout faith in God, putting her foot
upon all meanness and selfshness and
goddess display, going right forward to
serve Christ and the race by grand
and a glorious service, l say, "That
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