The Progress., 1898-07-09
copyright, 1895 by American Press Asso-
citation


Copyright 1898, by American Press Asso-
ciationl
4 WASHINGTON, July 3.-Dr. Talmagc in
this discussion tells the story Of beauti-
full queen dethroncd and draws practical
lessons for all conditions and all times;
text, Esther i, Hip, Bring VHshti, 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 Nashti refused to come"
We stand amid the palaces of Shushan.
The pinnaCles are aflame with the morn
ing hight. The columns rise festOOncd
and wrcathcd, the wealth Of empires flash
ing from the grooves, the ceilings adorned
with images Of bird and beast and scenes
of prowess and conquest The walls are
hung with shields and cmbazoned until
1t seems that the whole round of spiendors
Is exhausted. Each arch Is mighty leaf
of architectural achievement. Golden stars
shining down on glowing arabesque.
1 ,Hangings Of embroidered work in which
& mingle the bucness of the sky, the green
4 ness of the grass and the whiteness of the
sea foam. Tapestries hung on silver rings,
] wedding together the pillars of marble
4 Payilions reaching out In every direction
These for repOso, filled with luxuriant
4 couches in which weary limbs sink until
1 all fatigue is submerged Those for ca
! rousal where kings drink down a king
4 dom at one swallow. Amazing spectacle!
Light OF silver dripping down over stairs of
4 ivory on shields of gold. Floors of stained
A marble, sunset red and night black and
q inlaid with cleaning pearl In connec-
B tion with this palace there is q garden
3 where the mighty men of foreign lands
4 hrc seated at u banquet. Under the spread
4 OF oak and linden and acacia the tables
are arranged. The breath of honeysuckle
and frankincense fills the air. Fountains
4 leap up into the light, the spray struck
3through with rainbows falling into crys-
talline baptism upon Towering shrubs,
then rolling down through channels of
8marble and widening out here and there
Unto. pools swirling with the fnny tribes
&pf foreign aquariums, bordercd with scar
&aet anemones, hypericums and many col
bred ranunculi.
81 Meats of rarest bird and beast smoking
3lp amid wreaths Of aromatics. The vases
&3llled with apricots and almonds The
baskets piled upwith apricots and figs and
oranges and pomegranates. Melons taste
8ully twined with leaves of acacia. The
bright waters OF Euleus filling the urns
ind dropping outside the rim in flashing
BEADS amid the traceries Wine from the
loyal watts of Ispahan and Shiraz, in bot
les OF tinged shell, and lily shaped cups of
liver and flagons and tankards of solid
old. The music rises higher and the rev.
ry breaks out into wilder transport, and
ne wine has flushed the cheek and touch
the brain, and louder than all other
0lces are the hiccough of the inebriates,
pc gabble of fools and the song of the
funkards.
III Woman Wronged.
In another part of the palace Queen
asht1 Is entertaining the Princess OF
ersia at q banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus
ys to his servants, 'You go and fetch |
ashti from that banquet with the women
bd bring her to this banquet with the
len and let me display her beauty" The
ryants Immediately start to obey the
ng S command but there was rule in |
rental society that no woman might APP
far in public without having her face
Piled. Yet here was mandate that no
e dare dispute, demanding that Vashti
ne In unveiled before the multitude.
Rwever, there was in Vashti's soul a
nciple more regal than Ahasuerus, more
iiiant than the gold of Shushan, of
nc wealth than the realm of Persia,
pich commanded her to disobey this or
OF the king, and so all the righteous
rs and holiness and modesty of her ma
rise up into one sublime refusal. She
III ,aL.tl 1 L !