Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-01-07
new YEARS HOPES
ouR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
sns Coming u New Year Shorid
Inspire Us to Resolve For Greater
Useeu1aess.

bnooKLyS. n X-For his Sunday
morning sermon. IN TRACE NJ. T.. Church.
the pastor, the Rev. Frederick +. Shan
non. had for his theme The Tragedy OF A
queen The text WAS from Esther i:ll-l2:
brtnS Nashti the queen before the king
~stn the crown royal, TO show the people
End he princes her beauty: Tor she was
fair 10 look on. But the Queen Vashti
said:
The Ahasuerus OF the book of Esther il
the Nerxes OF profane history. BY COM
mon consent OF historians he was one of
the most powerful monarchs that ever
hved- The pages OF Herodotus are filed
with his exploits, and (srote and Rollin
also, dwell upon his power aud achieve
mcnts m an interesting manner. But his
tawdry greatness il worth while only "a Il
serves TO set forth the heroism of Vashti.
ALREADY the centuries have furnished the
ordnance OF hss court but not the beauty
of his queen. Shushan, the palace. exists
only m name. The hundred and four
score days during which he showed the
riches OF ms gsorious kingdom aud the
honor OF has excellent majesty are less
than shadow on the dial The white.
green and blue hangings. tied with cords
OF purple and hne linen 20 silver rings IN
pillars OF marble persisted long ago The
god aud silver beds. which sat upon a
pavement Of red and blue and white and
black marble. have had no occupants for
more than 2&00 years. The golden vessels
from which princes quaffed the rovai vine
sre al one with the golden sand grains OF
the desert. Time is no respecter OF per
sons. IL AZ ourles the common things IN
oblivion. that shadow OF darkness" it
does not forget 90 pluck the spangles from
the robes OF kings. tossing them into the
night Also But time cannot dull the beau
y OF great soul Time cannot quench
the hare OF a white life. Time cannot
stain the snow OF a pure heart And that
- why Queen Nsshti and the tragedy OF
her lie forever hold our admiration and
our tears.
Perhaps we shall be more capable OF
measuring the unfortunate queen b. glanc-
ing at the monarch she opposed. Ahasue-
rus possessed the almost unlimited power
OF en- Oriental desDot. His viii was Az
preme IN everything. We find him here
giving a feast 20 his lords and princes
Having conceived the idea OF making war
on Ireece. this least to his subjects Is a
step looking 10 that end. Whatever he
undertook usually came to pass He could
dig a canal through the Isthrnus OF Mount
Athos. lie could build a bridge Of ships
ocroSs the Heliespont. He could scourre
the sea Tor It's temDestuousneSs. He could
bedeck the branches of a tree with jewelrv
a. reward Tor Its fruitfulnesS He could
raise an army OF more than $3.50. 900 men.
de could even shed tears when he re-
nectec thai IN less than a century not one
OF these men would survive But we have
IN our text one thing this monarch could
not do. lie could not corfrei a hclDless
woman TO permit him and ms drunken
courtlers "a make toy OF her beauty He
could not drag n hgh-soulcd queen down
from the pedestal OF her stainless puritvl
Consider. IN the first place. that the life-
story 81 Nashu recalls the TACT that palaces
have furnished the actors IN some of the
darkest. deepest tragedies IN history.
hen Shakespeare wanted material from,
winch 10 create his immortal dramas. with
unernng vision the lightly master began
20 probe the lie history oil kincs and
queens. From their laughter and tears.
from their splendor anu shame. from their
rise and fall. he wove a literary 'apestrv
which ~ the growing wonder OF men In
deed. as we watch Shakespeare move his
royal PLAYERS over his mental chess board.
we have 20 exclaim. with Aeschylus hat
= shadow o. shade ~ human rovaltvt"
Kissing IN briiliance. these royal stars set
IN darkness. and, usually. their darkness
- made more terrible by the ominous
Hastings OF red hghtnings OF remorSe
After a palace and its occupants have
passed under Shakspearc's pen, tbs j.
the conclusion OF the whole matter.
Thrones are painted bubbles and kings
and Queens are bubble chascrsl This i
queens, because there are. IL is. rather
emphasizing the fact that the happiest
people are those who are fortunate enough
not 20 have been born under the sta~ o.
ROYALTY.
We all know how the historian loves to
dwell upon the character ol Cleopatga BE
You'd question. she WAS one OF he most
captivating women OF paganism. Cescend-
ed from long line OF kings royal blood |
flowed ln her veins. beauty adorned her
person and brilhance sparkled in her
brain. When Nature called for an FQv,,
tan queen. this fascinating Greek princess /
|Tas the answer. AT fourteen she was an
accomplished hnguist student of history
|and skilled musician. At nineteen she |
conquered that Caesar who had Conquered !
tne world. forty-six years before the |
NhrlstlaD era she accompanied HIM 10
Ifome. where she lived IN pomp and lex.
Dry until Caesars assassination. when she !
turned 10 Egypt. She met Mark Antony
p twenty-eight-"a period OF life accord /
Fng 20 Piutarch. when woman's beauty Is |
most splendid and her intellect - in fun |
maturity. Antony summoned her 70 ap-
pear before him IN Cilca. charged with |
havlng assisted Cassius before the battle /
or Phlhpm. Upon this imDeri0us sum
mons hung the destiny OF that gifted 70 /
man, and he knew IL not. Nou know /
how she answered the sunlmons-not as a |
craven culprit, but as the peerless queen
OF the south. As she went uD the Cvanus I
IN her royal barge, the like of which was /
never beheld before or since the scene /
snthralled the fancy OF both Plutarch and |
Shakespeare. He who could make words /
BAY what no other man could, had 10 con /
less, FOR her own person. it beggared an I
description" Lake FURNISHED throne.
her b<rGe burned on the water: the pooo /
vas beaten gold; the purple eSils were 80 \
pertnmed that the winds were love-siel /
with them the silver oars kept stroke 10 /
he tune OF flutes; she was couched in a /
bold pavilion Ike Nenns, ~whcre we see /
he fancy outwork nature" dimpled bows. /
BIKE smiling Cupids. were standing on l
zach side tanning her; eentiewomen. like /
Mercedes. tended her: When she arrived |