The log cabin Democrat., 1916-03-09
DESCRIBES FEAST
 Of BELSHAzzFR CIVIC RIGHTEOUSNESS
IS SUBJECT OF ANOTHER POW ERFUL SERMON BY REV
 BURKE CULPEPPER.

llvered a powerful sermon on Civic Righteousness" at the First Metho- dist church. The crowd began to as semble fully an hour before the time set for the services, and when the evangelist arose to preach there was not standing room left anywhere in the building and scores had been turned away
 A song services which ended with solo, What Will You Say in the Judgment Day?' by John U. Robin son, preceded the sermon.
 After a few introductory remarks, Tn which he announced that nobody is responsible for what am going to say tonight but yours truly /" the preacher repeated his text, In that night was Belshazzer, the king of the Chaldeans, slain In exquisite lan- guage Rev. Culpepper described the beautiful city Of Babylon, where the famous feast which ended in the cap ture of the city, was held, and he told that modern excavations of the rulns of such ancient cities as this had all proved the authenticity of the scriptures. He paid a tribute to the Bible, "the biggest and mightiest book in the universe.
 In that night was Belshazzer slain" Night, he declared, is al ways time of evil God Almighty never made the night. He shot day light in the darkness, but the night was already there" Night, he said, Is time of the most hideous deeds, of the most awful moments. He gave graphic word picture of the night of the great Galveston storm.
 The night of Belshazzer's feast, the preacher said, was night of par ental disregard, night of official be- littlement and night of dissertation and defamation Under each of these three sub-topics he discussed and compared modern conditions.
 This is a day of parental disre- gard, he said. Children are not trained to respect and obey their parents as they should and he cited instances of the disastrous effects Of failure to control children in their early days and of the good effects of being firm with them II love to see a boy backing up his daddy" he said.
 Belshazzer, said Mr. Culpepper, had been put in charge of the great city of Bablyon and he had belittled his job. With false feeling of se- curity he had called in the soldiers who mounted guard on the walls of the city to night of revelry and de- bauch. Men today belttle their jobs, he declared. II know preachers who belittle their jobs; mayors, sheriffs, constables, marshals, merchants who belittle their jobs. The average man who is elected to office takes an oath he doesn't expect to carry out. To your mayor-elect, whoever he may be, l want to say this: If you feel that you haven't got the backbone to be true to the trust the people have placed Tn you, be man and quit Don't perjure yourself.'
 Lawyers, teachers, doctors, belittle their jobs, the evangelist declared. They tell me you have got the sor- riest bunch of lawyers here town was ever cursed with-little peanuts, little tom-tits. A mosquito could bite one of them on the nose and scratch in both eyes at the same time. If I couldn't be a lawyer, l wouldn't be a shyster."
 The night that Belshazzer was slain was night of dissertation and defamation, said MT. Culpepper Wine was poured from the sacred golden goblets- The temple was de- filed with an orgy of drunkenness and debauchery and prayers were said to false gods, We are today following after the gods of gasoline, of coal and steam, of everything except the Lord God Almighty he declared. We too are seeing a revival of the an- cient lewdness in the modern dances and wine suppers."
 Then was seen the handwriting on the wall, "Mene, meme, tekel upharsen." Belshazzer was frighten- ed out of his drunken stupor. His courtiers and wise men were unable to interpret the strange inscription, Finally the prophet Daniel was sent for. ''ln times of great trouble, in great crises and catastrophes, when the doctor can no longer do you any good, then you send for the preacher as Belshazzer did," he said. The preacher dramatically portrayed Dan iel's translation of the fateful words. which had scarcely been spoken until Cyrus cohorts had scaled the un- guarded walls, taken the city and slain the king.