The Washington herald., 1918-01-25


I think II was DR.. Talmadge who
once said that Bible pictures are a
good deal like the works of the old
masters. They improve with age.
Davincfs Last Supper" Raphaefs
Madonna" they are worth more to-
day than when they were spread on
canvas.
Night was about to come down up
on the famous city Of Babylon, and
the shadows Of her 200 towers; and
the river Euphrates rolled on, touched
By the fiery splendor OF the setting
sun. The gates of brass opened and
closed like doors Of fame. The hang
ing gardens were wet and heavy with
dew and then began to pour from
star-lit flowers a fragrance that went
for miles around
The streets in the square were alight
for dance, and for pronHnade. and
for frolic. And the theateTS, and the
galleries Of amusement, they invited
the wealth and pomp and the gran
deur Of the day.
And scenes of moral riot and god
less nirth, and outrageous excess for
every indulgence ensued. for they had
come to the palace that night to do
their mightiest deeds OF violence. A
| royal feast had been proclaimed by
| the king, and rushing up to the gates
| were chariots. upholstered In precious
cloth and drawn by fiery-eyed steeds,
held and driven by strong-armed
charioteers. The lords and ladies dis
mounted, and women were gowned
IN all the splendor and the grandeur
Of that Syrian age. They opened wide
the gates and the guests came IN,
and the cup bearers were all ready.
Hark. I hear the call OF music.
hear the rustic of silks. Their jew
els are all ablaze, and lifted up with
banners. Cups are filled with wine
and they clap their cymbals and let
night pass with song. Let palsied
be that Babylonian tongue that does
not shout, %. live forever, Belshaz-
zari''
Bible Il Greatest Book.
My friends, that was no common.
lager beer, pretzel. wiener-wurst,
blowout; that was q bunch Of high
rollers that went to that feast
The signal was given and the Ia
dies and the lords and the mighty
men and women swarmed around the
banquet table and they poured out
the wine They let It foam and bub-
BILE and kiss the rim, and they hoist
every man his cup and they drink
to the toast, "Oh, Belshazzar, live for
everP'
Again. and still again they drain
them dry. Away with care Tear
! royal dignity to shreds. Pour out
more booze and give more light, and
step on her and open her wide!
Wider the music Then comes the
obscene songs, and the drunken hic-
cough, and the slavering lip, and the
guffaSr, and the idotic laugh bursting
from lips Of princesses and kings who
reel and stasger with blood-shot eyes
Somebody has said, IF you love
drama, read the Bible, for 1t Is the
most dramatic book ever written"
It Is striking IN its situation and
startling and furious; graphic In its
delineation OF character.
Belshazzar was not supreme in rul-
ership Of the kingdom at this time.
He was associated with his father.
While his father was away on a
military expedition, the army of the
Medes and Persians came up and
surrounded the city, shutting his
father out, and Belshazzar was the
only pebble on the beach at this time.
Belshazzar was supreme In command.
There was a time when a higher
critic sneeringly said that the char.
acter Of Daniel was mythical, and
yet they have brought tablets Of stone
written in Daniels day telling Of him.
From that day to this, 1 haven't
heard one Of them peep and sneer and
say that Daniel was not a real, his
toric character.
On With the Dance.
Belshazzar was pufred up over his
newly begotten power, and he pro-
claimed feast In the palace There
were seats for a thousand ladies and
lords at the banqueting table. A
strange conceit seems to have enter
ed Belshazzar's head and he calls for
his chief and whispers in his ear He
leaves the banquetIng hall and pretty
soon they re-enter. carrying in their
arms the vessels Of gold and silver
that his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar
had These vessels were used IN the
worship OF God and in order to show
his hatred Of God, Belshazzar orders
these vessels filed with Babyionian
wine and passed around.
The hilartty grows more and more
boisterous. Faster and faster fit the
feet OF the lewd and nude dancing
women as they wriggie and worm
their bodies up and down the halls be-
tween the tables. Suddenly a hush
Ike death falls over that Hcenttous.
drunken crew. and they gaze In Al
lence upon the frieze Of the BANQUET
ing hall, because the hand of the
Lord had written there, and terror
seized them read in the Bible that
Belshazar's countenance was changed,
his thoughts troubled him, the Joints
OF his ioins and his knees snote one
against the other. and old Belshaz-
zar was about all In.
By and by he kind Of pulls himself
together. because he doesn't want to
show the white feather to that crowd.
So he calls for the soothsayers. or the
astrologtsts, or the old spiritualists,
particular mediums Enter the Magf-
no doubt Of their ability to decipher
the strange hieroglyphics written upon
the banqueting hall and further en-
rich themselves through the emoiu-
nents Of their treachery and deceit.
But they had never seen writing like
that and they couldn't read It and
then terror seized that drunken
crowd again and Belshazzar sent for
his mother. the queen.
Oh, there Is many a young fellow
has no use FOR the preacher. has no
use for the advice Of his father or his
mother. but he Is going down the line
hitting 1t up with that God-forsaken
gang Of thugs! He waits until he be-
comes drunkard. then he begins to
realize that he was the fool.
There is many a little fool sissy, she
wouldn't listen to the advice of good
friends She win go on with that, then
she begins to realize when she Is on
the way TO become the mother OF an
illegtdnate child that she was the