The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-27
Safety First In America
(Sermon Preached Twice Sunday, January g. and P
by Mr.. Sunday

Dy ME. s
Daniel. fifth chapter, twenty-fft
verse. Thou are weighed in the ball
ances, and art found wanting"
/ think il was DIR. Talmadge who
once said that Bible pictures are a
good deal like the works OF the old
masters. They improve with age Da-
vinci's 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 two hundred
towers: and the river Euphrates
rolled on. touched by the fiery splen-.
dor of the setting sun. The gates or
brass opened and closed like doors OF
flames. The hanging 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 promenade.
and for frolic. And the theatres. ana
the galleries OF amusement. they in
vited the wealth and pomp and the
grandeur OF the day.
And scenes of moral riot and god
less mirth, 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. uph olstered in pre-
cious cloth and drawn by hery-eyeo
steeds. held and driven by strong
armed characters. The lords and
ladies dIsmounted, 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.
Belshayxar's Glory.
Hark. / hear the call of music i
hear the rustic of silks. Their jew
els are all abiaze. and lifted up with
banners. Cups are filed with wine
and they clap their cymbals and let
night pass with song. Let paisied be
that Babyionian tongue that does not
shout, 20, live forever. Belshazzar!
My friends. that was no common.
lager beer. pfezel. wiener wurst.
blowout: that was q bunch OF high
rollers that went to that feast
The signal was given and the ladies
and the lords and the mighty men
and women swarmed around the BAN
quet table and they poured out the
wine. They let it foam and bubble
man his cup and they drink to the
toast. "Oh. BeIehazzar. live forever"
Again, ana 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'
Wilder the music. Then comes the
obscene songs. and the drunken hic-
cough. and the slavering lip, and the
guffaw. and the idiotic laugh bursting
from lips of princesses and kings who
reel and stagger with blood-sh eyes.
Somebody has said. III you love
drama. read the Bible. for II Is the
most dramatic book ever written"
1t is striking In its situation and
startling and furious; graphic In its
ldeiineation Of character.
Relshazzar was not supreme in ruI-
ership OF the kingdom at this time.
He was associated with his father.
, While his father was away on mill
tary expedition. the army of the
Modes and Persians came up and sur
rounded the city. shutting his father
out, and Belshazzr was the only peb-
BILE on the beach at this time. Bel
shazzar was supreme In command.
There was 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. haven't heard
one Of them peep and sheer and Say
| that Daniel was not a real. historic
| character.
King Pulled Up.
| Belshazzar was pufYed up over his
newly begotten power, and he pro-
claimed feast In the palace. There
were seats for a thousand ladies and
| lerds at the banqueting table. A
strange conceit seems to have entere =
f3eishazzar's head and ne calls for his
chief and whispers In his ear. He
soon they re-enter, carrying in their
1sAIrs pu1 pos 10 siassaA eul SURF
that his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar
had. These vessels were used in the
worship OF God and in order to show
his hatred of God, Be lshazzar orders
these vessels Allied with .Babyionian
wine and passed around.
The hilarity grows more and more
| boisterous. Faster and faster ht the
feet OF the lewd and nude dancing
| women as they wriggle and worm
their bodies up and down the halls
| between the tables. Suddenly hush
like death falls over that licentious.
drunken crew, and they gaze In sill
| ence upon the frieze Of the banquet
| ing hail. because the hand OF the Lord
had written there, and terror seized
them. I read in the Bible that Bel
, shaxzars countenance was changed,
his thoughts troubled him, the joints
of his loins and his knees smote one
against the other, and old Belshaxxar
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 PSYCHOLOGISTS. or the old spiritual
lists, particular mediums. Enter the
Magi-no doubt Of their ability to
decipher the strange hierogiyphics
written upon the banQueting hall and
further enrich themselves through
the emoluments OF their treachery
and deceit. But they had never seen
writing like that and they couldn't
read 1t and then terror siczed that
drunken crowd again and Belshaxzar
sent for his mother, the queen.
Oh. there IL many . young fellow
has no use for the preacher, has no
use for the advice Of his father or his
mother. but ha n going down the line
hitting It up with that God-forsaken
gang of thu9u! He waits until he BE-
comes drunkAyd. then he begins ~
realise &hAt ~ NaQ ~ foel