The Washington herald., 1922-07-08
By WILLIAM >. BRYAN.


is most appropriate that. we con-
slider at this time the Bibles great
est lesson against drink In any
form.
1t is set forth in one of the
most graphic and famous chapters
of the entire Bible.
But before we make application |
to the drink problem. ,et us con-
slider the facts as they are related
in this fifth chapter OF Daniel. The |
great prophet never measured up |
more fully to the requirements OF |
his high calling than on the occa. |
sion when. unabashed and unafraid. |
he interpreted to a trembling ruler |
the fateful decree OF Jehovah.
Our text deals with the feast of
Belshazzar. who knew full well the |
punishment visited upon Nebuchad-
nezzar. whom the text calls his
father. for his sins. He had no ex-
cuse for his wrong doing-any more
than the son of a drunken father
has for drunkenness. He had
even less excuse. because Nebu-
chadnezzar's punishment was fol-
lowed by repentance and Belshaz-
Ear had this fact Gas well as Nebu-
chadnezzar's sins) before him when
he entered upon his lordship over
Babylon.
History's Most Famous Feast.
But Belshazzar was a worshipper
of the body and yielded to all the
temptations that come through the
flesh.
On the night In question he hao
a q q m Ia lad ~
at great feast and drank wine
before the thousand" Excited by
the alcohol in the wine, he com
manded that the golden and silver
vessels which his father, Nebuchad-
nezzar. had taken out of the temple.
which was in jerusalem" be
brought to the feast; that the
king, and his princes, his wives and
his concubines. might drink there
in
No wonder this feast is the most
| famous in history it has made the
| name OF Belshazzar a synonym for
wild debauches and wicked dissipa-
tion.
There was the king. surrounded
| by his princes and his mobiles, his
wives and his concubines, drinking
| wine out of the sacred vessels that
an idolatrous king had taken by
force from the house of God in the
Holy City. AS these wine -bibbers
drained their cups they praised the
gods of gold and silver and brass.
of iron and wood and stone Sac
| rlege was added to bestiality men
made in the image Of God had de-
scended as low as man could fall.
Excess was added to excess until
nothing was left undone to prove
degeneracy. But the hour had struck
punishment was at hand.
Drunken Kings Terror.
In the same hour came forth nm
gers Of a mans hand and wrote
the plaster Of the wall of the kings
palace and the king saw the part
cf the hand that wrote"
Drunken as he was. he had intel
| ligence enough left to be awed by
the moving hand that. reaching
down from the unseen world traced
the verdict from which there W.
no appeal.
Then the kings countenance was
changed. and his thoughts troubled
him. so that the joints Of his loins
were loosed. and his knees smote one
against another"
He called frantically for his as
trologers. Chaldeans. and soothsay-
ers he offered to give to any one
who would interpret the handwrit-
ing on the wall clothes of scarlet
a chain of geld and the third place
In his kingdom. But the kings wise
men were impotent; they could not
read the writing, let alone inter
pret II. What was to be done?
As an Isratlitish maid carried to
| Naaman, the leper's wife. news of
Elisha's power, so at this moment
the queen-mother recalled the fame
of Daniel. who had not only inter-
preted Nebuchadnezzar's dream but
recalled II to the king when she had
forgotten 1t. She begged Belshazzar
to send for Daniel and Daniel was
called.
"Thou Art Found wnntine.-
He listened to the plea of the
frightened Belshazzar. who in his
distress was willing to offer any
thing for an explanation. Rising to
his full height, Daniel answered
him:
Let thy gifts be to thyself. and
give thy rewards to another; yet
will read the writing unto the king
and make known to him the inter-
pretation.''
Daniel kept nothing back. He re-
viewed the pride of Nebuchadnez-
zar and his punishment; he con-
fronted Belshazzar with his sins
And thou, his son. o Belshazzar,
hast not humbled thine heart
though thou knewest all this"
He pointed out to Belshazzar how
he had lifted UP himself against the
Lord of heaven; how he had brought
the vessels of Gods house to the
banquet hall that his lords, his
wives and his concubines might
drink wine in them: how he had
praised the gods of silver and gold,
of brass, iron, wood and stone,
which see not, nor hear, nor know"
and had not glorified the God in
whose hand thy breath is and whose
are all thy ways"
And then Daniel announced the
decree-"Mene. meme. tekel. uphar-
sin-mene; God hath numbered thy
kingdom, and finished it. Tekel;
thou art weighed in the balances,
and art found wanting. Peres: thy
kingdom is divided. and given to
the Medes and Persians."
Fulnnment of Judgment.
/ The king had just time enough to
issue a proclamation giving Daniel
the third place in the kingdom-ar
empty honor. Tor 'in that night was
Belshazzar the king of the Chal-
deans slain. And Darius the Median
took the kingdom" This prophecy
was fulfilled at once; it scarcely was
| nffarad hefnra the sshfefnrv written