Sentence:  What otherwise could `` the lawyer , doctor , minister , the men of science and letters '' do when told that they had `` become the cherubim and seraphim and the three archangels who <WSD>stood</WSD> before the golden throne of the merchant , and continually cried , ' Holy , holy , holy is the Almighty Dollar '' ' ? 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  be standing; be upright