The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-06-09

He found one for God gifts no one with life
without first preparing for him all the intu-
ences necessary 10 It's completion.
Azo, attended by q pet lion, has playmate
from infancy, had wandered, one day, far be-
yond the rocky barriers Of his valley in search
Of a young kid, that had strayed away from
the flock. His search was vain and he was
about turning upon his steps when his ear
caught the shouts and yells of multitude,
swelling up from the green plain below, mingled
with the clash of arms, and the wild music of
the sons Of Jabal and he knew it was the day
of sacrifice TO the terrible god Moloch, whom
the children Of earth had already enshrined
upon their affairs and in their hearts. Some
thing of the evil which had produced this mon
strous growth, and the denominations practiced
in its rites, he had learned from the angel Wis
itants to the valley; and he was turning away
with a shudder, when, from out the grove Of
mighty woods, that divided the upland where
he stood, from the plain, darted young
maiden, and, breathlessly falling at his feet,
stretched forth her round arms in entreaty, as
she gasped-
"Save me! oh save me, from those that seek
my life!"
He raised her up, and feeling of strange
fullness and delight throbbed his pulses as he
gazed on her wondrous loneliness. Quickly
mastering his emotion, he poured water from
the bottle at his side upon her brow, and upon
her bleeding feet, torn by briars and lacerated
by sharp stones, and bound them up with
leaves Of healing balm, from the forest near at
hand
He would have paused longer, to have unused
over the strangeness of his feelings each time
the maiden's eyes met his but loud cries on
the farther side of the wood filled her with ter
ror and trembling, and, hastily raising her in
his arms, he placed her upon the lion, who
bowed his broad shoulders to receive the lovely
burden, and they were soon hidden from pur-
suit, amid the rocky defles while the maiden
told, In low, murmuring tones--often interrupt
ed by her tears-the story of her flight
ltai her father cunning artifcer in brass
and iron, whose skill excelled that of all his
brethren-had been summoned by the prince
of his tribe up to the city of the plain to exer.
else the mysteries of his craft in his behalf
Now, the light on Itai's hearth and in his hear,
had gone out when Naamah, the mother of his
little Rizpab, died 50 he took the maiden by
the hand, and went up, from the place of his
fathers, to dwell near the gate of the palace OF
his prince Many were the curious pieces Of
armor which he wrought for the princes house.
hold and mighty men of war-breastpla and
spears javelins and swords and scythed chart
OTIS, that were more deadly than macy swords !;
80 that the fame thereof was known through
| out the land.
But ltai had kept the faith and his heart
sank within him. when he saw how the land
was filled with violence, by reason of the wick
edness Of the people and it was only to his
darling Rizpah that he could speak of the God
Of his fathers.
At length the prince determined to erect a
golden statue of the god Moloch; and of all his
many artifcers ltai was chosen to execute his
| command
| When the choice was made known to him,
his heart died within him for he knew that a
dreadful death awaited him and his child, if he
refused; and the thought Of his daughter made
the flesh on his bones to creep Yet he cried
unto God who giveth the victory, and in hii
strength overcame. When they again crossed
their threshold, it was rs victims doomed to b,
offered at the shrine of the idol, Moloch-
Some days before the great sacrifice, Deatl
opened the door of their prison for ltai, ant
left his child to meet her fate alone On tn
appointed day she went forth, surrounded b,
her guards but, some disturbance arising
2 2 among the noisy multitude, she eluded thci
r vigilance, and fled like the wind she knew nc
q whittier, 40 that she left the internal fires be
hind, until she fell exhausted, at the feet
, Azo.
Zillah received her as a veritable gift iron
God and when she saw how the days wove tn
souls of the young people together in the stronl
bond of love, she laid their marriage oAering
upon the green altar by Aims grave, and
blessed them, in the name of their heavenly
and their earthly father. And now Azo wan
dercd no more, like restless breeze, alone
upon the hills; for the mysteries which had
haunted him wero best solved by glance into
the dewy eyes of her who was ever by his side
and the stream of their life was still and serene
rs tho courses of the stars Only when Rizpah
spoke-as she sometimes did, shudderingly, OF
the inquitOus idolatry and wickedness Of the
inhabitants of the plaln-the surgcs of feeling
arose in the young mans heart, and n voice
seemed calling him TO 90 forth and speak to
them of the one, living God.
year passed away and in the sweet hopes
and blessed realities of her welded life Rizpah
almost forgot the terrible perils through which
she had passed indeed it scarcely seemed that
she had lived before she knew Azo One day,
her husband came in, bleeding from deep
wound in his shoulder, inflicted by the sharp
horn of an unruly animal and leaving her
mother to stanch the blood, she flew to gather
the leaves of certain healing plant, that
grew just beyond the limits of the valley.
1t was high noon, for the erect chalces of
the valley flowers were trimming with golden
| light; but Rizpah came not and Azo, forget
full OF the anguish of his wound, sprang forth
to seek her A handful of wilted leaves, and
traces of many steps on the trampled sward
were all that he could find A terrible fear
| 4 4 G.. l.. 4
shook beneath him. Hastily selling handful
of the leaves, and pressing them to his heart
as il to still the fearful pain there, he sprang
on, from rock to rock, and peak to peak, paus-
| ing only once, when his faithful lion bounded
| to his side At last the iniquitous city 10y
spread out before him and the sound of their
wild music, and the dense multitude gathered
around the high place" of their idolatrous
grove, which sheltered their affairs, arose the
dark smoke from the accursed fires, and in the
midst of the crowd Of victims hemmed in by
priests, his quick eye dscerned one who
stretched forth, her arms toward tho happy
valley as if for aid.
I" come beloved he cried and, with the
fury of a tempest, he swept down upon them,
followed by the maj este lion. The multitude
fell back IN fear, before the strange pair, 80
terrible in their beauty, and with impetuous
strides they cleared the space between them and
the great altar by which Rizpah stood, bound
With one sweep Of his arm, he drove back the
priests around her; and the roar Of the lion, as
he bounded to her side, sent terror through the
whole host.
When the Ubiquitous ministers Of idolatry re-
covered from the shock, it was to see the hid
eous idol which had adorned their great altar
trampled beneath the young mans feet; while,
with one arm supporting Rizpah, he raised the
other toward Heaven, and spoke to them OF
the one only, and living God.
For d moment, fear and horror, indignation
and rage, kept them silent; while his deep,
clear tones flowed on, like the voice Of an angel.
Then arose q murmur--a muttcring-a roar
like that Of the ocean, when il rouses itself to