Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-07-31
A Few Words for Pharaoh.

Ever slDCt VIC WCIS OIu ShcNS' w o
10 church, we have heard King PharaoI
spoken of in terms of disrespect. Th
preachers all seem TO have a pick a
him, and especially at his heart, which
if you would believe them was as har
as granite. They always tell one sid
OF the story let us give the other:
Pharaoh was king of Egypt, in Africs
country once celebrated for its science
its corn crops, and its stone masons.-
When the Pharaoh, about whose hear
we hear so much, was on the throne
the Egyptians owned about two million
of es-descendants of Abraham
These slaves were multiplying very rap
idly; were in the main contented anC
were "better off" by far than the mos
of US. Pharaoh and the Egyptian'
we're much "attached to them," ''pro-
viding for them" made all their laws
and they had nothing in the world to dc
but to work, eat, and be jolly. Then
masters had all the trouble.
But they were multiplying too fast
so well off were they, and Pharaoh was
induced to order that after certain day
all the male slave children born should
be drowned or stranged like Kittens
This looks bad, and the preachers have
made the most of it but let us consid-
err his motive. 1t was to make slave
instruction impracticable. n low, we
all know what horrible thing a slave
instruction is. We have heard of ST.
Domingo. stump orators sometimes
tell us of ST. d mi ago. Pharaoh
thought his brutal slaves might be in
cited by some miserable fanatic like John
Brown to rise, and then what would
they do but cut throats, burn houses,
ravsh their dusky mistresses, and run
pitchforks through the curly headed chill
dren of their good masters. Who will
say that in view Of all these possible
horrors, it was not but just to send the
little Hebrew slave boys of one or two
generations to heaven where they would
be better off?
1t is true, too, that whipping and beat
ing even to death, was rather common,
and that women even were not spared !;
but to offset this they bad plenty of leeks,
onions, and other savory things to eat,
and all they could do. They had no
concern of mind, no SCHOOLS to attend, no
laws to make, no cares to furrow their
faces, nothing to do but to eat and be Jolly.
We are certain that If correspondent
of the London "Times," had taken a
boat ride on the Nile in those days, he
would have failed for language to de-
scribe the happy condition of the cbiv-
alrous Egyptian masters and their con-
tented slaves.
But, alas, they were awaked from
their blissful dreams Of happiness by
Moses. Now Moses was we'll educa-
ted man, but like too many now, he
made bad use of his learning. He was
kind of Yankee agitator. He once
saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew
slave, and instead of helping to subdue
the slave, as he should have done, he
smote the master so violently that he
died from the blow. For this case he
was obliged to run away. But he did
not stay away. He heard something out
of a burning bush one day, which inham-
ed his abolition notions, fanatics are al
ways having visions) SO he went back to
Egypt; and when he got back, every
thing was going well. The country was
fourishing. The people were united
Taxes were low and trade prosperous
If Pharaoh bad hung him up at once, a
great deal OF trouble would have been
avoided. But he did not hang him, and
the trouble began. Moses insisted on
the immediate and unconditional eman-
cipation of all the Hebrews. Think of
it! Slavery was and old institution, the
slaves were happy, and worth about
$200,000,000 How could Moses ask
such sacrifice Of property? He claim
ed that God had sent him-that the Is
raeites were oppressed, and all that; but
Moses was a minister; what right had he
to NEEDLE with slavery in Egypt, a
purely "polite atom" The other
preachers in Egypt were faithful to Am
mon and let slavery alone. How much
better it would have been if Moses had
done as our American Tract Society.
and several of onr popular churches
have done-preach the Bible, and keep
out of the dirty water of politics. But
nothing would satisfy him but emancipa-
ton.
Of course the pride of the Egyptians