Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-03-27

swells of land, and now on our left
hand we look up the valley of Ajalon.
The word carries US, in thought, back
to that day when Joshua led the ar
mics Of Israel. 1491 B. c., against
the five kings, in the great battle of
Bethharan. Down this valley came
the defeated army. Our course lies
across the line of their rout. Here
they fled, pursued by the men who a
few days before had passed through
the Jordan, just above its entrance to
the Dead Sea, without wetting their
feet-who had seen The walls of Jeri-
cho fall To the ground, aud who had
taken All by stratagem.
All the morning we have had III
sigh a hill higher than all others,
round, cone-like, with a mast on It's
summit. 10 nUaI auUlUIIv mlzpan,
the home of the prophet Samuel. The
Arabs call this hill Neby Samuet-the
blouse of Samuel" The sight of
that hill brings to remembrance an
other battle, fought little east of it,
soon after Samson's death, when Sam
uel was a little child wearing a linen
apron at Shiloh, ten miles farther
north. The Philistines invaded the
land of Israel, aud were swarming
all around Neby Samuel. At Aphek
Hophni and Phinehas came down
from Shiloh with the ark to the camp
Of Israel. What a shout welcomed
its advent! But what a sad day it
was for Israel-thirty thousand slain
and the ark Of God taken, the aged
Eli at Shiloh fainting, falling, break
ing, his neck, and the wife of Phine-
has dying in childbirth at the news.
Down this valley, in all probability,
the victorious Philistines brought the
ark and the spoiIS Of war to Ashdod.
1t was the most direct road from the
battlefield. 1t is a familiar story
how it was placed as trophy in the
house of their God:
"Dagon, his name, sea monster upward man
And downward fish; yet had his temple high
Reared in Azotus, dreaded through the coast
Of Palestine. in Gath and Askelon,"-
how Dagon was found in the morning
prOstrated on the ground, to the as
tonishment of the priests, and the next
morning headless and armless-how
disease broke out in AshdOd-how
the ark was sent from city to city, pes.
thence following it-how it was car,
ried to EkrOn, just south of Ramleh-
how the men of that town would not
have it, but put it on a new cart
drawn by two cows going straight
away from their calves, over the
plains southeast to BethShemcsh. Il
was in May, for the men of that town
were in the harvest field reaping
wheat when thev saw the COWS. with
out a driver, coming up the road
The multitude ran to see, audaciously
looked into the ark, and were smitter
of GOd-ffty thousand Of them.
. hlRJAIH JEARIM.
We have passed over a hill, de
scended the other slope and are a
Kirjath Jearim. You see a collection
Of stone houses with fiat roofs on tn,
eastern side of the hill, an old churcl
in ruins, grass growing in the joint
of the walls, a delightful olive grow
with fig trees here and there, and ;
brook at the bottom of the hill. If
We were to turn south at this poin
we should not be long in coming t,
the valley of Elah-to the place
? where, while the ark was here in thi
town, the army of the Philistine
: came up to invade Judea. They wer
encamped, on the western bank of tn
;, brook, while the army of Saul stoo
Y on the opposite hill side. We thin
of the giant of Gath going out morn
y ing and evening to defy the armies O
e the living God, of the shepherd bo
| of Bethlehem meeting him, the victor
to the lad, the fight Of the panic-stricE
en- troops of Philistia westward, a
s Israel in pursuit.
e Up this valley without doubt cam
n King Saul, returning from the pursui
f accompanied by the young champion
h SauI's home was at Gibeah, close b
4 Neby Samuel, and this was the neal
o est and easiest road home. Out froI
:. this village without doubt came FL
brew maidenS, singing and dancin
p with tabrets,' to meet the victor
We hear their song improvised fo
d the joyful occasion, two or thre
: voices singing:
"Saul hath slain his Thousands
7 And then the whole company, beholC
e ing the youth and beauty Of the she
h herd boy, carried away by the grea
/ ness of the victory, responding
a chorus:
O 'And David his ten thousands"
It There are sudden changes in the 70
/ tunes of men. A half dozen veal
r. later we see David fleeing from Sau
e, hiding among these hills, going dow
r to the Philistines. We come down
1T 1856 B. c., Samuel is in his gray
d Saul is consulting the witch at Endt
10 away in the north. The Philistin,
n, have mustered their armies in Il
W plain, marched northward, crossir
ID the road which we have travelled, g
ir ing up through Ramleh to the plain
le ESdraelon, west of the sea of Ga
10 lee, invading the dominions of Sar
ne 1t was military strategy, just SUI
w strategy as Gen. Lee used during tt
I'd war, when he invaded Pennsylvani
tn gliding up behind the Blue ridg