Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1868-04-08

for all. Here is strange phenomena.
This shepherd boy. at his best condition,
even when king, is but half civilized,
taking the surrounding nations estimate
as to what constitutes civilization. If
we go East, to the valley OF the Euphra-
tes, VIC find great cities marble palaces
and sculptured walls. The learned men
of that land have already mapped out the
heavens given names to the stars group
ed them IN figures, shown the movements
of the heavenly bodies, built great tenn
plcs invented writing, recorded the deeds
of their great men on the enduring mai
bic.
One week of travel southwest will
bring us to an Empire older and might
ier-to people farther advanced, who
have sb own an acquaintance with me-
chanical powers, and erected pyramids,
which, though four thousand years have
now rolled away, still are the wonder and
amazement of the civilized nations. We
tehold Greece, at later period, making
progress in art which we, in this nine
tenth century after the birth of Christ,
can only initiate, not excel but has AS.
syria, Egypt or Grceoe given to the world
any poems like those composed ty this
shepherd boy of Bethlehem E? H.3
They are diverse from all other poems
in that they are wholly religious and the
religion of this shepherd is antagonistic
to that of the civilized nations Of his time
The highest religious conception of the
Assyrians is of winged bull, symbolic
of the Deity. Egypt bows down to snakes,
beetles aud bugs, while the dcites of
Greece, were they in human from aud
living in these days in any civilized
country, they would be arrested by the
police, tried in the courts Of justice. and
sentenced to the House of Correction or
the State Prison, and suffer the extreme
penalty Of the law. There are some man
who affect to believe that there never
has been any inspiration of the human
mind from Supreme Being-who look
upon the sacred Scriptures as collection
only OF quaint old writings; but if that
be SO, how shall we unravel this mystery ?
How was it that this shepherd boy, with
out culture, wrote poems infinitely super
lor to any composed by other poets, an.
cient Or modern ? Who will explain it ?
THE sHEPnERD BOY SENT FOR. q
One day when the shepherd lad was
out here tending the sheep, singing stones
and singing songs, venerable man came
down to Bethlehem from the North, from
the town of Mizrah, six or seven miles
north of Jerusalem. There was no man
in the nation 50 much respected and fear-
ed as he, the prophet Samuel, We see
him entering the town, and the people
fearing and trem bling, not knowing
whether he has come to bcstow blessing
or curse, or what his errand. He makes
/ his way to the house of Jesse. We know
what followed he offered sacrifice,
called for the boys, rejected all of them
asked at last for little David. We hear
him saying: "Send and fetch him, for
we will not sit down till he comes" Pic
turc the soene--the messenger coming in
haste down the steep bill from the town
behind US, leaping from rock to rock.
running out into the pasture, coming up
to David out of breath, telling him that
the great prophet, the holy man of God,
the Chief Justice and Governor Of the ma
ton, is at the house and wants to see
4 him What thoughts came crowding in
to the brain of that lad as he went to.
ward home--his bare feet went patteTing
along the path | dare say that he had
no time to wash up and put OH his Sun
day clothes, but went into the house,
wearing his shepherds frock, with his
dinncr-bag slung over his shoulder and
bis sling in his pocket, Take a look at
him as he stands before the venerable
Governor of the nation, whom all men fear
and reverence. aa s9eFEt. ,u.t,
HE was ruddy, and withal of a beau
tiful countenance and goodly to look to-"
1t is scene for a painter--Jesse and his
sons looking on while the Prophet of the
Lord lays his hand upon the head Of the
lad and anoints him to be the future
king Of Israel. isaog ssl
GOING TO BATTLE.
A few months pass and the nation is
at war, the enemy are close upon Bethle-
hem, only twelve miles distant toward the
west. at Elah. All hands able to fight
have gone to the frout. Jesse is too old
to go himself, but has sent all his sons
except David, who is still taking care Of
the sheep. We see Jesse starting him of
for the camp one day with delicacies for
the other boyu---loayes Of sweet, home