The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-05-27
Early Home OF Jesus.

-Four miles South of the strong
Greek city of SephOris, hidden away
among the gentle hills, then covered
from the base TO the crown with Vine
wards and fig trees, lay natural nest
or basin of rich rcd and white earth,
star-like in shape, but mile in width
and wonderously fertile. Along the
Scared and chalked slope of the high
est of these hills spread a small and
lovely village. which, in land whert
every stone seemed to have story,
is remarkable as having had no pub
lie history and no distinguished ma
tive name. No great road led up TO
this sunny nook. No traffic came.
into it-no legions marched though
1t. Trade, adventure, pomp, passed
through it, flowing from West to
East, from East to West alOEg the Ro-
man road. But the meadows were
aglow with wheat and barley. Near
the low grounds ran belt of gar
dens. fenced with stones, in which
myriads of green figs, red pomegran-
ates and golden citrons ripened in the
summer sun. High up the slopes,
which were lined and planted like the
Rhine at Bingen, hung vintagcs Of
purple grapes. In the plain, among
the corn and beneath the mulberry
trees and figs, shone daisies, peoples,
tulips, lilies and anemOnes. endless
in their profusion, brilliant in theii
dyes.
Low down Oh the hillside sprang
well Of water, bubbling, plentiful
and sweet; and above this fountain
of life, i'm long street struggling from
the fountain synagogue, rose the
stead of many shepherds, craftsmen
of men, and vinedressers. 1t was a
lovely and humble place, of which no
ruler. no historian of Israel, had ever
taken notice. No Rachael had been
met and kissed into love at this well
no Ruth had gathered up the sleaves
of barley i'm these fields; no tower
had been built for observation in this
height; no camp had been pitched for
battle i'm that vale. That one who
would become dcarcr to the fancies
of men than either Ruth or Rachael,
then walked through these fields,
drew water at this spring, passed up
and down the lanes of this hamlet, 10
seer could have then suriniscd. The
place was more than obscure. The
Arab may have pitched his black tent
bv the we'll, the magistrate of Sophie
ris must have known the village, but
the hamlet was never mentioned by
the Jewish scribcs. In the Bible, in
the TaImud, in the writings Of jose
phus, we search i'm vain for any re-
cord OF this sacred place Like its
happy neighbors. Main and Endor, It
was the abode OF husbandmen ana oil
dressers, whose lives were spent III
the synagogue and the olive grove,
away from the bright Greek cities and
the busy Roman roads. No doubt 1t
had once been possessed of either an
Arab or a Hebrew name, but we do
not know the name except in It's Hell
letic form. The Greeks called the
town Nazaret or Nazareih.-1he Ho-
" Land, by ". HeP,corth Moon.
A farmer named ChilsOn, living
near Girard, Ohio, thinking to rid his
cornfield of troublesome ground
hog, managed to administer 10 the
uuadruped dose of strychnine which
Killed him nearly instantly. The car
cass was suspended to tree, where
the crows soon cspicd the savory bit,
and proceeded to appease their appe-
tites. After partaking of the meal,
the crows would fly, a short distance,
as if i'm agony, and fall dead to the
ground. The bones, being thorough
ly stripped of the flesh, remained cx-
posed TO the bleaching influence of
sunshine, rain, and frost for nearly
two years, when, falling to the ground,
a highly-prizcd dog masticatcd parts
of them, and died ten minutes after-
ward. =