The Portland daily press., 1873-11-12
For the Press.
"Blue Bl0Od.O

No, Gail Hamilton, the ''Blue Blood, Is OF
the nineteenth century, and not of Canaan.
and it is lamentable to trace a vein of this
blood in your own apprehension of the char
acters of sacred history.
When your gifted pen is bent to the de
fence of those whom God has denounced
you either assume the responsibility of calling
God in question for his acts, or make light Of
the whole account Of Jacob and Esau, as
preposterous and incredible.
Evidently no small part of This eulogy of
Esau, and depreciation of Jacob, is 10 lend a
helping hand to the prevailing sophistries of
the day. as well as to the bold, dashing.
much-abused sinner Of the period, whose
crimes eniitle him to be held in esteem of
gods, men and women.
The vigorous and manly" Esau, in mo-
ment of passionate impatience, sells bis
oirth-right, and sis 1t quite fair that he
should suffer all bis life for one sudden mo-
ment of selfndulgence, and that Jacob
should not suffer at all?''
And how much does Esau suffer? ssWhen
Jacob came back from Padan-Aram, fearing
the wrath OF Esau, and deprecating it with
crafty forethought, with gifts and servile
worIs, Lale and hearty Esau seems quite to
have forgotten their little tiff, and to have
been entirely at loss to know what all this
ado was for"
Hale and hearty Esau! His sufferings do
not seem to have worn upon him; no sins
burden bis conscience, no self-reproach, no
regrets not even remembrance. The bitter
error of his life cast behind his back, unre-
pented of and forgotten, the whole affair
dwinded into ''little tiff'' which sits rather
gracefully upon him than otherwise. or as the
correspondent of the Independent has it,
Esau is 'gentle, magnanimous, and far the
more agreeable, interesting and gifted per-
son. And how is it with Jacob? Admit
ting that he had Seen false, cruel and treason
able, there are still other points in his char
ac;er, c'owning points, which set him apart
from Esau, and make him a more fittirg per-
son for the transmission OF Gods word.
These crowning virtues in the character OF
Jacob, the Independent correspondent wholly
ignores and overlooks A conscience alive to
sense of remorse and penitence, seeking to
disarm vengeance with offerings of brotberly
love, is stigmatized as "wily, mean-spirited
aud servile."
How must the christian graces have fallen
into dsrepute, when it is evidence of weak
ness and servility to practice them!
81 am not worthy of the least ofall Thy mer-
ces'' was Jacobs prayer, and it was not the
plundered blessing that brought him peace.
but that blessing obtained at Mahana:m. In
the agonizing wrestle all night with the angel
of God. The defiance and bravado of Esau
might captivate women, but it was the con.
secra.ed heart of Jacob that was acceptabl.
to God. 1t was not Jacobs ''smooth faced
vile and sanity guile' that sealed his inheri-
tance and crowned him with glory and honor.
else penitence is nothing, humiliation of heart
mockery. and Divine Justice less dscrimm-
ating than human law.
What then shall be done with all the hale
and nearly Esaus Of the present day? Shall
We for their sake, bring our battering rams to
bear upon the great impervious wall between
right and wrong? Shall we haste 10 res
cue Cain and Judas from ignominy, 10 give