Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-03-25
An Original Bible.LessOn.

The teacher called up the Bible-class,
and Malcolm sat beside and listened.
That morning they had to read one of
the chapters in the history of Jacob.
"Was Jacob a good man ?" he asked,
as soon as the reading, each of the
scholars in turn taking a verse, was
over.
An apparently universal expression of
assent followed halting in its wake,
however, came the voice of q boy near
the bottom of the class
"Wasna he some DOODLE, sir'"
"You are right, Sheltie," said the
master; she sCas double. 1 must, l
find, put the question in another shape !:
Was Jacob bad man?"
Again came such a burst of yesses
that it might have been taken for a
general hiss. But limping in the rear
came again the half-dissentient voice
of Jamie joss, whom the master had
Just addressed as Sheltie:
''Pairtly. SIR"
'You think. then, Sheltie, that man
may be both bad and good?"
81 dinna ken, sir. 1 think he may be
whiles ane an while the ither, an
whiles maybe it wad be i'll to say whilk.
Oor collie's whiles in twa minis whether
he'll du what he's telled or no."
That's the battle of Armageddon,
Sheltie, my man. It's aye ragin', ohm
gun roared or bagonet clashed. Ye
maun up an do yer best int, my man.
Glen We dee fechtin' like a man, yen
flee up wi a quaiet face an wi wide
open cen an there's great Ane at ii
say to We, 'Weel dune. laddieI But
gier ye gle in to the enemy, he'll turn
ye intill creepin' thing at eats dirt !;
an there IL no be hole in a the crys-
tai wa O. the New Jerusalem near
eneuch to the grun' to lat ye creep
throu'."
As soon as ever Alexander Graham,
the polished thinker and sweet-man-
nered gentleman, opened his mouth
concerning the things he loved best,
that moment the most poetic forms
came pouring out in the most rugged
speech.
81 reckon, SIR" said Sheltie, "Jacob
hadna fouchten oot his battle"
"That's iist it, my hoy. And because
he wouldna get up and fecht manfully,
God had to tax him in han. Ye've
heard tell o generals, whan their troops
war rinnin' ava, haen to cut this man
doom, shute that ane, and lick anither,
till he turned them a RIGHT face aboot,
and drave them on to the foe like
spate And the trouble God took wi
Jacob was na lost upon him at last"
"An' what cam o. Esau, sir ?" asked
N Ia fa,al ,,,aiIa,, Nth hlua aroo
''He wasna an i'll kin o. a chield-was
he, sir?"
"No, Mappy," answered the master
''he was fine chield, as you say but
he mott (needed) mair time and gentler
treatment to max onything O. him. Ye
see he had guild hert, but was duller
kim o. cratur a'thegither, and cared for
naething he could ma see or hanle. He
never thoucht muckle about God at a.
Jacob was anither sort-a poet kin o
man, but sneck-drawin' cratur for a
that. 1t was easier, hooever, to get the
slyness oot o. Jacob, than the dullness
DOT O. Esau. Punishment tellt upo'
Jacob like upon o thin-skinned horse,
whauras Esau was mair like the minis
ter's powny, that can hardly be made
to unnerStan That We want MIN 10 gang
on. But O. the ither han, dullness is
a thing that can be borne wi there's
ma hurry aboot that but the deceitfu'
tricks o. Jacob war ma to be endured,
and sac the tawse (leather-strap) came
doom upo' him..
"An' what for didna God make Esau
as clever as Jacob?" asked a wizen-
faced boy near the top of the class.
"Ah, my Peeryl" said Mr.. Graham,
81 Gamma tell ye that, A that / can
tell is, that God hadna dune maxim at
him, an some kim O. fowk tax LANCER to
make or, than ithers. An ye Gamma
tell win: they're to be till they're made
oot. But whether what 1 tell We be
RIGHT or no, God maun hae the vera
best O. rizzons for t, ower-guid maybe
for us to unnerstan'-the best O. rizzons
for Esau himsel, mean, for the Creator
luiks efter his cratur first ava (cf dtC.
And now," concluded Mr.. Graham,
resuming his English, ''go to your les
sons and be diligent, that God may
think it worth while to get on faster