New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-05-16
JONAH'S TRIALS.
HY " CHIPS

| Jonah was man who suffered IN life be
cause he was not understood. History
does the same injustice to his memory fol
the same reason. His first mission was tC
go to Nineveh and cry against that city
He did not feel like crying, and weL'
instead to JOppa; he was not told to 60 to
Joppa. and that trip was his first mistake
While at Joppa Jonah found a ship going
to Tarshish, and he went down into the
ship to go to that place. l have now to
record the noblest trait in Jonah's charac,
ter. He is placed by his Tarshish action in
the annals ot illus trious editors and Con
gressmen who will never ride as dead.
heads. The Scripture says ''he found a
ship going to Tarsbish, SO he paid the fare
! thereof That he paid his fare is particu'
larly mentioned, perhaps because there
were Senators in those days who drew
mileage and yet rode as deadheads. have
heard Of such case in Northern Louisi-
ana, but it is nowhere mentioned in the old
| Testament.
The trip to Tarshish was not a pleasant
one. If taken Tor the health of the voy-
ager it was failure. There was sent out
| q great wind into the sea; the marines
were afraid and commenced to throw
| freight overheard. All commenced prey
ing, as only sailors can pray when in tight
| place; but without effect. The skipper be-
| gan to investigate things, and to his surprise
| found Jonah down in the sides of the ship
fast asleep. Jonah was ordered to pray,
/ ~ h. <<,n Int,
| to find ont who on board was the cause of
| their troubles. 1t can never be proven
whether or not those sailors threw fair, but,
| any way, Jonah was elected This manner
| of accounting for shipwrecks at sea has
| been since ruled out of all nautical colleges
Something analogous to that plan would be
| the shaking OF dice in a crowd Of Scotch
men to ascertain who had the itch. After
the lot fell on Jonah they began to
| question him as to his occupation,
| where ne was going. and where
! he came from. This was before the war,
! but the Tarshish sailors then had peculiar
notions about carpe:-baggers. Jonah stated
that he was of Hebrew origin, and that
settled it. They asked what should be
done to calm the sea. Jonah appeared to
not care what they did do, and of his own
| accord suggested that they throw him over
board. You may talk of heroes walking
up to the cannon's mouth; but there was a
| man who did not finch from duty; he asked
the sailors to drown him. The sailors could
not understand such character, and they
became afraid: but they threw Jonah over
board, and the waves were stilled.
1t appears Jonah was not born to be
drowned. tor he was Immediately swallowed
by fish. Nowhere in the book of Jonah
is it stated that this fish was a whale.
Whales. as We know them, have very small
threats. In Matthew it is mentioned that
"Jonas was three days and three nights in
the whales belly" If New Hampshire
Democrats can keep Matt Head out of the
Legislature because his name is Nathaniel
we certainly can keep Jonah out of the
Jonas in the New Testament. 1t is better
to stick to the book of Jonah for JOnah's
record, and there we find that a great fish
mad been prepared to swallow him; it can
not be proven that a whale swallowed him.
If then great fish was prepared specially
for Jonah the fish might have had special
accoInmo odations a stateroom stomach,
such as We often think men have who eat
at public dinners or some conveniences
making a swallowed condition tolerable.
Jonah's experience in the fish can never
be fully appreciated; no reader has ever
Ia hp iaH Off fba
belly of hell; that the floods encompassed
him; that the bilows and waves passed
over him; that the sea weeds were wrapped
about his head; that he went down to the
bottoms Of the mountains; it was terrible.
At the end of three days and nights the
fish got sick of Jonah and threw him up on
dry land.
The next time Jonah was sent to Nineveh
he went. 1t was three days journey, and
he walked all the way. He preached to
those people; ne told them their city would
be destroyed in forty days, and he meant
it. Nineveh was very wicked city-much
worse than New Orleans. After preaching
to the people Jonah went and sat on the
east side of the city, waiting to see it de-
stroyed. A gourd grew up to give him
shade. 1t appears that Jonah became angry
that the city was not destroyed, and a worm
destroyed his gourd. The people of Nine
veh forsook their evil ways. Eineveh was
place of six score thousand inhabitants |
"and much cattle" and it was mercy that |
saved it,
From all this we learn that Jonah was an |
honest man, a brave man, and a man full |
of energy. He was hard on Neneveh; his |
justice lacked the temper of mercy; his na- |
ture was wanting in forgiving qualities; |
but it should be borne in mind that the |
fates had been unkind to him. Jonah real |
lied that it was necessary to rid Neneveh |
of sinners. He went straight to work on |
that idea. He had not much faith in saving |
bad men; he wanted to throw them all |
overheard, remembering, perhaps, what he |
was willing should be done to him when he |
was at sea. Excepting. this touch of hinti.
ness about the heart, and many of our |
Christians have it, Jonah was a great and |
good man. He suffered more than Job did,
but as he had but little patience, and could |
not write poetry, he is remembered to-day, |
only in connection with the fish. In this |
centennial wear, let us do Justice to Jonah,
aud remembering his shortcomings remem.
Der also his troubles.
The Mozart Club.
The Mozart Social, Literary and Debating
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