Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-07-13
The Story OF Moses.


we now call the Hebrews.
They were very cruelty treated by the
king Of that country, as well as by the peo-
pie. The king hated them, because he
feared that some day these God-fearing and
God-loting people might grow to be so many
and so warike that they would take the
kingdom for their own, and drive him and
his cruel followers away.
He was so much afraid of this that he
put the Hebrews to the hardest kind of
work, SO as to wear out their minds and
bodies. He made them make brick and
build cities; and his taskmasters beat them
to make them work hard. In order to keep
them from increasing in number, he made
law that every little new baby boy should be
killed by the nurses so soon as he was born.
But it was not easy, even among that wicked
nation, to find nurses who were willing to
kill those strong, healthy, all alive little fel.
lows that were born in that unhappy time.
So the wicked king, finding that only few
were killed, made another law; and that
was, that everybody-not simply few nurses
but everybody that knew about any little
new baby boy, should throw him into the
wonderful river.
| have called it wonderful river, because
its waters had wonderful way of rising
and spreading out ever so wide and far,
until all the country over which they spread
was so watered that when the river went
back TO its place the land was great deal
better than if it had been rained upon.
Very little rain ever fell in that country,
and had it not been for this river everybody
would have suffered because unless the
ground were watered in some way, nothing
could grow, and then famine and starva-
ton would come.
The king and his heather subjects, al
though very rich and great, believed the
most foolish things about this river. They
thought that it was a great god and when
1T did not overflow and water the ground,
they supposed the river-god was angry with
them. Aud sometimes they gave him fine
presents to make him pleased again, so that
he might spread himself wide over the
country and make the ground good, so that
everything nice would grow, and not be
parched and withered by the heat of the SUM-
They always threw their presents into the
river; and they thought the more precious
the gift, the better the river-god was pleased,
and the more likely he would be to water
the land for them.
i suppose these heathens were afraid there
would be neither rain nor any overflow, if
they should not obey the king; so they were
willing to throw the little newborn baby
boys to the river god; and by that means
they supposed they would be keeping off a
famine, as well as preventing the Hebrew
boys from growing up to be soldiers, who
might fight against them.
The king and his people were Egyptians,
and it was not the Egyptian babies, but the
little Hebrew babies, that were to be thrown
into the river Nile. So them" the wicked
king thought, "now I'll be able to rule these
Hebrews. For | can manage all that are
grown up now, and my people will kill all
the boys so that there will be but few men
to grow up after awhile"
How very little he knew. At that yery
time, the true God that we all love and
serve was looking down from heaven, right
into poor little cabin among the Hebrews
and was watching over that family of five
persons, where the bright little baby boy
had come.
In that little cabin, away off in the land
OF Egypt there was weary, weary father,
tired and sad, and overworked and almost
broken-hearted. His wife was there also
as tired and troubled and as much over
worked as himself. For the wicked king of
Egypt had set taskmasters over all the lie
brews, both men and women, to make them
work at the hardest kind of work, day after
day, all day long.
This poor father and mother had Just
come in from their hard days toll. They
were weary with their work aud they were
always sad, because they were not allowed
to worship God in the way they had been
taught to worship him. But now they were
even more than usually sad
They had secret in the house-the
sweetest, most precious, and yet the most
heart-breaking secret that could have been
in any house at that time. This secret was
the little new baby. The wicked Egyptians
did not yet know there was baby there.
II they had, they would have taken him
away and drowned him in the river
The troubled family had been able to hide
the dear little creature for three whole
months. 1 suppose the father and mother
went every day to their work as usual, 30
they were not missed. Aud the little daugh-
ter Miriam, for that was her name, most
likely remained at home to take care of
the two little boys; though the Egyptians
thought there was only one little boy
But now the baby had grown so large and
strong that it was not an easy thing to hide
him any longer. He could cry aud laugh
aloud, and make pretty little cooling baby
noises that might be heard outside. And
some of those heather people who were
on the lookout for such babies might be
near the Hebrew cabin and hear the bright
little thing, and go in and carry him off to
the river.
The poor father and mother were thinking
of this, and no wonder their tender hearts
almost broke. | suppose the little three year
old brother Aaron was asleep-for he was
too young to know of these troubles. But
Miriam must have been up, and wide awake
Perhaps she sat near her parents and shared
their sorrow. But the baby's mother was
thinking what could be done to save the
sweet child alive. think it is very likely
the father and mother both prayed to GOD
about it. Not to the river-god, but the great
and true God, who is our God Just az he
was their God. | know the mother loved
and trusted in God and perhaps both OF
them felt as il he was very near them. liz
was very near them, watching them with
love and pity.
The mother looked at her pretty baby
again, and thought of way which seemed
worth trying. She took some long narrow
fiat leaves, called flag leaves, and wove then
together, until she had made a snug littl,
cradle basket large enough for the baby Il
lie in. Then she put some pitch or wax in
side and outside of the basket, so that M
water could get in it. | do not know wha
she lined it with, but am sure it was a
soft little bed as she was able to make it
When it was near daylight, she placed
her precious darling in the basket, and GOV
ering it nicely over, she took it in her arms
and with Miriam following little way be
hind her, she went on until she came TO tn
wonderful river. On the shore, close TO tn
water, there grew some of the same kind o
flags or bulrushes out of which the baske
had been made. They grew thick aud tall
and made a nice place in which to hide tn
basket.
But oh, poor mother How she mus
have felt when she placed her dear little DO.
! at the very edge of that river into who's
waters the wicked king had said all sucl
babies should be thrown But she had HI,
him in her home three months, believing
God would take care of him, and now sh
left him alone, in the gray of the morning
on the banks of the river Nile, believing Go
watched him still.
The good sister did not go back with he
mother, but was left hidden behind tire
TO see what would happen TO him.
Miriam had not watched long while b,
fore she saw a beautiful woman walkn
| along the river hanks surrounded by N grou