The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-10-07

The Philistines were descendants of
Ham, the sons of Noah, and emigrated at
very early day from Egypt into Syria.
They reduced the Israelites to subsection
but were compelled to iberate them
by Samson, who pulled down a
temple and in the wreck de-
stroyed the chief nobility of this
people. In the reign of Jehoram they in
vaded Judah and carried away the Kings
wives and daughters into captivity. The
Philistines received many thumpings and
scourgings before they learned the lesson
of the rights of others and mans duty to
his fellow-man, and to his God.
The word Of the Lord came to Jere-
miah against the Philistines, and bald
ness was to be upon GAIA, the chief city
of the descendants of Ham. There SEEM
ed to pervade the minds of this people the
idea that God had no rights that a Phil
istine was bound to respect, and they
shaped their course accordingly. They
seized the ark of the Lord, and were Wis
tied with plaques. They received chas-
tisements from David. Altogether this
people received enough visitations of
righteous retribution to beat common
sense into a race of wooden men, but not
the Philistines! They were too smart
for that. They knew more about the run
of this old world than the power that
made it, and no amount of punishment or
derision could take away any of the self
conceit or innate wickedness Of the race.
The fact that their city was bald and
their country visited by terrible retribu-
tion, only served to convince them that
everybody else was wrong. And this
trait has been handed down to the mod
ern Philistine. Even to this day, the
Philistine insists that he is privileged
character not amenable to any of the ord
mary laws of propriety or respectability.
The Christian may work, and pray, and
strive to perform the will of the Master;
he may use every laudable effort to fur
ther the interests of his Masters King
dom; he may live in spirit of charity
toward his fellow men, he may study
the example of the lowly one of Nazareth,
and endeavor to verify the truths taught
by that one, yet the modern Philistine
will wreck his faith and destroy his am
bition by the solemn assurance that he is
a hypocrite, because he is not as the Phil
istine is. Badness came upon the city
of the former race of Philistines, but the
badness is borne upon the cheeks of the
modern type.
II will build me a great city and put
therein great temple" said the Phillis-
tine, "and there is modern Samson that
I will take and bind in my temple, and
make him an object of ridicule for
coming generations" The faith of the
Philistine was based on self-conceit, and
the reason for seeking the destruction of
the Samson was that the latter represent
ed an idea entirely too large for the head
of the Philistine. The conceited mind
cannot brook anything that reaches above
and beyond the scope of its own limited
powers. Therefore the Samson of intelli-
gence and progress must be captured and
put to shame. Therefore the Philistines
are gathering together in the temple of
their own conceit, and propose a celebra-
ton of the effort to crush the power that
dares to refuse to fall in with them. The
Samson of common sense may at any mo-
ment lay hold of their frail structure and
hurl it to the ground, but they heed not
the possibility. A modern Philistine,
casting away all thought of righteous
ness. and coming forth in the complete
ness of badness will assume to dictate
to all the world the proper method of liv-
ing and managing the affairs of the uni
verse; let no man dare to question the
knowledge or power of the Phillistine.
The world is his harvest-feld, and men
are the sheaves he must gather and place
in convenient place, and sit down upon
them.
Yet how many, how very many, are the
disappointments of this modern Philis-
tine! We have heard the story of a tor
toise which started out to teach the world
on the subject of speed-yet before the
clumsy thing had seen the close of the
first day out, it found that the world had
run away from it, and all its bright rays
of ambition were gone. Thus it is with
human creepers who do not found their
| efforts upon reason and common sense
The mere springing of conceit is enough
to set on fire the thoughtless mind; the
mere existence of an insane idea is
enough to send the giddy head spinning
through the world without thought OF
the rights of others, or the beauty OF
Christian sentiment. What right has
anybody to differ with the Philistine
Is he not right? Does he not know that
he is right? Does he not know that ev-
erybody else is wrong? Does he not
know, also, that the world must come to
him and do as he does, yea, and think as
he does, or be forever lost? Has not ev-
cry man seen type of this character of
the modern Philistine? He seeks to
| thrust his badness before the world as
an inducement for others to come his
way There is a man whose whole life
has been devoted to good works; he has
made no boast of it, he has sought no re.
ward for it; he has been plain, unas-
suming follower of Him that was sent
into the world to teach holiness; he has
met with charity all the failings of his
fellow-men, and sought by the exercise OF
reason to persuade them to live right
that is, live according to the dictates and