The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1890-11-27

these gaietie9 went on, tSo hundred
Benjamitcs, who had been hidden be-
hind the rocks and among the trees,
dashed upon the scene. They came not
to injure or destroy, but wishing to set
up households of their own, the women
OF their own land having been slain in
battle. and by preconcerted arrange
ment each one of the two hundred
Benjamites seized the one whom he
chose for the queen OF his home, and
carried her away to large estate and
beautiful residence, for these two hun
bred Benjamites had inherited the
wealth of a nation.
But we must this afternoon, our last
day before reaching Nazareth, pitch our
tent on tho most famous battlefield Of
all time--the Plain OF Esdraelon. What
must have been the feelings of the
Prince of Peace as He crossed IL on the
way from Jerusalem to Nazareth Not
flower blooms there but has in its
veins the inherited blood Of flowers that
drank the blood of fallen armies. Hard
ly foot OF the ground that has
not at some time been quilted
the hoofs of cavalry. 1t is a plain
reaching from the Mediterranean to
the Jordan. Upon it look down the
mountains OF Tabor and Gilboa and
Carmel. Through 1t RACES at certain
seasons the River Kisbon, which swept
down the armies Of Sisera, the battle
occurring in November, whom there Is
almost always shower Of meteors, so
that 1.-THE stars in their courses" were
said to have fought against Sisera.
Through this plain drove Jehu, and
the iron chariots OF the Canaanites.
scythed at the hubs of the wheels, how.
ing down their awful swathes OF death,
thousands in minute. The Syrian
armies, tho Turkish armies, the Egyp-
tian armies again and again trampled
it. There they career across it. David
and Joshua, and Godfrey, and Richard
Cmur de Lion, and Baldwin, and Sala-
past but famous because the Bible says
tho great decisive battle of the world
will be fought there-the battle of Ar
mageddon.
To me the plain was the more absorb
ing because Of the desperate battles
here and in regions round in which the
Holy Cross, the very two pieces of wood
on which Jesus was supposed to have
been crucified, was carried as stand
ard at the head of the Christian host;
and that night closing my eyes in my
tent on the Plain OF Esdraelon-for
there are some things we can see bet
ter with eyes shut than open--the
scenes of that ancient war came before
me. The twelfth century was clos
ing, and Saladin at the head
OF eighty thousand mounted troops
was crying "Ho for Jerusa-
lem Ho for all Palestinei'' and
before them every thing went down, but
not without unparalleled resistance. In
one place one hundred and thirty Chris
tians were surrounded by many thou
sands Of furious Mohammedans For
one whole day the one hundred and
thirty held out against these thousands.
Tennyson's six Hundred" when some
one had blundered," were eclipsed by
these one hundred and thirty fighting
for the Holy Cross. They took hold the
death wounds, and pulling them out of
their own breasts and sides, hurled them
back again at the enemy. On went the
fight. until all but one Christian had
fallen, and he, mounted on the last
horse, welded his battle axe right and
left till his horse fell under the plunge
of the juvelins, and the rider, making
the sign OF the cross toward the sky,
gave up his life on the point of score
OF spears. But soon after, the last baa
tie came History portrays it poetry
chants it, painting colors 1t, and all
ages admire that last struggle to
keep in possession the wooden
cross on which Jesus was said
to have expired 1t was a battle
in which mingled the fury of devils and
the grandeur OF angels. Thousands OF
dead Christians on this side. Thou
sands OF dead Mohammedans on the
other side. The battle was hottest
close around the wooden cross upheld
by the Bishop of Ptclemais, himself
wounded and dying. And when the
Bishop of Ptolemais dropped dead, the
Bishop of LYDIA seized tho cross and
again lifted it carrying ~ onward into
wilder and fercer fight, and sword
against javelin, and battle-axe upon
helmet, and piercing spear against
splintering shield. Horses and men
tumbled into Heterogeneous death. Now
the wooden cross on which the armies
of Christians had kept their eye begins
to waver, begins to descend. 1t falls
and the wailing OF the Christian host at
its disappearance browns the huzzah OF
the victorious Moslems.
But that standard OF the cross only
seemed to fall. 1t rides the sky to-day
in triumph. Five hundred million souls,
the mightiest army OF the ages, are
following IT. and where that goes they
will go, across the earth and up the
mighty sleeps Of the heavens. In the
twelfth century 1t seemei to go down
but in the nineteenth century IL is
the mightiest symbol OF glory and tri
umph, and means more than any other
standard, whether inscribed with eagle,
or lion, or bear, or star, or crescent
That which Saladin trampled on the
plain OF Esdraelon lift today for your
marshaling. The crossl The cross! The
foot OF 1t planted in the earth it saves,
the top of 1t pointing to the heavens
to which it will take you, and the
outspread beam OF IL like ontstretched
arms OF invitation to all nations.
Kneel at its foot Lift your eye to its
victim. Swear eternal allegiance to
its power. And as that mighty symbol
OF pain and triumph is kept before us
we will realize how insignificant are
the little crosses we are called to bear.
and will the more cheerfslly carry
them.
Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go freer
No; there's cross for every Que,
And there's cross for me-