Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1890-12-06
YOU axvr III INFANCY ceases 10 Dearr
Story to tell in eternity that you killed nerf

w, IN ,u,sucy cease. 10 Dearr max Z
story to tell in eternity that you kliieo nef'
NV God. Avert that catastrophe. ,-
tut 1 turn :ro1i tnis Shiloh OF En SUI |
den deceaSe under bad news from his boys
and find close by ma. il called the '-ieadow
of tie Feast Nhli- this ancient city was
II The height Of IL prosperity on this "Nea-
dow II the F-a>- there "es al annual ball,
where the maidens II the CITY amid clappIng
ernbals ana a biare Of tr1Impets danced IN
Gre, upon winch thousands Of spectators
gazed. But nodance since tie world stood ever
broke up in such a strange way as the one the
Bible describes One night while BY the
light uf tie lamp ana torches these gayieties
wet. un. two hundred Ben ~larnit-s. who had
tten hidden behind the rocks and among the
trees. dashed upon tie seine. They came
not - lnjQTe or destroy. but wishing to set
up household 81 their own, the women or
Their own land having been slain IN battle,
by pTeconcertel arrangement each one OF the
two hundred Btnlan'fe> seized the one
whom he chose for the queen OF his home
and carried her away u large estate and
beautiful residence. Tor these two hundred
Benjanites had inhelit-l tn. wealth Ok .
nation.
As today near Shiloh We look at the
Meadow Of the Feast, where tue ulaldens
danced that night, AMI at the mountain
| gorge up which the Benjamites carried their
brides, we bethiIk ourselves of the better
land and the better times III which we nVP,
when such scenes are an iinpossibility, aud
t.rlid orderly groups aud with prayer and
belIedTction, and breath OF orange blossoms,
aud the roll Of the wedding march, marriage
! is so.elnnized and with oath recorded III
heaven, two immortals start arm III arm on
Il journey TO last until death do them part.
Upon every such marriage Eltar may thers
come tue blessing OF Him "who setteth the
solitary in families Side by side on the
path Of life, Side by side in their graves!
Skfe by side iii heaven,
But We must this afternoon, our last day
before reaching Nazareth, pitch our tent on
the most famous battlefield OF all tlme-the
plain of Esdraelon. What must have been the
feelings Of the Prince of Peace as He crossed
it on the way from Jerusalem to Nazareth?
Not a flower blooms there but has in its veins
the Inherited blood Of flowers that drank the
blood OF fallen armies. Hardly O foot Of
ground that has not ar some time been gull
lied with war chariots or trampled with the
hoofs Of cavalry.
II Is a plain reaching from the Mediter.
rsnean to the Jordan. Upon it look down
the mountains of Tabor and Gilboa and Car
lEri. Through its RACES at certain seasons
the river kiShon, which swept down the
armies Of Sisera, the battle occurring in No
yenlbef when therei is almost always a shower
OF l~neteols, so that 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, hewlng down their awful
swathes OF death, thousands In a minute.
The Syrian armies, the Turkish armies, the
Egyptian armies again and again trampled
il. There they career across it. David and
Joshua and Godfrey and Richard Ceur de
Lion and Baldwin and Saladin-a plain not
DUTY famous for the past, but famous because
the Bible say $ the great decisive battle Of the
world will be fought there--the battle Of Ar
mageddon.
To me the plain was the more absorbing
because OF the desperate battles here and IN
regions round IN which the holy cross-ths
very two pieces Of wood on which Jesus was
supposed to hav We been crucited-was carried
Is a standard at the head Of the Christian
host. and that night closing nv eyes in my
tent on the plain of Esdraelou for there
are some things we eau see better with eyes
shat than, open-the scenes of that ancient
war GOMEZ before me. The twelfth century
was closing and Saladin at the head Of eighty
thousand mounted troops was crying: "Ho!
for Jerusalem" ''Ho' for all Palestine - and
before them everything went down, but not
without unparalleled resistance. In one
place one hundred and thirty Christians
were surrounded by many thousands Of furi-
gu, Mohammedans. For one whole day the
one hundred and thirty held out against
these thousands. Tenny>on's six hundred u
when some one hal blundered," were
eclipsed by these one hundred and thirty
fighting for the holy cross They took hold
Of the lances which had pierced them with
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 Chris.
, tam had fallen and he, mounted on the last
, horse, welded his battle AK right and left til
his horse fell under the plunge of the lave
= Inns and the rider, making the sign of the
crof toward the sky, gave up his life on tn
point Of a score Of spears. But soon after tn.
, last battle came. History portrays it, poetr,
: Giants It, painting colors it. amt all ages al
/ lElre that last struggle to Keep III possessirl
/, the wooden cross on which Jesus was said tt
!. have expired. 1t was a battle in which min
g!ed the fury of devils and the grandeur o.
angels. Thousands OF dead Christians OF
this side. Thousands of dead M~ohammedan
| on the other side. Thu battle was hot
| test close around tie wooden cross upheld b
) the bishop Of P~toleinais. himself wounde
and dying. And when the bishop Of Ptol
) elnal> dropped dead. the bishop Of Lvddi
seized the cross aud again lifted it, carryin,
i onward into a "ilder and fiercer fight, All
t sword against .Iavelln. and battle ak upo
| helmet. and piercing spear against splinter
= Ing shield. Horses aud men tumbled int
4 heterogeneous death. Now the woode
3 cross on which the armies Of Christians ha
q Kept their eye begins to WAIVER. begins t
Y descend Il falls and the wailing of til
: Christian host at its disappearance drown
4 tie huzza OF the victorious Moslems.
!, But that standard Of the cross only SCENE
!. 10 fall. 1t rides tue sky today in triumph
. Five hundred million souls, the mighties
5 arm, OF the ages. are following it, and wher
Il that goes they will go, across the earth an
Il up the mighty sleeps of the heavens. In til
: twelfth century 1t seemed to 60 down, but i
{ tie nineteenth century it is the mightie
? symbol of glory and triumph. and NEAR
: more than any other standard, whether il
= scrubbed with eagle, or lion. on bear, or sta
. on crescent. That which Saladin trample
: III the plain Of Esdraelon / lift to dav f.
:, SoaI marshaiing. The cross. The eros
lie loot Of II planted in the earth it save
- the top OF 1t pointing 10 the heavens to whit
= II viii take YOU, and the outspread beams
: II Ike oatstretched arms of invitation 10 t
. nations. kneel at its foot. Lift YOUR e,
: 70 ifS victim Swear eternal allegiance
II power. Aud "a that mighty symbol
!. pNa1u ami trlnnph Is kept before Us. we wi
. reailze how Insignificant are the little cross
W. are called 70 bear. and Will more chez
> fully carry them.
= Mus Jesa. bear tie cross alone,
ADc tie world on f-aet