St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-11
He Denounees Those Who Fos-
ter Antagonism Between i
the Twin Cities.
A Generous Rivalry Among
the Real Elements of Mu-
nicipal Greatness.
Less Time Should Be Spent in
Scheming to Get More
People.

bering the People" was the subject of
the discourse, and the text was taken
from [. Chron., xxi, 1. 2: ''And Satan
stood up against Israel and moved David
to number Israel" The preacher said:
The account of the numbering of
Israel by King David. contained in the
second book of Samuel and in the first
book of Chronicles, furnishes con-
fessedly one of the greatest difficulties
for Biblical scholars i'll the Old Testa-
ment Scriptures. In very important
particulars the two accounts do not
agree, yet In other respects they are so
similar as to indicate that the one was
copied firm the other, or that both were
drawn from common and older source.
The author of the book of Samuel says
that the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Israel and He moved David to
number them. The author of the book
of Chronicles asserts that Satan stood up
against Israel and moved David to num-
Der Israel. In the account of the census
furnished in Samuel, there were in Israel
100000 Warriors,
and in Judea 100000 men. But in the
account in Chronicles there were in Is
'rael 100000 warriors, and in Judea
47O,OO0. Was the account in Samuel
written by citizen of Judea, and the
account in Chronicles by citizen of Is
rael? Or can the discrepancy in num-
bers be accounted for on the theory that
after the numbers furnished in Chran-
icles had been brought in, there was
recount ordered which reduced Israel
by 100000 men, while it swelled the
population of Judea by $4,000 men :?
Then how can we account for the differ
ence in auspices under which the census
is said to have been held? Samuel tells
kindled against Israel, but Chron-
icles asserts that "Satan stood up
against Israel" think there are a num-
Der of people in this locality whose SYM
pathies would incline them to accept,
the account contained in Chronicles,
and to believe that the devil has good
deal to do with the census. These sug-
geStionS, not made in very serious
mood, convey an important lesson. for
they show US how local conditions sur
rounding the Interpreter may color his
Interpretation of the sacred records;
and in every age it has been one of the
ehiefest difficulties of the Bible scholar
to clear his mind of the local color
social, scientific, political-so as to read
out of the Bible what he really finds
there. rather than to read into the Bible
what is already in his own mind. The
fact in regard to these two accounts is
simply that they cannot, with our pres
ent knowledge, be harmoniZed; nor can
they be harmonized by any scientific
method of Interpretation with the,
verbal theory of the
Inspiration of the Bible.
Nor do these minor discrepancies affect
the historical value of any of these
books, For the substance Of the books
of Kings and Chronicles is as easily
capable of scientific verification as any
matters of ancient times. In these two
accounts there are three important facts
in which they both agree. David made
a census Of Israel. This census was
followed by pestiIence. The pesti-
Ience was believed by David and by the
Chronicles tie have been the result of
the kings sin inmaking such an emu
meration. But wherein could there have
been a mistake in this kingly order? 1t
must be remembered that the census
was military; it must also be remem-
bered that David's whole history was
that of child of Providence. His
whole history was meant to teach that
the battle was not to thu strong, but
unto those whom the Lord loves, for
the chariots of God are twenty thousand,
even thousands upon thousands. The
people had before declared of David
himself, ''Thou art worth ten thousand
men," and he should have known the
tn ctnt nh
and two shall put ten thousand to
flight" The sin could not have been in
the simple enumeration of the people,
for he had done this before in the
organization of his army and had felt
no QualmS of conscience. His sin con-
sisted in accepting the dictum of Napo-
leon, ''God is on the side of the heaviest
battalions"-a dictum that has gone
crashing to the earth upon thousand
battle fields of human history. Was the
battle to the heaviest battalionS when
Xerxes invaded Greece, when Caesar
fought in Gaul? or when Henry the
Fifth of England won his famous vic
tory at Agincourt? No, in every age
Courage and Intellect
have triumphed over mere numbers,
and i'll every age that intellect has been
the elearest and that courage has been
the most splendid which have been
quickened by high motives, and which
have been sustained by moral cOnvic
tons. That mere numbers are not the
condition of even material greatness is
one of the truisms of cOntempOraneous
history. A few Spaniards conquered
Mexico; few thousand Englishmen
control the millions of India; and China,
with her uncOunted swarms of pOpula-
ton is the political butt of the civilized
nations. The science of statistics is
born in recent times. 1t has not to do
alone or chiefly with numbers, but with
physical, Industrial. and neral condi-
tions. Some very unhappy events have
occurred in our midst within the last
few weeks. Slumbering animOSities
have been kindIed into fercer life, and
lifetime friends have been made enemies.
The natural comfy that should be cher
ished between two giant young cities
has been rudely destroyed. l do not
intend to discuss in any detail the
events which have led to this state of
things; but the miSjudgment amounting
to crime, which is the source of it all.
is the Supposition that mere numbers in.
a community are the best standard of
excellence. Whatever croOkedness
there may have been in the census OF
either city has been founded upon that.
folly. But whatever sins have been
committed in either city have been the
sins of a very few persons, with which
the community at large has had moth
ing to do. Any excited state OF the pub
lie feeling in regard to this matter is a
temporary insanity; and when the re-
count has been concluded and a few
months have passed away all sensible
people in both cities will agree that st.
Paul and Minneapolis have common in
terests and must have common personal,
commercial and political friendships.
Those who
Foster AntagOnism
between the two towns, whatever their
position, are the friends of neither city.
Such action is as silly from material
point of view as it is wicked from re-
Iigious point of view. The exigencies
of printing daily newspapers prevent
that calm consideration in moments of