The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-11-28

about 500 iect high. on one side, nnd on tho
other Mount Ebnl-the former ca led tho
Mount o: Biessing aud the latter called tho
Mount oi Cnrsihg. At Joshua's command
Nix tribes stood on Mount Gctizim und rrn,l
the l'lessius Tor the keeping Of the Law. and
xix tribes stODd on Mount Ehnl rcadine thu
curses for breaking the luw, while the 5OO,.
600 people on tho plain cried amen with
IN emphasis that must have made tue earth
trcmhlr. II do not believe thnt," snys some
miles npnrt, mud how coukl voice he lcnrl
rom top to top?" My answer is that while
the tops nra two mics npnrt, the bases ui
the mountains arc only lalf o mile npnrt,
ani the tribes stood on tho sides OF the
mountnins. md the mir is NO clear, aud the
nro,is,ic qualities OF this great natural nn,..
phitiir'tter NO perfect that oitps cnn lp0 dis.
tinrtly heard from mountain to mountain,
us has brcn demonstrated by travellers so
times in the last so years.
Can you imagine anything more thrilling
aud sublime. and ovcrwlrlmin. than whit
transprc,l on those two mountain sides, mud
in tho plain between. when the rpsponsiv.
Mount ierizm cried. "l,irssc,l Ri,nlt thou l,e
IN the rity, aud llrasc.l shalt thou lie in tho
fields, blessed shall lie thy basket and thy
st"r!" and thea from Mount Ebnl. thou.
tan,is OF voices RESPONDED, crying: .l'ursed
l' no Tint rcmoveth his neighhor's land.
to wander out of the way" nnd than there
rolled up from all the spaces hetween tho
mountains that one word, with which the
'ievnnt u earth close their prayers. and the
tiorIi",l %. henven finish their ,lox Ol0girs:
"Amrn: Amen!'-thnt scene only to he sur.
passed 10y the Tunes which are coming, When
he churches anl the academies ormnsic, and
the ail,litoriumr of earth. no longer large
enough I" hold the worshipprrs Ot God, the
pnrSs. the mountain Sides the great natu.
rnl ampiitleatrrs Of the valleys. shall br
filled with the outpouring populations oithe
earth aud mountnins shnl reply to monn-
tains, as Mount Gcrizim to Mount Ebal, aud
all the people lctwern shnll nscribs ri .hcs
nnd honor, mud glory, and dominion, AMI
victory to God the lunh, and there shnll
arise M nmcn like the l0Oming OF tho henv.
cns mingng with the thunder Of til" seas
To me the plain was the most absorbing
hccnuse OF tho desperate BATTLES here anl in
Regions round in which the Holy Cross, the
very two pieces OF wood ON which Jesus was
supposed to hnve lr"n crmcitied was carried
Rs u standard at the head OF the Christinn
host: and that night. closing my eyes in INV
tent on the pi"in of Esdrenlnn- For there are
some things we run sec brttcr with eyes
! shut than "n,tle scenes Of TINT nm
ci,nt war came before me. The Twelfth
century was closing and Saltlip at the head
~. $4,000 mounted troops was CRYING lilo
for Jerusalem! lilo for all Inlestine." and
before tlem everything went down.
but not without unparalleled resist.
nnre In one place one hundred and
thirty Christians were surrounded by MANY
thousands of furious Mohnmme,lnns. For
one Whole day the l3O held out ngnnst these
thousands. Tennysun'H six hundred" when
''snme one had Numbered" were eclps.,l by
these $50 fighting for the holy cross. They
took hold the lnnccs which had pierced them
with d"ath wounds, aud pulling, them out %
tl,IIr.
ngain NJ the crcmy. On went the fighting
until all but one Christian had fallen aud l,e
mounted on the last horse. welded hia bat
tlc-nxe right aud lett till his horse ell under
the plunge OF tine javeiins aill the rider. max.
ing til" sign of the cross toward the sky,
give ur his life on tho point Of IL scorc nf
spears. but soon alter, the last hat tie came.
History portrnys it, poetry chants il. paint.
in= cnlors it. and ul ages admire shat lnat
struggle tn keep in possession the wooden
cross om which Jesus was said to llnvc expired.
II wns II lattle in whirll mingled the .ury of
devils aud the grandeur o angels Thou
sands of deud Christians on this side. Thou.
snn,ls of .ieal Mol,amne,ians on the other
The bnttle was hottest close around the
wooden cross upheld by the bishop OF Ptoe.
maia. himself wounded and dying. And
wien thu bishop of Ptolmais ,lrOppe,l dead,
tn" bishop OF LYDIA seized tho cross aud
again lifted 1t. carrying it onward into n
n''i'i dhu heIHtT Hrhi, un'l SWOru against
jnvrlin and hattle-nxe upon helmet, and
piercing spear against spintering shield
Horses and men tumb!ei into Heterogeneous
death. Now the wooden cross on which the
armies ot Christians had kept their eye,
h"gins to wavrr, heGins to descend. 1t fnlis!
mud the waing of the Christian host mt it's
disappearance drowns the huzznll of the vie.
t"rinns Moslems. Eut that ataninr,i of tho
cross only seemed to .nll. 1t rides the sky
today III triumph.