The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1890-11-20
I Am a Mother watch
ing the Dead.

|
DR.. Talmage in making his
journey through the Holy Land,
stops for a moment and in these
burning words says The gibbet
we will say in explanation, was
contrlvance for the punishment
OF felony, continued in England
until about the close Of The 17th.
century. The wretch was bound
i'm chains and hung up on a scat
4 fold. 1t is said that seven days
was the average duration of life
IN this torment. Even before
death came, the vultures would
pick GU The eyes of the wretch
and birds of prey would feed
upon his quivering flesh. After
death The body was buried at
the cross roads.
But this Is what Dr. Telmage
say. Read and think and pray.
Now we pass on where seven
youths were put 10 death and
their bodies sibbited or hung in
chains, not for anything they
had themselves done, but for
reparation for what their father
aud grandfather, S; al, had done
BuriaI was denied these youths
from May until November. Rlz
pah, the mother OF Two of these
boys, appointed herself as senli
mel 10 guard the seven bodies
from beak OF raven and tooth of
wolf. and paw of lion. She pitch
es black tent on The rock close
by the gibbels. Rizpa,h by day
sits on on the ground IN front OF
her tent and when a vulture be-
gins 10 lower out of the MONDAY
shy seeking its prey among the
gibbeis, Rizpah rises, her long
hair flying IN the wind, and |
swinging her arms widely about,
Shoes away the bird of prey un
Til it retreats to The eyrie. At
night she rests under the shadow
of her tent, and sometimes falls
into a drowsmess or half sleep.
But the steps of jackal among
the dry leaves, or the painting of
a hyena arouses her. and with
the fury of a maniac she rushes
out upon the rock crying Away!
Awav!' and then examining the
gibbets to see that they still keep
their burden, returns again TO
her tent till some swooping wind
from the midnight sky. or some
growing monster on the rock
again wakes her.
A mother watching her dead
children ,brousht May. June.
July. August, September and
October What vigil
Painters have tried TO put on
canvass the scene, and they sue
ceeded in sketching the hawks
in the sky and the panlhers
crawling out from the jungle,
but they fail 10 give the wanness
the earneslness, the supernatural
courage. the infinite selt-sacrifice
of Rizpah, the mother. A
mother in the quiet home watch
Ing by the casket OF dead child
for one night eXeits :he artist TO
his utmost, but who Is sufficient
10 put upon canvass mother
for six months of midnighis
guarding her whole family, dead
and gibbeted upon The mount
aims? 30 home Rizpah! You
must be awtully Tired, You are
sacrificing your reason and your
HE Tor those whom you never
can bring back again to your
bosom. AS say that, from the
darkest midnight of The century
Rlzpah turns upon me and cries:
How dare yon tell me TO go
home? / am a mother. l am
not iierd. You might as well ex-
peci God TO get tired as for
mother TO get tired. l cared for
those boys when they lay upon
my breast in infancy and | will
not forsake them now that they
are dead. Interrupt me not.
There sioops an eagle that l
must drive back with my ago
n,zed cry. There is a panther
l must beat back with my club"
Do you know what that scene
Dy our roadside in Palestine
makes one think OF? IL is no
unusual scene. Right here in
these three cities by he Ameri
can seacoast there are thousand
cases this moment worse than
that. Mothers watching boys
that the rum saloon, that annex
of he'll, has glbbited in a living
death. Boys hung in chains of .
evil habit they cannot break.
The father may 60 to sleep. after
until twelve o'clock at
night for The ruined boy to come
home, and giving it up, he may
say: Mother. come 10 bed;
there's no use sitting up any
But mother will not
20 to bed. II is one o'clock in !
he morning, 1t is halfpast one.
1t is two O, lock. II is half past 5
wO when he comes staggering
Trough The hall. Do you say :
hal young man is sill alive? t
No; he i: dead Dead to his
ather's entreaties. Dead to his !
Mothers prayers. Dead TO The j
iamily altar where he was reared 5
Dead TO all the noble ambitions G
hat once inspired him. Twice !
lead. Only a corpse of what he =
,nce was. Gibbeted before Go Il
md man and angels and devils. !,
Chained in a deall. !hai will not t
oosen its cold grasp. HIS father )
5 asleep. his brothers are asleep !
III, his mother IS watching HIM. +
L. =.