Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-11-22

While this ancient city was in the
height of its prosperity, on this "Mead-
ow Of tic Feast there was an annual
ball, where the lnaidens Of the city
amid clapping cymbals and a blare of
trtnnpets danced in glce, upon which
thousands of spectators gazc,l. But
no dance since the world stood ever
broke up in such II strange way us the
one the Bible describes Oac night
while by the light of tho lamps and
torches these gayeties went on. 200
Benja,n;tcs. who had been hidden be-
hind the rocks and among the trees.
dashed upon the scene. They came /.
not to iniurc or,dcstroy. but wishing to
set up households of their own, the
women of their own land having been
slain in battle, by rreconccrted ar /.
rangclnent eacl. one of the 200 Ben
jarnites seized the one whom lie chose
for the queen of his home, and carried
her away to large estate and beautiful
residence, for these 200 Benjanites had
ipheriteds the WEALTH. Of q mai ien.ss:siS i
AS today near Shiloh. we look at the
Meadow of the Feast where the
maidens. danced that night and at the!
mountain gorge up which the Ben
jalninites carried their brides, we be-
think ourselves of the better. land and
the better times in which we live, when
such scenes are an impossibility. and
amid orderly groups and with prayer
and benediction, and breath, of orange
blossoms and Che roll of the wedding
!s,narch, marriage is solemnized. and
with oath recorded in heaven two in
nortals start arm in arin on II journey
to last until death do them part. Upon
every such marriage altar may there
come the blessing of him who settcth
the solitary in fa,niles!" Side by side
on the path of life! Side by side in
their graves Side by side in hcarcn!
But we must this afternoon our last
day before reaching Nazareth, pitch our
tent on the most lannon's battlefield Of
all time-t;lc plain of Esdraclon. What
must have been tho feelings of the
Prince of Peace as lie crossed it on the |
way from Jerusalem to Hiazarcth' Not
u flower blooms there bat has in its
veins the Inherited blood OF flowers
that drank the blood of fallen armies. !
Hardly a foot of the ground that has
not Mt some tiuc been quilted with war
chariots or tra,npled with the hoofs of
cavalry. 1t is Il plain reaching from
the Mediterranean to the Jordan. Upon
it look down the mountains of Tabor (.
and Giilboa and Carmel. Through it !,
RACES ut certain seasons the river !
kishon, Which swept down the armies .
OF Siser,, the battle occurring in No !:
velnbcr when there is almost always a
shower of matcors 50 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, =!
scvthed Mt the hubs of the wheels. lew /.
ing down their awful swatls of death,
thousands in IL minute. The Syrian
ar1uics the Turkish armies, the Egyp- !
-tian armies again and again trainpled
it. There they career across it. David i
! and Joshua and Godfrey and Richard
Cnur de Lion and Baldwin and 6al,l-
dina plain not only famous for the
past, but famous because the Bible +
says the great decisive battle Of the !:
world will be fought thcre-tllc battle
, Of Armageddon.
A VALLEY OF SLAUGHTER.
To me the plain was the more alb
sorbing because of the desperate bat
ties here aad in regions round in which !
the holy cross, the very two pieces of I
wood on which Jesus WAS SUPPOSED to
have been crucided, was Carried as a
standard at the head OF the Christian !
host; and that night, closing riiy eyes |
in my tent on the plain of Esdraelon-
for there are some things we can see
better with eyes shut than opcn-thc |!
scenes Of that ancient war came before
me. The Twelfth century was closing, |
and SaIadin, at the head OF eighty |
thousand mougted troops, was crying;
''lIo for Jerusalem! Ho for all Pales-
tine!' and before them everything
went down, but not without unparal-
leled resistance. In one place one
hundred and thirty Christians were
surrounded by many thousands of furi-
GUS MohaInlnedans. For one whole
cay the one hundred and thirty held
out against these thousands.
Tcnnyson's "six hundred" when
"some one had Numbered" were
ecfioscd by these one hundred and
thirty fighting for the holy cross. They
tool, hold of the lances ichbad 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
Christian had fallen, and hc mounted
on the last horse, welded his battle az
right and left till his horse fell under
the plunge of the javcliil, and the rider,
making the sign Of the cross toward
the SKY, gave up his life on the point
of u score OF spears. But soon after
the last battle came. History portrays
il, poetry chants Is, painting colors it,
and all ages admire that last struggle
to keep in possession the wooden cross
on which Jesus was said to lave ex-
pred. 1t was battle in which min.
eled the fury Of devils and the grand
cur of angels Thousands of dead Chris
tians on this side Thousands of dead
Mohammedans on tho other side.
The battle was hottest close around
the wooden cross upheld by the bishop
of Ptolemais, himself wounded and dy-
;nn And ,rI,or, tI,n hisl,or of Ptnln1nnis