Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-11-05
BURLINGTON FREE PRESS THURSDAY NOVEMBER s. 1891


l,e, ut rolled on great hearse the eldest
child dead in every Egyptian home. The
eldest son of Pharaoh expired that night
in the palace and all along the streets OF
Memphis aud Heliopolis, and all up and
down the Nile there was funeral wall
that would have rent the fold of the I'M
natural darkness il it had not Dsen i'm
penetrable.
NOW is IsRAEL's CHANCE.
The Israelitish homes, however, were
untouched. But these homes were full of
preparation, for now is your chance, o
We wrongcd Hebrewsl Snatch up what
pieces of food you can and to the DESERT
Its simooms are better than the bondage
you have suffered. It's scorpions will not
sting so sharply as the wrongs that have
stung you all your lives. Away The
man who was Graded in the basket of
papyrus on the Nile will lead you. Upl
Upl This is the night of your rescue
They gather together at signal. Alex
ander's armies and all the armies Of olden
time were led by torches on high poles,
great crests of fire. and the Lord Almighty
kindles torch not held by human hands
but by omnipotent hand.
Not made out of straw or OIL but kindled
out of the atmosphere, such a torch as the
again. 1t reached from the earth unto the
heaven, a pillar of fire, that pillar prac-
ticaly saying "This wayl March this
wayr' On that supernatural fambeau
more than million refugees set their
eyes. Moses and Aaron lead on. Then
come the families of Israel. Then come
the herds and flocks moving on across the
sands to what is the beach of waters now
called Bahr-el- kulzum, but called in the
Bible the Red sea. And when l dipped
my hands in its blue waters the heroics of
the Mosaic passage rolled over me.
ON THE RED SEAS SHORE.
After three days march the Israelitish
refugees encamped for the night on the
banks of the Red sea AS the shadows be-
gin to fall in the distance is seen the host
of Pharaoh in pursuit There were six
hundred finest war chariots, followed by
common charots, rolling at full speed.
And the glittering of the wheels and the
curse of Infatuated Egyptians came down
with the dark uess. But the Lord opened
the crystal gates of Barrel Kulzum and
the enslaved lsraelites passed into liberty,
and then the crystal gates of the sea rolled
shut against the Egyptian pursuers.
1t was about Two O'Clock in the morning
when the interlocked axle trees of the
Egyptian charots could not move an inch
either way. But the Red sea unhitched
the horses and unhelmeted the warriors
and left the proud host wreck on the
Arabian sands. Then two choruses arose.
and Moses led the men in one, and Miriam
led the women in the other, and the wom
en- beat time with their feet The record
says: "All the women went out after her
with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam
answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he
hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and
his rider hath he thrown into the sea"
What a thrilling story of endurance and
victory.
The greatest triumph Of Handel's genius
was shown in his immortal dramatic ora
torio, "lsrael in Egypt" He had given to
the world the oratorio OF ESTHER and Deb
orah," and Athaliah, but reserved for his
mightiest eXertion at the full height of his
powers the marshalng of all musical in
struments to the description in harmony
Of the scenes on which we this morning
dwell. lie gave twenty.seven days to this
production, with its twenty-eight choruses,
enthralling his own time and all aftertime
with his Israel in Egypt"
So the burden of oppression was lifted,
but another burden OF Egypt is made up Of
deserts. Indeed, Africa is Il great continent
for deserts, Libyan desert, Sahara desert,
deserts here and there and yonder, con-
demning vast regions of Africa to barren
ness, one of the deserts three thousand
miles long and thousand miles wide.
But all those deserts will yet be flooded,
and 50 made fertile. De I.esseps says it
can be done, and he who planned the Suez
canal, which marries the Red sea and the
Mediterranean, knows what he is taking
about
The human race is so multiplied that it
must have more cultivated land, and the
world must abolish its deserts. Eight hun
Gred millions of the human race are now
living on lands not blessed with rains. brt
dependent on irrigation, and we want by
irrigation to make room for eight hundred
millions more, By irrigation the prophecy
will be fulfilled, ana the desert will bios
som as the rose" So from Egypt the bur-
den of sand will be lifted.
TIE BURDEN OF MOHAMMEDANISM
Another bu-den of Egypt to be lifted is
the burden Of Mohammedanisrn although
there are some good things about that re.
lision. It's disciples must always wash be-
fore they pray, and that is five times a
day. y commendable grace is cleanliness
Strong drink is positively forbidden by
Mohammedanism and though some may
have seen n drunken Mohammedan, never
saw one. 1t Is religion of sobrety. Then
they are not ashamed OF their devotious.
When the call for prayers is sounded from
the minarets the Mohammedan immedi-
ately unrolls the rug on the ground and
falls OH his knees, and crowds of spectators
are to him no embarrassmcnt-repro to
many Christian who omits his prayers if
people are looking.
But Mohammedansm with its polyg-
amy, blights everything it touches. Moham.
med, its founder, had four wives, and his
followers are the enemies of good woman
hood. Northumberland puts its curse on
all Egypt, and by setting up sinful Arab
higher than the immaculate Christ, is an
overwhelming blasphemy. May God help
the brave and consecrated missionaries who
are spending their lives in combating it.
But before forget it | must put more
emphasis upon the fact that the last out
rage that resulted in the liberation of the
Hebrews was their being compelled to
make bricks without straw. That was the
last straw that broke the cancels back.
God would allow the despotism against his
people to 20 no farther. Making bricks