The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-08-22


great mistakes concerning the num-
ber of Hebrew mothers and children at
the time OF their journeying in the
wilderness or desert
He Gays, when they got into the
desert they took census to see how
many first-born children there were.
They found they had 22,273 first-born
males. 1t Is reasonable to suppose
there was about the same number of
ilrst-born girls, OF 5000 iirst-born
children. There must have been about
as many mothers as first-born children.
Dividing 3,000,000 by 5000 mothers,
and you will find that thel women in
Israel had to have on the average
about OS children apiece. Some stories
are too thin. This IL too thick"
III II We're true that these 22,273 per-
sons constituted the entire number of
llrst-born males of the Hebrew nation,
MIR. IngersolPs statements concerning
the number of mothers in the Hebrew
nation, and the average number Of the
children OF each mother, would not be
very incorrect. But 1t is not true that
they constituted the entire number of
the tirst-born males OF the nation.
Moses writes thus coneering these
| flrst-born males: ''And Moses number
ed, as the Lord commanded him, all
the flrst-boln among the children of
Israel, and all the first born males by
the number of names, from month
old and upward, of those that were
numbered OF them, were twenty and
two thousand, two hundred and three
score and thirteen (Num. III, AZ, 43. }
II there were no other Scripture relat-
ing to the matter, Mr.. Ingersoll could
have convinced Bible students that
Moses made a mistake. But there
are other Scriptures that relate to the
matter.
| Moses informs us that on the very
day the Hebrews left Egypt, God gave
them, through him, tho following
commandment: "Sanctify unto me all
the tirst-born, whatsoever openeth the
womb among the children OF Israel.
both of man and of BEAST (Ex.. XIII.
% About a year afterward God told
Moses to put this commandment into
practice, and Numbers Ill contains
the record OF its enforcement. The
law did not apply to those males who
were born before the law was given,
but to those who were born afUerward.
Hence the 2l,21S first born males were
those males of the twelve tribes who
were born during the first year OF the
hebrews s0iourn in the wilderness.
The ~, 273 iirst-born males were
wholly OF the twelve tribes. Not boy
OF Levi was included in tho number.
Mr.. /. made great mistake by includ-
ing all the boys of the tribe of Levi in
the number. In the same chapter OF
Numbers where the 22,273 are men.
toned, we read that Moses and Aaron
! numbered all the males of the Levites
that were a month Old and upward, and
their number was reported at 22,0O0.
These were all the males oil the tribe
OF Low and not the iilst-born ones only.
(See Mum. III ;39,)
Levi was evidently small tribe.
There were but q, 900 males in it who
were a month old and upward. There
were about as many females. The EN-
tire tribe could not have numbered
more than $4,000 souls. None of the
| men Of Levi were enrolled in the lsrae-
litish army. Their duties We're wholly
OF a religious character.
But the twelve tribes furnished the
material for the army, and more than
| 7OO,OO0 men served as warriors. Not
one OF these men was less than twenty
years OF age. wis very reasonable
thing to believe that not less than one
half the army was composed of mar
ried men. Then we have 100000 hus-
bands and 100000 wives to deduct
from 100000 souls OF the nation, and
tho balance 9, 400. 600, will indicate the
number of their children. Dividing
these children.among the 800, 900 wives
and mothers, 1t will give an average
OF eight children to each mother, or
sixty less per mother than Mr. L.
reCkons.
Mr.. |. makes mistakes with regard
to Gods declarations concerning
motherhood. He says, "We know that
among 100000 people there will be
about 800 births day; and according
TO the Old Testament whenevera child
was horn the mother had to make n
sacrliice-a sin-oioring Tor the crime
OF being mother"
Neither Mr.. ]. nor any of his SYM
puthi2ers can put their finger upon a
law in the Old Testament that speaks
OF Legitimate motherhood as crime.
On the contrary it speaks Of il as d
blessing and as a token of Gods ia
vor. The sin-oferlng was for tho sins
the mother had committed. aud oven
that was token uf Gods love and be-
neVolence,
But Mr. ]. says further concerning
tine Hebrew mothers, Every woman
had to have sacrifice of couple of
doves, couple OF pigeons, and the
priests ind TO eat those pigeons in the
most holy place y y . the priests had
to cook and eat those pigeons z . =
and at that time there were only three
priests. Two hundred birds apiece per
day / look upon them as the cham
pion bird caters of the world.r
Bot Moses did not make such laws
as Mr. l. mistakenly SuppUscs. Moses
law reads thus; The mother shall
bring two young pigeons; the one
Tor the burnt Offering: and the priest
shall mako an atoneuient for her, and
she shall be clean" one of the two
pigeons, then, was to be burned up, and
Of course tho priest could not eat that.
lhe other pigeon was Il sin-ofleriug
Concerning ii Moses says, "'rhe priest
that otlereth it for sin sAalleat it:in tho
holy place shall it be eaten, in the
court uf the tabernacle of the congre,
Eatton.h tSeU Lev. MI. Z, S, 20 80
MIR. 1. never studied Moses writturs
HIS many mistakes concerning thei,
teachings abundantly evidence the
truth oil this statement. Tho 'moet
holy place was the room IN the tubcr
naclo known as the rlIoly of Holes.
The pigeons were cooked and eaten in
the open court Of the tabernacle and
not in the tabernacle itself
The law concerning the sacrifices foi
mothers though made in days oil
Moses and Aaron, was not operative
until the days of Joshua when there
; were thousands Of priests. So Mir. [,
is mistaken again in asserting that
three Priests must haze eaten two
hundred pigeons apiece every day.
And tile law for the publication OF
mothers the law REGARDED In Lev. xii,
l's, Is tie best ever enacted for s9cur.
ing to mothers vigorous constitutions
healthy children, and exemption from