The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-02-26

the people. That was the only KIND OF
weapon. Seven priests were to take
these rude, rustic instruments. and
they were to go around the city every
day for six days-once a day for six
days-and then on the seventh day they
were to go around blowing these rude
musical instruments seven times, and
then, at the close of the seventh blow
ing of the rams horns on the seventh
day, the peroration of the whole scene
was to be shout at which those great
walls should tumble from capstone to
| base.
The seven priests with the rude mu-
steal instruments pass all around the
city walls on the first day, and failure.
Not so much as piece of plaster broke
loose from the wall-not so much as a
loosened rock, not so much as piece of
mortar lost from its place. "There,"
say the unbelieving Israelites,. ''didn't
tell you so? Why, those ministers are
fools. The idea of going around the
city with those musical instruments
and expecting in that way to destroy it.!
Joshua has been spoiled; he thinks be-
| SNeNAA'S A4O AACio ONCl D111OWu SlIlI
the spring freshet he can overthrow
the stone wall. Why, it is not philo-
sophie. Don't you see there is no
relation between the blowing of these
musical instruments and the knocking
down of the wall? 1t isn't philosophy. :"
And suppose there were many wise
acres who stood with their brows knit
ted, and with the forefnger of the right
hand to the forefnger of the left hand,
arguing it all out, and showing it was
not possible that such q cause could
produce such an effect. And 1 suppose
that night in the encampment there
was plenty of philosophy and carica-
ture, and If Joshua had been nominated
for any high military position he would
not have got many votes.
Joshua's stock was down. The sec
ond day the priests blowing the musical
instruments go around the city, and a
failure; third day, and failure; fourth
day, and failure; fifth day, and fail
ure; sixth day, and a failure The sew
enth day comes, the climacteric day.
Joshua is up early in the morning and
examines the troops, walks all around
about, looks at the city wall. The
priests start to make the circuit of the
city. They go all around once, all
around twice, three times, four times,
five times, six times, seven times, and a
failure.
/ There is only one more thing to do,
and chat is to utter great shout. 1 see
the Israe1itish army Strengthening them
selves up, filing their lungs for vocif-
Grafton such as was never heard before
and never heard after. Joshua feels
that the hour has come, and he cries out
to his host: 'Shout, for the Lord hath
given you the cityr' An the people be-
gin to cry, "Down, Jericho! down, Jer-
icho!.' and the long line of solid ma
sonry begins to quiver and to move and
to rock. Stand from UNDER She falls!
Crash! go the walls, the temples, the
towers, the palaces; the air bIackened
with the dust. The huzza of the victo-
Tious Israelites and the groan of the con-
quered Canaanites comming1e, and JOS
hua standing there in the debris of the
wall hears voice saying: ''There shall
not any man be able to stand before
thee all the days of thy life''
But Joshua's troops may not halt
here. The command is: forward,
marchr' There is the City of Al; it
must be taken. How shall it be taken?
A scouting party comes back and says.
Joshua, we can do that without you;
it is going to be q very easy job; You
just stay here while we go and capture
it." They marched with q small regi-
ment in front of that city. The men of
Al look at them and give one yell, and
the Israelites run like reindeer. The
Northern troops at Bull Run did not
make such rapid time as these
Israelites with the Canaanites after
them. They never cut such q sorry
figure as when they were on the retreat.
Any body that goes out in the battles of
God with only half force, instead of
your taking the men of Al, the men of
Al will take you. Look at the Church
of God on the retreat The Bornesian
eannibals ate up Munson, the mission
airy. Fall back!'' said great mauy
Christian people-"Fall back, o Church
of God! Borneo will never be taken.
Don't you see the Bornesian cannibals
have eaten up Munson, the mission
airy ?" Tyndal delivers his lecture at
the University of Glasgow, and great
many people say: ''Fall back, o Church
of GodI Don't you see that Christian
philosophy is going to be overcome by
worldly philosophy? Fall back. +"
Geology plunges its crowbar into the
mountains, and there are a great many
people who say: Scientific investiga-
ton is going to overthrow the Mosaic
account of the creation. Fall back!''
Friends of the church have never had
any right to fall back.
Joshua falls on his face in chagrin. It
is the only time you ever see the back
of his head. He falls on his face and
begins to whine, and he says: ''Oh, Lord
God, wherefore hast Thou at all brought
this people over Jordan to deliver us
into the hand of the Araorites todestrov
us? Would to God we had been content
and dwelt on the other side of Jordan!
For the Canaanites end all the inhab-
itants of the land shall hear of it, and
shall environ us round and cut off our
/ name from the earth -