News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-11-05


Egyptian home. The eldest son OF
Pharaoh expired that night in the pal
ace and all along the streets of Mem
phis and Heliopolis and all up and
down the Nile there was q funeral wall
that would have rent the fold of the
unnatural darkness if it had not been
impenetrable.
LED BY A TORCH FROM GOD.
The Israelitish homes. however, were
untouched. But these homes were full
of preparation, for now is your chance,
0 We wronged Hebrews Snatch up
what pieces of food you can and to the
desert! Its simooms are better than
the bondage you have suffered. Its
scorpions will not sting SO sharply as
the wrongs that have stung you all
your lives Awayl The man who was
Graded in the basket of papyrus on the
Nile will lead you. Upl Up! This i
the night of your rescue. They gather
together at signal. Alexander
armies and all the armies of Olden time
were led by torches on high poles,
great crests of fire; and the Lord Al
mighty kindles torch not held by hui
man hands, but by omnipotent hand.
Not made out of straw or oil, but
kindled out of the atmosphere, such a
torch as the world never saw before
and never will see again. 1t reached
from the earth unto the heaven, pill
lar of fire, that pillar practically say
ing: This way! March this way p
On that supernatural tiambeau more
than million refugees set their eyes,
| Moses and Aaron lead on. Then come
the families of Israel. Then come the
herds and Gocks 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
dipped my hands in its blue waters the
heroics of the Mosaic passage rolled
over me.
After three days march the Israel
| itish refugees encamped for the night
on the bank of the Red sea. AS the
| shadows begin to fall, in the distance
| is seen the host of Pharaoh in pursuit.
| There were six hundred finest war char
| lots followed by common chariots roll
ing at full speed And the glittering
| of the wheels and the curse of infuri-
| ated Egyptians came down with the
| darkness. But the Lord opened the
crystal gates of ahr-el-Kulzum and
the enslaved Israelites passed into lib
erty. and then the crystal gates of the
sea rolled shut against the Egyptian
| pursue"s.
1t was about two o'clock in the morn
| ing when the interlocked aXletrees of the
Egyptian chariots could not move an
inch either way. But the Red sea I'M
| hitched the horses and unhelmeted the
warriors and left the proud host a
wreck on the Arabian sands. Then
two choruses arose, and Moses led the
men in the one, and Miriam led the
women in the other, and the women
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 thrill
ing story of endurance and victory
The greatest triumph of Handels
genius was shown in his immortal dFa-
matte oratorio, Israel in Egypt" He
had given to the world the oratorio OF
Esther and Deborah" and Athaliah,
but reserved for his mightiest exertion,
at the full height of his powers, the
marshaling of all musical instruments
to the description in harmony of the
scenes on which we this morning dwell.
He gave twenty seven days to this pro
duction, with its twenty-eight choruses,
enthralling his own time and all after
time with his Israel in Egypt"
THE BURDENS OF EGYPT.
So the burden of oppression was
lifted, but another burden of Egypt is
made up of deserts. Indeed, Africa is
a great continent for deserts, Libyan
desert, Sahara desert, deserts here and
there and yonder, condemning vast
regions of Africa to barrenness, one of
the deserts three thousand miles long
and a thousand miles wide. But all
those deserts will yet be flooded, and SO
made fertile. De Lesseps says it can
be done, and he who planned the Suez
canal, which marries the Red sea and
the Mediterranean, knows what he is
talking about. The human race is so
multiplied that it must have more cul-
+ivated land, and the world must abol-
irI, &c
of the human race are now living on
lands not blest with rains, but depend
ent on irrigation, and we want by irri
CATION to make room for eight hundred
millions more. By irrigation the proph-
ecy will be fulfilled, and 1.-THE desert
will blossom as the rose" So from
Egypt the burden of sand will be lifted
Another burden of Egypt to be
lifted is the burden of Mohammedan-
ism, although there are some good
things ;,5out that religion. Its dis
ciples must always wash before they
pray, and that is five times day. A
commendable grace is cleanliness.
Strong drink is positively forbidden by
Mohammedanism, and though some
may have seen a drunken Mohamme-
dan, never saw one. 1t is a religion
of sobriety. Then they are not ashamed
of their devotions When the call for
prayers is sounded from the minarets
the MOhammedan Immediately unrolls
the rug on the ground and falls on his
knees, and crowds of spectators are to
him no MISUNDERSTANDING to
many a Christian who omits his pray
ers if people are looking
But MOhaInmedanisIn, with its DO
lygamy blights everything it touches
Mohammed, its founder, had four
wives, and his followers are the enemies
of good womanhood. Mohammedan-
ism puts iss curse on all Egypt, and by
setting up sinful Arab higher than
the immaculate Christ, is an over
whelming blasphemy. May God help
the brave and consecrated missionaries
who are spending their lives in combat
ing it.
But before | forget it | must put
more emphasis upon the fact that the
last outrage that resulted in the liberia
ton of the Hebrews was their being
compelled to make bricks without
straw That was the last straw that
broke the camel's back. God would
allow the despotisrn against his people
to go no further Making bricks with
out straw!
That oppression still goes on. De
mand of your wife appropriate ward
robe and bountiful table without pro
viding the means necessary bricks