Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-03-25


III, IL.
The story Of giants is mixed with myth.
William the Conqueror was said 10 have
been Of Cvertowering altitude, but when in
aftertime his tomb was opened his bones in
dicnted that he had been physically of only
ordinary siZn. Roland the Hero was said to
have been OF astounding stature, but when
his sepulchrs was examined his armor was
found only largo enough To fit an ordinary
man. Alexander the Great had helmets
and shields OF enormous size made and left
among the people whom he had conquered,
oas to give the impression that he was a
giant although he was rather under than
over the usual height of a man. But that
in other days and lands there were real
giants is authentic. One Of the guards Of
the Duke OF Brunswick was eight and a
half feet high. In a museum In London is
the skeleton of Charles Brine, eight feet
four inches in stature. The Emperor Maxi
min was over eight feet.
P!!ny tells of a giant nine feet high and
two other giants nine and half feet. So
am not lnCredulous when / come to my text
and find King ug a giant, and the size OF
his bedstead, turning the cubitS OF the text
/ into feet the bedstead OF Og, the king, must
have been about thirteen and half feet
long. Judging from that the giant who oc-
cupied 1t was probably about eleven feet in
stature, or nearly twice the average human
| tEe There was no need Of RabOinIcal
| writers trying to account for the presence OF
this giant, King Og, as they did, by saying
| that he came down from the other side OF
the food, being tall enough to wade the wa
| ters beside Noah's ark, or that he rode on the
top OF the ark the passengers inside the ark
daily providing him with foo There was
nothing supernatural about him. He was
! simply monster in size
Cyrus and Solomon slept on beds OF gold
and Sardanlpaus had 10 belsteads OF gold
burned up with him, but this bedstead OF
my text was Of iron-everything sacrificed
/ for strength TO hold this excessive avoiriu-
/ pols this Alp OF bone and flesh. No wonder
this couch was kept as u curiosity at Rab-
bath and the people went from far and near
10 see 1t, just as now people go 10 museums
/ to behold the armor OF the ancients. You
say what a fighter this giant King OS,
must have beea. No doubt of II. | suppose
the siz, Of his sword and bresstplate corre-
| spCn!ed to the siZs OF his beadstead, and his
stride across the battlefield and the full
| stroke OF his arm must have been appalling.
With nu armed host he comes down 10 drive
back the lsraelltes, WHO are marching on
from Egypt TO Canaan.
| We hnve no particulars OF the battle, but
/ think the Israeites trembled when they
saw this monster OF man moving down 10
crush them. Alas for thu Israelitesl viii
.
/ tvl and half feet high do against this war
riOr of eleven feet, ami what can short
! swords do against a sword whoSe CLEAN
must have been like flash OF lightnIng1
The battle Of Edrei opened. Moses and his
| army met tn, giant and MS army. The Lord
OF Hosts descended into the hght and the
gigantic strides that Og had made when adj
vancing into the battle were more than
/ tqualed by the gigantic strides with which
I. tal frl han
sixty fortified cities surrendered 70 them.
a land OF lndesCr. blLi. opuicnce comes into
/ their possession, AM all that IS left of the
giant king is the iron Osistcai. Nine cubits
was the length thereof and four cubits the
breadth Of It"
Why did not the Bible give US the
size OF the giant instead Of the siZs OF the
hcustead? Why did 1t not indicate that the
giant was eleven feet high instead OF telling
us that his couch was thirteen and half
feet long? No doubt among other things 1t
was t. teach us that you can judge OF a man
| by his surroundings. Show me mans
associates, show me a mans books, show me
a mans home, and will tell you what he is
without YOUR telling me one word about
him. You cannot only tell man accord
ing to the old adaEe, "By the company he
keeps but by the books he reads, by the
pictures he admires. by tho church he at.
tends by the places he visits. Moral
giants and moral pygmieS, intellectual
giants ana intellectual PygmieS, like physical
giants or physical pygmies may be judged
by their surroundings.
" hen a man departs this life you can tell
what has been his influence in a community
for good By those who mourn for him and
by how sincere and long continued ara the
regrets OF his taking Off. There may be no
ponp or obsCquies and no pretense at cpl
tapheoogv, but you can tell how high he
was in conservation, and how high in use
fulnCSs by how long is his shadow when he
comes TO lie down. What is true Of indi-
y!duals is true OF cities and nations. Show
me the free libraries AMI schools OF city,
and will tell you the intelli sence OF its
people. Show me its gallary OF painting and
sculpture, and will tell you the artistic l.
vancement of its citizens Show me its
churches, and l will tell you the moral and
religious status of the place.
From the fact that Ogs bedstead was
thirteen and half feet long, conclude the
giant himself was about eleven feet high.
But let no one by this thought be induced TO
surrender TO untavorable environments A
man can make his own bedstead. Chantrey
and Hugh Miller were born stonemasons,
but the ono became an immortal sculptor
and the other Christian scientist whose
name will rever die. Turner, the painter,
in whose praise John Ruskin expended the
greatest genius of his life Was the son or a
barber who advertised "a penny shave. "
DR.. Prideaux, one of the greatest scholars OF
nll time, earned his way through college by
securing pots and pans. The late Judge
Bradley worked his own way up from q
charcoal burner to the bench of the supreme
court Of the United States Yes, man car
decide the size of his own bedstead
Notice furthermore that even giants mus
rest. Such enormous physical endowment
OH the part of King OG might suggest the
capacity to stride across all fatigue ant
omit slumber. No He required an iror
bedstead. Giants must rest. Not apprecia
ting that fact how many OF the giant
yearly break down. Giants in business
giants in art, giants in eloquence, giants IL
usefulness. They live pot out more thai
half Their days. They try to escape tn
consequence OF overwork by voyag
across the sea or sail in summer yacht
or call on physicians Tor rehet from insom
MIA or restoration of unstrung nerves or Tn
arrest of apoplexies, when all they need !
what this giant Of my text reso:ted to-al
iron bedstead.
Let no one think because he has gres
strength of body or mind that he can aifor
to trfio with his unusual gifts. The coz
mercial world, the literary world, the arts
tic world, the political world, the religion
world are all the time aQuake with the cras
of falling giants. King Og no doubt had
! throne, but the Bible never mentions h
throne. King Og no doubt had crown, bt
tie Bible never mentions his crow
King Og no doubt had a scepter, ol
J the Bible does not mention his scepte
Yet one Of the largest verses OF the blbie
taken up in describing his bedstead. 30 Gt
ali IN and down the Bible honUrS siee
Adam, with his head on pillow OF Eden
roses, has his sumber best by divine 81
of beautiful compauionshp. Jacob, vii
his head on pillow of rock, has his sle'
glorifled with a ladder filed with des;en III
and ascending angels. Christ with pillo
made out Of the folded up coat OF fishe
man honors slumber in the back part OF {
storm tossed boat.
In Bible times. when people arose at t