The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-31
RIGHTS OF The CHILDREN
Talmage on The Story Of Jephthah
and His Daughter.

to Have Made it and Secondly it
Were Better Broken Than Kept-Ths
Name of the Heroic Girl Who Was
Sacrificed One of the Secrets Of the
Ages.
Brooklyn, N. Y, July 8O.-Rev. DIR.
Talmage, who is now on his vacation tour
in the west, has chosen for topic for
this morning, "Children's Rights" the
text being: Judges kiss, my father, If
thou hast opened thy mouth unto the
Lord, do to me according to that which
hath proceeded out of thy mouth"
Jephthah was a freebooter. Early
turned out from home where he ought to
have been cared for, he consorted with
rough men, and went forth to earn his
living as best he could. In those times it
was considered right for a man to go out
on independent military expeditions.
Jephthah was good man according to the
light of his dark age, but through wan
dering and a predatory life he became
reckless and precipitate. The grace Of
God changes mans heart, but never re-
verses his natural temperament.
The Israelites want ed the Ammonites
driven out of their country, so they sent
a delegation TO Jephthah asking him to
become commander-in-chief of all the
forces. He might have said, "You drove
me out when you had no use for me, and
now you are in trouble you want me
back;n but he did not say that. He
takes command of the army, sends mes
sengers to the Ammonites to tell them
to vacate the country, and, getting no
favorable response, marshals his troops
for battle
Before going out to the war Jephthah
makes a very solemn VOW, that IL the
Lord will give him the victory, then, on
his return home, whatsoever first comes
out of his doorway he will offer in sacri-
flee as a burnt Offering. The battle opens.
1t was no skirmishing on THE edges of
danger, no unlimbering of batteries two
miles away, but the hurling of men on
the point of swords and spears until the
ground could no more drink the blood,
and the horses reared TO leap over the
pile of bodies Of the slain. In those old
times opposing forces would fight until
their swords were broken, and then each
one would throttle his man until they
both fell, teeth TO teeth, grip TO grip,
death stare 10 death stare, until the plain
was one tumbled mass of corpses from
which the last trace of manhood had been
dashed out.
Jephthah wins the day. Twenty cities
lay captured at his feet Sound the VIC
bOEy al bIIpubA blG IlUhitbdiuo VI ArllddAs
Let the trumpeters call up the survivors.
Homeward to your wives and children.
Homeward with your glittering treas
ures, Homeward to have the applause
of an admiring nation. Build triumphal
arches. Swing out flags all over Mizpeh.
Open all your doors 20 receive the cap
tured treasures Through every hall
Fill high the tankards. The nation is re-
deemed, the invaders are routed, and the
national honor is vindicated.
Huzzah for Jephthah the conquerorl
Jephtha, seated on prancing steed, ad-
vances amid acclaiming multitudes, but
his eye is not on the excited populace.
Remembering that he had made solemn
VOW that, returning from victorious bat
tie, whatsoever first came out of the door
way of his home. that should be sacrificed
as a burnt-offering, he has his anxious
look upon the door. ! wonder what spot
less lamb, what brace of doves will be
thrown upon the fires of the burnt-ofer-
ing. Oh horrors! Paleness Of death
blanches his check Despair seizes his
heart His daughter his only child,
rushes out the doorway to throw herself
in her fathers arms and shower upon
him more kisses than there were wounds
on his breast or dents on his shield. All
the triumphal splendor vanishes. Holding
back this child from his heaving breast,
and pushing the locks back from the fair
brow, and looking into the eyes of mex
tinguishable affection, with cholzed UTTER
ance he says, would God lay stark on
the bloody plain. My daughter, my only
child, Joy of my home life of my life,
thou art the sacrilcep
The whole matter was explained to
her. This was no whining hollow-hearted
girl into whose eyes the father looked.
All the glory of sword and shield van-
fon cd IL, Tba Of the UplOrs Of that
girl There may have been q tremor of
the lip as a rOse-leaf trembles In the
sough of the south wind; there may have
been the starting of tear like rain
drop shook from the anther of water
lily; but with self-sacrifice that man
may not reach, and only woman's heart
can compass, she surrenders herself to
fire and death. She cries out in the
words of my text, MY father, if thou
hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord,
do unto me whatsoever hath proceeded
from thy mouth"
She bows to the knife, and the blood,
which so often at the fathers voice had
rushed to the crimson cheek, smokes in
the fires of the burnt-offering. No one
can tell us her name There is no need
that we know her name. The garlands
that Mizpeh twisted for Jephthah the
warrior had gone into the dust, but all
ages are twisting this girls chaplet. IL
is well that her name came not 10 us, Tor
no one can wear it. They may take the
name of Deborah or Abigail, or Miriam,
but no one in all the ages can have the
title of this daughter of sacrifice.
OF course this offering was not pleasing
to the Lord but before you hurl your de-
nunciations at Jephthah's cruelty remem-
Der that in Olden times, when vows were
rnade, men thought they must execute
them, perform them, whether they were
wicked or good. There were two wrong
things about Jephthah's bow First, he
ought never to have made it. Next, hav-
ing made it, it were better broken than
kept. But do not take on pretentious
airs and say, Il could not have
done as Jephthah did" If to-day you
were standing on the banks of the Ganges
and you had been born in India you might
have been throwing your children TO the
crocodiles. 1t is not because we are
naturally any better, but because we have
more gospel light.
Now, make very practical use OF this
question when | tell you that the sacrifice
Of Jephthah's daughter was type of the
physical, mental and spiritual sacrifice of
10000 children in this day There are
parents all unwittingly bringing TO bear
upon their children class Of influences
which viii as certainly ruin them as knife
and torch destroyed Jephthah' S daughter.
While speak, the whole nation, without
-