Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-08-11
CHILDRHN'S RIGHTS.
Or. Talmage Champions the Cause
Of Young Folks.
The Evils of Unnec ,ssary Academic

that tchich hath proceeded out Of thy mouth"
Judges XII, Sc.
Jephthah was freebooter. Early turned
out from a 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 so out on independent
military expeditions. Jephthah was good
man according to the light of his dark age,
but through wandering and predatory life
he became reckless and precipitate. The
grace of God changes a mans heart, but
never reverses his natural temperament
The Israelites wanted the Ammonites
driven out OF their country, so they sent
delegation to Jephthah. asking him to be-
come 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" but he did
not say that. He takes command OF the
army, sends messengers 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 If the Lord
will give him the victory then on his return
home whatsoever first comes out of his door
wav he will offer in sacrifice as a burnt Or
fer;ng. The battle opens. 1t was no Skin
mishing on the edges OF danger, no unlin-
bering OF batteries two miles away, but the
hurting OF men on the points OF swords and
spears until the ground could no more drink
the blood and the horses reared to leap over
the piles OF bodies Of tho 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 to
death stare, until the plain was one tumbled
mass of corpsss from which the last trace OF
manbood had been dashed out.
Jephthah wins the day. Twelve cities Icy
captured at his feet. Sound the victory all
through the mountains OF Gilead. Let the
trumpeters call up the survivors. Home
ward to your wives and children. Home
ward with your glittering treasures. Home
ward to have the applause OF an adrniring
Nation. Build triumphal arches SWING out
flags all over Mizpeh. Open all your doors
to receive the captured treasures. Through
every hall spread the banquet. Pile up the
viands. Fill high the tankards. The Nation
is redeemed, the invaders are routed, AID the
National honor is indicated.
HuZZa for Jephthah, the conqueror Jeph-
thah, seated on q prancing steed, advances
amid acclaiming multitu les, but his eye is
not on the excited popu!ace. Remembering
that he had made solemn VOW that, return
inc from victorious battle, whatsoever first
came out OF the doorway Of his homo, that
should he sacrifice as q burnt Offering, he
has his anxious look upon the door. won
der what spotless lamb, what brace of doves,
will be thrown upon the fires Of the burnt
Offering. Oh, horrors Paleness OF death
blanches his cheek. Despair sezes 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 trlumphal
splendor vanisaes. Holding back mis- child
from his heaying breast and pushing the
locks back from the fair brow and looking
into the eyes of ineXtinguishable affection,
with chokei utterance he says Would
God I lay stark on the bloody plain. My
daughter, my only child, joy of my home,
| life of my life, thou art the sacri1cep'
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 vanished in the
| presence of the valor Of that girl. There
may have been tremor of the lip as a rose
leaftrembles in the sough OF the south wind,
there may have been the starting of tear
like a raindrop shook from the anther OF
water lily, but with o self sacrifice that man
may not reach and only womans heart can
compass she surrenders herself to fire and TO
death. She cries out in the words of my
text, "My father, if thou hast opened thy
mouth unto the Lord, 90 unto me whatso-
ever 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 the girls
| chap!et. 1t is we'll that her name came not
| to us, for no one can wear it. They may
take the name of Deborah or Abigail or
Miriam, hut 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 beforeyou hurl your denuncia-
tons at Jephthah's cruelty, remainder that
in olden times, when vows were made, men
| thought they must execute them, perform
them, whether they were wicked or good.
There were two wrong things about Jeph-
thah's VOW. First, he ought never to have
| made it. Next. having made it, 1t were better
broken than kept But do not ta>e on pre-
tentious airs and say, II could not have done
as Jephthah did" ii to-dayyou were stand
Ing on the banks OF tho Gangss and you had
been born in India, you might have been
throwing your children to th9 crocod1lcs II
|
but because we have more gospel light.
Now, l make very practical use OF this
question when tell you that the sacrifice OF
Jephthahs daughter was II type OF the physl-
cal. mental ana spiritual sacrifice OF 10000
| children in this day. There are parents all
unYittingy bringing to bear upon their chill
6ren n class OF Influences which will as Ger.
ta:nly ruin them as knife and torch destroyed
Jephthah's daughter. While SPEAK, tne
whole Nation without emotion and without
shame looks upon the stupendous sacrince:
In the first place, remark that mucn OF
the system OF education in our day is a sys'
fem of sacrifice. When children spend SIX
or seven hours q day in school, and then
must spend two or three hours in prepara-
tion for school the next day, will you tell me
how much tine they will have for sunsains
an fresh air and the obtaining Of that exu.
berance which is necessary for the duties o.
coming life? !,
No one can feel more thankful than dt
for tho advancement OF common scnool ecu
cation. The printing OF books approprlatt
for schools, the multiplication OF pnuosopn'
ical apparatus, the establishment OF nolma
e,.s of LARGEST caliber. are themes on whicl
every phiianthrop;st ought to be congratulat
ed Rut this herding OF great muitItudes
children in i'll ventilated school-rooms an'
poorly equipped halls Of instruction Is max lax
ing many Of the places OF knowledge IN I'LL
country huge ho!ocausts ...o -
Politics in many OF the cities gets into cd
ucational affairs AMI while the two pontlca
parties are scrabbling for the honors Jeph
thah's daughter perishes. 1t is so much 8
that there are many schools in the country '.
day which are preparing tens OF thousand
of invalid men and women for the future, $
that in many places by the the time tn
| oh;I,5,c o5,xoo+ion &c npfchod tho child ia fin