The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-02-02

army OF the PhiIistines were en-
camped on a fountain ana separated
from each other only by a narrow val
ley. Goiiah, measuring six cubits and
span in height, beyond the realiza-
ton of men of our times, and clad in
mail, the weight of his coat alone was
five thousand shekels of brass; he had
greaves of brass upon his legs and
target of brass between his shoulders;
the staff of his spear was like wea-
ver's beam, and the spears head
weighed six hundred shekels of iron.
Thus, warlike and magnilieently ar
rayed, ne walked up aud down, the
very pride of the armies of the Philis-
tines, and defied the armies of Israel
to send out any man amongst them to
meet him in single combat. Seeing
his majestic figure and hearing his
boastful cha iIenge, saul aud all Israel
were dismayed, panic-stricken and
demoralized
David, though but STRIPPING COM
pared TO the mighty Goliah, had per-
formed marvellous feats of strength.
While tending his fathers sheep
hungry lion stole one of the lambs.
David, undismayed, pursued and over
took the li0n aud rescued the lamb
from his mouth, and when this king
of beasts turned upon him to rend
him, the young Bethlehemite caught
him by his beard and smote him and
slew him; ard, again, a wild bear
seized one of the fioeklings and David
pursued and overlook him in like
manner and slew HIM. So when he
was told that if he would meet this
Philistine in single combat and kill
him the king would enrich him with
great riches and give him his daugh-
ter in marriage, remembering his vie
tory over the lion in his rage and the
bear in his fury, he chafed to meet
this Wanting giant Of the opposing
army. After recounting his deeds of
valor to Saul, and he still doubling
his ability to cope with the giant on
account Of his youth, he said 1.-THE
Lord that delivereth me out of the
paw of the lion and the paw of the
bear, he will deliver me out of the
hand Of this Philistine." and Saul
clad him in armor aud put a sword in
his hand and babe him go. But he
took not the sword, the use of which
he was not accustomed, but he took
five smooth stones out Of a brook,
his shepherds bag and his sling, and
proudly wenFforCh To meet this John
l.. Sullivan of the Philistines, and
when he fell before him the whole ar
my of Israel arose in their joy and
their shouts over the victory echoed
and re-echOed along the mountain
sides, and until this day Jews and
Gentiles love to dwell upon this epi-
sode in David's life. He is put down
as the great bible hero, the Jim Cor
bett of Scripture.
So, in like manner, the bible likes to
tell of the great feats of strength per-
formed by Samson. He was not only
strong o. arm but was also 1.-the of
limb. He rent the jaws of lion like
he would have rent kid, and was so
keen of foot that he canght three hun
dred foxes and tied fire-brands to
their tails in order to destroy the
wheat-fields OF his enemies. He broke
! the new ropes with which he was
bound the same as if they had been
| whisps of straw, Locked within the
city he escaped by carrying away the
gates, posts and all; and after being
shorn of his strength and blinded,
with his bare hands on the middle
pillars, he toppled great house from
its foundations in which his enemies
were holding a feast, and it fell as if
riven by an earthquake, and in the
destruction which followed he slew
more men and women at his death
than he had in his life.
So Samson comes down to us I'M
mortalized as the picture and hero of
strength.
And as the achievements of these
champions in single combat are mar
rated with more or less gloss and
| glamour, so are the commanders of all
victorious armies, from Joshua to
Cant, immortalized as heroes, and
are pictured to us as receiving and de-
serving the plaudlts and homage of
the world and the favor of God.
And as long as our civilization and
moral and intellectual perceptions
lead up to these things, instead of
away from them, as long as standing
armies are regarded as necessary an
neXes to Christian governments, as
long rs the military overshadows the
| civic hero, we must not too harshly
censure those who are just now en-
gagged IN showering praises and adjula-
tions on the victor of the hand-to-hand
combat that so recently occurred in
the metropolis of our state.
Ii is the natural and necessary out
growth Of the moral. intellectual and
religious lessons of the ages and win
not be stopped as long as our civiIiza-
ton is as it is.
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