The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-04-18

| full of it's monumental chronicling of
! events il has left us no trace of this.
But this great dynasty. built upon a still
| older and greater civilization, was at this
| time so broken up with outside troubles
| and inward dissolution that the loss of
| her slaves must have been to her but one
| Of the smallest inevitable results Of the
times. Moses. we'll known to the royal
| weakness and the royal power, saw the
| times were fit now, if ever, TO lead these
people away. And the oppression made
them the more easily persuaded TO strike
for freedom But despite of the learn
ing and the knowledge Of their leader their
| records show them TO long have held
the barbarous ways. childish credulity
and modes of thought that spring from
slavery and ignorance
There is, As / said at the beginning
Of this article a certain belief prevalent
as to the origin of these books. Mosaic ac-
count and all But with me | think I
can claim the best of Jewish and modern
Christian thought. and their verdict is
that a careful analysis of the books show
them to have been written and preserved
much as other histories were. and as we
have them today they often show a
composite character. One book will from
the events. the statements il holds. show
more than one author. Some of the
books give evidence of being dependent
in part upon documents much older than
themselves. and in part from oral tes-
timony transmitted often until il par
took of legendary character.
We have isolated statements here and
there showing some of the sources from
which these historians fortified their
writings
THE Books If the Wars of Jehovah"
THE History of Samuel the Seer" THE
History of Nathan the Prophet" God.
! the Seer" The Prophecy Of Elijah.
From many Of these books we get our
present history of Jewish wars and
| kings. With much perhaps we would
know left out and much that suited the
last writer's view added from many
oral sources. THE Visions Of lido give
us all. very likely that VIC know Of
Jcreboam; and "Shemaiah. the Prophet
was ransaclIed for the little we know Of
SolOmons son. RehOboam. and perhaps
much else we know under another name.
Chronicles and Kinks are undoubtedly
taken from older sources, called the
Chronicles Of the Kings Of Judeah and
Israel Isaiah wrote a book called
! "Uzziah." These books of tho present
you can see for yourself show "a very
eventful human basis.
They of themselves show they had
been written hundreds of years after
many of the events they ChrCniCle had
happened. and they show also that their
authors did not dsdain TO use the oral
and legendary traditions which had gath
cred around the names Of their heroes
as time had advanced. They show also
that prose and poem was searched for
incidents to add to his greatness. All,
sometimes. that we can judge Of the his
tory of A nation is by it's songs and
poetry handed Down. And the Hebrew
literature furnishes us something in this
line. Did You ever note how many Of
these books were great poems? The ac-
count of Creation. Ruth, job. many 9th
eTs beside the prophets. which are all
written in a certain poetical metre. But
poets have used poetical license from the
beginning. and in searching history and
truthfulneSs of depicted life in poetry
we must consider this pOetical license.
Whether the historian searching for the
history of Joshua took this into account
when he cOnsuitS the Poems of Jasher
is not certain.
But it is very certain that the credu-
lcus who followed after him did not. else
such stress would not have been laid by
modern people upon the rhymetical but
not physical possibility of the statement:
sun. stand thou still upon Gideons
nights; moon be then hid in the valley
Ajalen."
We have many such poeticsl represen-
tations of greatness. Understood in its
true meaning by the historian, perhaps,
at the time, but losing its poetical sig
nificance as time went on, and the mar
velous took firmer hold upon the minds
of those who came after. For history
plainly shows that the strongest miscon-
ceptions of these books and their mean
ing made in times long after they
were written. and their authors were in
dust and forgotten.
In closing this fltful article let me say
that under all these written events, what
ever meaning we may ascribe to them, or
their narratOrs, we can note develop
ing character. The strongest human
character 1 claim which Yet the world
has ever seen is the Jewish character.
He often has been mistaken; been too
fanatical too conservative. too sure that
his past records and his traditions were
right; too intOlerant of new teachers.
For (which of your prophets did YOU
not persecute and KILL said dying Ste
phen. But despite of his mistakes he
never strayed. working slowly but stead
lily toward better light. but working as
humanity works, by the light of his own
acquired reason, and helped by the eX-
perience of past mistakes; working
against odds that would have swept
weaker pace in character from off the
face of the earth. The scapegOat of all
lands. Robbed, plundered and killed.
National, physical calamities and mis-
takes laid at his door, for even daring to
cumber the earth and his dear ones and
his own life paying the forfeit of our
shameful ignorance.
Forced out Of legitimate trades and
into usury, the only thing open to him
The Christian character too good In the
past TO take up that business itself. but
not too good to make use of the Jew
i'm IL. And from out of the blackness
and despair Of his past, where does he
stand today? Not in our jailS; not al our
criminal docks; not in mobs and strikes,
but attending to the task you set him
at of old, and loving his wife and chill
dren better than you all. Purity of life
these old books show us he was spir-
itually seeking after, despite of draw
backs believe he has in course of evO-
luton come nearer TO it than any other
people.
The greatest scholars of the day he
holds in his name. Scientists, historians,
poets and statesmen he ranks as his own.
One trade only left open 10 him. and yet
through it he rules the world. for the
money of the world is in his hands.
Were he of the Vindictive nature. which
his Latin Oppressors possess. he would
crush these nations and laugh at their
calamity; but to be vindictiVe is not to
be true to his national spiritual develop
ment He asks his interest. but he pities
the helpless life which a withdrawal of
his favor would send TO a miserable eX-
istence or an untimely grave. His prn-
ciple is better than his greatest calling.
His life is better than that of his enc
mies-his judges. IDA SHEPLER.
Raleigh, Ind, April a.
ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
An Outline of Her Life and Writings
ny ..Sunset."