Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-03-02
1T WAS A SNOWY DAY
VET eeNAlAh WENT DOWN AND SLEW
LION IN A PIT.


The Everlasting Flora.
NEw YORK. Feb 2I-Continued win.
ter storms seem 10 have no effect in di-
minishng the great audiences that
gather every Sunday in and around tho
academy Of Music. Today the crowds
were as large as ever. and tho spacious
Academy was packed from pit TO domo
long before the services began. DIR. Tai
mage took for his subject "A Snowy
Day tho text selected being | Chroni-
rlcs Al, -, He went down and slew n
lion in n pit in snowy day.
Have you ever heard Of him? His name
was Benaiah. He was a man OF stout
muscle and Of great avoirdupois His
father was hero. and no inherited
proves. Howas athletic. and there was
iron in his blood, and the strongest bone
ia his body was backbone He is known
for other wonders besides that of the
teXt An Egyptian cubits in stature.
or about : feet . inches high. was NOV
ing around in hraggadocio and flourish
ing a great spear. careless rs 20 whom
he killed. and Benaiah of my text, with
nothing hut walking stick. came upon
him. snatched the spear from the Egyp-
tian. and with one thrust of its sharp
edge put an end 10 the blatant bully,
which makes us think Of the story in
our Greek lesson. too hard for Us il the
smarter boy on the same bench had not
helped Us out with it. in which Ho-
ratius the Macedonian and Dioxippus
the Athenian fought in the presence 81
Alexander. tho Macedonian armed with
shield aud sword and javelin and tho
Athenian with nothing but n club The
Macedonian hurled tho javelin. but the
Athcnian successfully lodged it. and
the Macedonian lifted the spear, but the
Athonian with the club broke il, and
the Macedonian drew the sword, but tho
Athonian tripped him up before he could
strike with il. and then the Athenian
with his club would have beaten the life
ont Of tho Macedonian. fallen among his
useless weapons. If Alexander had not
commanded. "Stopl Stop
Tracked In the snow.
But Benaiah OF tho text is about to
TO something that will eclipse even
that There is trouble in all tho neigh.
borhood. Lambs are carried off in tho
night. and children yenturing only a
little way from their fathers house arc
found manglcd and dead. Tho fact is tho
land was infested with lions. and few
people dared meet one Of these grizzly
beasts, much less corner or attack it,
a. -
ono morning a footstep Of lion was
tracked in the snow IL had been out
IN its doyouring crrand through the
darkness. but AZ last IL is found by the
impression Of the four paws on the white
surface OF tho ground which way the
wild beast came and which way il had
gone Ferilous undertaking, but Bcnai-
all. the hero 81 the text. arms himself
with such weapons as those early days
afforded. eunpowdor having been in
vented IN far subsequent century 10y
the German monk Bertholdus Schwarz
Therefore without gun or any kind Of
firearms. Bcnaiah Of the text no doubt
depended on the sharp steel edge for
his own defense and tho slaughter Of
he lion as he followed the track
through the SNOW IL may have been
4 iayelin; IL may have been only n
knife But what Benaiah lacks in
weapons ho will make up in strength
q arm and skill Of stroke. But where
Is the lion: We must not get Off his
track in tho snow. The land has
many cistorns. or pits, for catching
rain, the rainfall being very scarce
AZ certain seasons, and hence these
-isierns. or reservoirs. arc digged here
and there and yonder Lions have
an instinct which seems Co tell them
when they arc pursued. and this dread
monster Of which | speak retreats into
1no Of these cisterns which happened to
ho free Of water and is there painting
from the long run and licking its jaws
After rcpast Of human flesh and after
luafing thored vintage Of human blood.
Benaiah is all alert and comes eau
uously on toward the hiding place OF
this terror OF the fields. Coming 90 tho
verge Of tho pit, he looks down at tho
lion, and tho lion looks up nc him.
What moment IL was when their eyes
slashcdl But while a modern Du Chail-
Ia. Gordon Cumming or Sir Samuel
Baker o. David Livingstone would
nave Just brought the gun TO the Shout
der, and held the eye against the barrel,
and blazed away into the depths. and
finished the beast. Benaiah, with only
the old time weapon. can do nothing
until he gets on level with the beast,
and 20 he jumps into the pit. and the
lion. with shining teeth of rage and
laws lifted 10 tear 10 shreds the last
sestiec OF human life. springs for the
man. while Benaiah springs for tho
beast But the quick stroke of the steel
dye flashed again and again and again
lntil the snow was no longer white and
the right foot Of triumphant Benaiah
Is half covered with the tawny name %
the slain horror Of Palestine
Three Troubles.
Now you see how emphatic aud tragic
and tremendous are the words of my
text. He went down and slew lion in
pit IN a snowy day. I" Why put that
Ia tho Bible. Why put it twice in the
Bible, once in the book Of Samuel and
here in the book Of Chronicles: Oh, the
practical lessons are 50 many for you
and for me- What q cheer in this sub.
lcct for all these Of YOU who are in con
junction Of hostile circumstances Three
things We're against Benaiah Of my text
IN tho moment of combat the snow that
impeded his movement. the pit that en-
yironed him ia small space and the
lion, with open jaws and nplifted paw
And yes | hear the shout of Benaiah :
victory. Oh. men and women of three
.rouhlcs. you say. II could stand one.
aud think | could stand two. but three
Ife at least one too many
There is n man in business perplexity
and who has sickness in his family,
and old age is coming on. Three trou-
bles-a lion, pit and snowy day.
There IS a good woman with failing
health and a dissipated husband and a
hayward boy-throe troubles. There
Is young man. salary cut down, bad
cough frowning future-three troubles.
There Is a maiden with difficult school
lessons She cannot get. a face that is not
as attractive rs some II her schoolmates' i,
q prospect that through hard times she
must quit school before she graduates
three troubles. There is an author. his
manuscript rejected. his power OF origi.
nation in decadonce, n numbnoss in fore
.ngor and thumb. which threatens pa