Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1895-10-18

q som som has 's'' been ssa' n '"'.
in the fields, and
from his shaggy dress you know that
he has been watching the herds. The
mountain air has painted his cheek
rubicund He is twenty, or twenty
I'VE, or, as some suppose, thirtythree
years OF age; nevertheless boy, con-
sldering the length of life to which
people lived in those times, and the
TACT that son never is anything but
boy 10 father. / remember that my
Iather used to come into the house
When the children were home on some
iestiVal occasion, ana say: Where
are the boys?" although "the boys"
were twenty-five. and thirty, and thir-
ty-h'e years of age. So this Isaac is
only boy to Abraham, and his fathers
heart is in him. 1t is Isaac here and
Isaac there. II thers IS any festivity
around the fathers tent, Isaac must
enjoy 1t. 1t is Isaac's walk, and Isaac's
apparel, and Isaac's manners, and
isaacs prospects. and Isaacs prosper
| lty. The fathers heart-strings are all
wrapped around that boy, and wrapped
again, until nine-tenths of the old
mans life is in Isaac can just
imagine how lovingly and proudly he
looked at his only sou.
Well, the dear old man had borne a
| great deal Of trouble, and it had left
Its mark upon him. In hieroglyphics
or wrinkle the story was written from
| forehead to chin. But now his trouble
seems all gone, and we are glad that he
is very soon to rest forever. II the old
| man shall get decrepit, Isaac is strong
enough to wait on him. Ii the father
| get dim of eyesight, Isaac will lead him
| by the hand. If the father become des-
titute, Isaac will earn him bread. How
| glad we are that the ship that has been
| in such a stormy sea is coming at last
into the harbor Are you not rejoiced
| that glorious old Abraham is through
| with his troubles? No! no. A thun-
| derbolt. From that clear eastern sky
| there drops into tina. fathers tent a
| voice with an announcement enough
| to turn black hair white, and to stun
the patriarch into instant humiliation.
God said: Abraham The old man
answered: Here / am" God said TO
him: Take thy son, thy only son
Isaac, whom thou lowest, and get thee
into the land of Moriah, and offer him
there as a burnt-offering." In other
words, STAY him; cut his body into
fragments; put the fragments on the
| wood; set fire to the wood, and let
| Isaac's body be consumed to ashes.
"Cannibalism! Murder" says some
one. Not So" said Abraham. l hear
him soliloquize: Here is the boy on
whom l have depended! Oh, how /
loved him! He was given in answer to
prayer, and now must | surrender him
| Isaac, my son! Isaac, how shall |
| part with you? But then it is always
safer to do as God asks me to; ! have
been in dark places before, and God
got me out. | will implicitly do as
| God has told me, although it is very
dark ] can't see my way, but know
God makes no mistakes, and to him
| commit myself and my darling son.
Early in the morning there is stir
around Abraham's tent. A beast of
| burden is fed and saddled. Abraham
makes no disclosure of the awful Sc
| cret. At the break of day he says:
Come. come. Isaac, get up! We are
| going off on two or three days jour
ney." I hear the axe hewing and split
| ting amid the wood until the sticks
are made the right length and the right
| thickness, and then they are fastened
| OF. the beast of burden. They pass on
| there are four of .hem-Abrahan,
| the father; Isaac, the son: and two
servants. Going along the road. see
Isaac looking up into his fathers face,
and saying: Father, what is the mat
ter? Are you not well! Has anything
happened? Are you tired? Lean on
my arm" Then, turning around to
| the servants. the son says: "Ah! IA
| Their is getting old, and he has had
trouble enough in other days to kill
| him."
The third morning has come, and it
| is the day of the tragedy. The two
servants are left with the beast of bur-
| den, while Abraham and his son Isaac.
| as was the custom OF good people in
those times, went up on the hill TO sac
| rifice TO the Lord. The wood is taken
off he beasts back and put on Isaac's
back Abraham has in one hand pan
of ceals or lamp. and in the other a
share. keen knife. Here are all the
| appliances for sacrifice, you say. No,
there is one thing wanting; there is
| no victim-no pigeon, or heifer, or
lamb. Isaac, not knowing that he is
to be the victim, looks up into his ia
| theirs face, and asks question which
must have cut the old man to the bone:
MY father The father said: my
son, Isaac. here | am" The son said:
Behold the fire and the wood. but
where is the lamb" The fathers lip
| quivered, and his heart tainted, and his
| knees knocked together, and his entire
body, mind and soul shivered In sick
ening anguish as he struggles to gain
equipoise; for he does not want to
break down. And then he looks into
his sons face, with thousand rushing
tendernesses, and says: "My son, God
will provide himself lamb"
The twain are now at the foot OF