The Canton times., 1895-06-07

| you, with mortified look. But hi.
} old courage comes back to him. The
! fact was, shat was not his battle. II
he had been in it he would have gone
on to victory. He gathers his troops
around him and says: "Now let us &c
up and capture the city Of All; let us
go up right away"
They march on. He puts the majori-
ty of the troops behind ledge OF rocks
in the night, and then he sends COM
paratively small battalion up in front
Of the city. The men Of Al come out
with shout. This battalion in
stratagem fall back and fall back, and
when all the men of All have left the
city and are in pursuit Of this scat
tered or seemingly scattered battalion,
Joshua stands on rock-I see his
locks flying in the wind as he points
his spear toward the doomed city, and
that is the signal. The men
rush out from behind the rocks
and take the city, and it is
put to the torch. and then these Is
raelites in the city march down and
the flying battalion Of Israelites re-
turn, and between these two waves OF
Israelitish prowess the men OF Al are
destroyed, and the Israelites gain the
victory; and while see the curling
smoke of that destroyed city on the
sky, and while hear the huzza of the
Israelites and the groan of the Ca
naanites, Joshua hears something loud
er than it all. ringing and echoing
through his soul: There shall not any
man be able to stand before thee all
the days of thy life"
But this is no place for the host of
Joshua to stop. Forward, marchl"
cries Joshua to the troops. There is
the city of Gideon. 1t has put itself
under the protection of Joshua They
sent word: "There are five kings after
us; they are going to destroy us; send
troops quick: send us help right
away" Joshua has three days
march more than double quick. On
the morning Of the third day he is be-
fore the enemy. There are two
long lines Of battle The battle
opens with great slaughter. but
the Canaanites soon discover
something. They say: "That is
Joshua; that is the man who con.
quered the spring freshet and knocked
down the stone wall and destroyed
the city of All. There is no use fight
ing" And they sound retreat, and
as they begin to- retreat Joshua and
his host spring upon them like a
pursuing them over the rocks,
and as these Canaanites, with sprained
ankles and gashed foreheads, retreat
the catapults of the sky pour volley |
of hailstones into the valley, and all
the artillery of the heavens. with bull
lets of iron, pounds the Canaanites
against the lodges Of Beth-horon.
''Oh" says Joshua. ''this is surely .
victory" "But do you not see the sun
is going down? Those Amorites are
going to get away after all, and they
will come up some other time and
bother us, and perhaps destroy u.s.
See, the sun is going down. Oh, for q
onger day than has ever been seen in
This climate. What is the matter with
Joshua? Has he fallen in an apoplec-
,ic fit? No. He is in prayer. Look
,ut when good man makes the Lord
lis ally. Joshua raises his face, radi-
INT with prayer, and looks at the de-
sun over Gideon and at the
aint crescent of the moon, for you
know the queen of the night sometimes
will linger around the palaces of the
lay. Pointing one hand at the de-
cending sun and the other hand at
he faint crescent of the moon, in the
lame of that God who shaped the
worlds and moves the worlds, he cries:
Sun, stand thou still upon Gideon;
md thou, moon, in the valley of
Ajalon." And they stood still.
Whether it was by refraction of the
un's rays or by the stopping of
he whole planetary system. l do !
lot know, and do not care. leave it
o the Christian scientists and infidel
cientists to settle.
But it is time for Joshua to go home.
Ie is one hundred and ten years old.
Washington went down the Potomac,
nd at Mount Vernon closed his DAYS.
wellington died peacefully at Apsley
louise. Now, where shall Joshua
est? Why, he is to have his greatest
attic now. After one hundred and
en- years he has to meet q king who
as more subjects than all the present
opulation of the earth, his throne
pyramid of skulls, his parterre the
raveyards and the cemeteries of the I
'orld, his chariot the worlds hearse-
he king of terrors. But IL this is {
oshua's greatest battle, it is going to
e Joshua's victory. He gathers his
riends around him and gives his vale 6
ictOrv and IL il f,,ll of "Reminiscences