The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-09-18

text:
And Judah spake unto him, saying. The
man uid sOlemnly protest unto US, saying:
fe shall not see my face. except your brother
be With you.-GeHesis kill, B.
Nothing TO eatl Plenty of corn IN
Egypt, but ghastly famine In Canaan.
The CATTLE moaning In the stall. Men.
women and children awfuliy white
with hunger. Not the failing Of one
crop for one summer, but the falling
Of all the crops for seven years. A nu-
tion dying for lack of that which is so
common on your table, and so little
Rppreciatedi the product of harvest,
field and grist-mill and oven; the price
of sweat and anxiety and struggle
bread! Jacob, the father, has the
last report from the -four bin, and
he finds that everything is out;
and he says to his Eonss
Boys, hook up the wagons and
start for Egypt, aud get us something
to eat" The fact was, there was a
great corn-crib in Egypt The people
of Egypt have been largely taxed in
all ages, at the present time paying
between 20 and so per cent of their
products to tho government No
wonder in that time they had large
eorn-crib, and it was full. To that
crib they came from the regions
around about-those who were fam
ished-some paying for the corn in
money; when the money was exhaust
ed, paying for the corn in sheep and
cattle and horses and cameIs, and
when they were exhausted, then sell
4 4 I,
Into slavery.
The morning for starting out on the
crusade for bread has arrived. Jacob
gets his family up very early. But be-
fore the elder son starts they say
something that makes him trembIe
with emotion from head to foot and
burst into tears. The fact was that
these elder sons had once before been
In Egypt to get corn, and they had
been treated somewhat roughly, the
lord Of tie corn crib supplying them
with corn, but saying at the close of
che interview NOW, you need not
come back here for any moro corn un-
less you bring something better than
money-even your younger brother
benjamin" All. Ben jamin-that very
name was suggestive of all tenderness.
The mother had died at the birth of
that son-a spirit coming and another
spirit going-and the very thought of
parting with enjamin must have been
e heart break. The keeper OF this
corn-crib, nevertheless, says to these
elder sons; There is no need of your
coming up here any more for corn un-
less you can bring Ben njamin, your
fathers darling" Now Jacob and his
family very much needed bread; but
what a struggle It would be to give up
this son. The orientals are very
demonstrative in their grief, and l
hear the outwailiDg of the father as
these elder sons kept reiterating in
his ears the announcement of the
Egyptian lord; 'Ye shall not see M
face unless your brother be with you."
'Why did You tell him you had a
brother?" says the old man, complain
Ing and chidiug them. "Why, father"
they said, ''he asked us all about our
family, and we had no idea that he
would make any such demand upon
us as he has made " mo use of ask
Ing me-" said the father, Il can not,
will not give up Benjamin" The
fact was that the old man had lost
children, and when there has been be-
reavement In a family and a child
taken, it makes the other children in
the household more precious. So the
day of departure was adjourned and
adjourned and adjourned. Still the
horrors of the famine increased, and
louder moaned the cattle, wider open
cracked the earth, and more pallid
became the cheeks, until Jacob, in
despair, cried out to his sons: Take
Ben jamin and be off. F" The older sons
tried to cheer up their father. They
said: I'VE have strong arms and
stout herrt, and no harm will come to
Benjamin. Wen see that he gets back
Bgain." FarewellI'' said the young
men TO the father in tone of assumed
good cheer "F-a-r-e-w-e-I-ll' said the
cid man; for that word has more qua
we're in it when pronounced by the
kged than by the young.
Well, the bread party, the bread
embassy, drives up in front of the
corn crib of Egypt. Those corn cribs
are filed with wheat and barley and
corn in the husk, for modern travellers
IN those lands, both in Canaan and in
Egypt, tell US there is corn there cor
responding with our Indian maize.
Huzzal the Journey is ended. The
lord of the corn crib, who Is also the
prime minister, comes down to these
newly-arrived travellers, and says,
"Dine with me to-day. How is your
father? Is this benjamin, the younger
brother whose presence demanded?'
The travellers are introduced into the
palace. They are worn and bedusted
of the way; and the servants come in
with basin of water in one hand and
q towel in the other, and kneel down
before these newly-arrived travellers,
washing off the dust of the way. The
butchers and pOulterers and caterers
of the prime minister prepare the re-
past. The guests are seated in small
groups, two or three at table, the
food on a tray; all the luxuries from
imperial gardens and orchards and
aquariums and aviaries are brought
there, and are filing chalice and plat
ter. Now is the time for this prime
minister, If he has q grudge against
BENJAMIN, 10 show it. VIII he kill
him, now that he has him in his hands?
oh, mol This lord of the corn-crib
Is seated at his own table and
he looks over TO the tables of his
guests; and he sends a portion to each
Of them, but sends alarger portion 10
Ben jamin, or. as the Bible quantity
puts it: "Benjamin's mess was five
tines IS much as any Of theirs. Be