Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-09-10
THE BREAD CRUSADE
Or. TALMAeE breaches UPON A
sEASoNABLE SUBJECT.

NAOA~@
country life. The text is Genesis kill, s:
And Judah spake unto him saying, The
man did solemnly protest unto us, saying,
Ye shall not see my face, except your
brother be with you
Nothing to eat Plenty Of corn In Egypt,
but ghastly famine In Canaan. The cat
tie moaning in the stall. Men, women
and children awfully white with hunger
Not the failing of one crop for one sum-
mer, but the failing of all the crops for
seven years, A nation dying for lack of
that which Is so common on your table
and so little appreciated; the product of
harvest field and gristmill and oven; the
price of sweat and anxiety and struggle
bread Jacob, the father, has the last re-
port from the flour bin, and he finds that
everything is out, and he says to his sons,
Boys, hook up the wagons and start for
Egypt and get us something to eat" The
fact was there was great corncrib 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 the government Nc
wonder In that time they had large corn
crib, and it was full. To that crib they
came from the regions around about-those
who were famished-some paying for the
corn In money. When the money was ex.
hausted, paying for the corn in sheep and
cattle and horses and camels, and when
they were exhausted, then selling Their
own bodies and their families into slavery.
The Start For Bread.
The morning for starting out on the
crusade for bread has arrived Jacob gets
his family up very early. But before the
elder sons start they say something that
makes him tremble 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 the corncrib supplying them with corn,
but saying at the close Of the interview,
Now, you need not come back here for
any more corn unless you bring something
better than money-eyen your younger
brother Benjamin" All, Benjamin-that
very name was suggestive of all tender
ness The mother had died at the birth OF
that son--a spirit coming and another
spirit going-and the very thought of part
ing with Benjamin must have been a
heartbreak The keeper of this corncrib,
nevertheless, says to these elder sons,
There is no need of your coming up here
any more for corn unless you can bring
Benjamin, your fathers darling" Now
Jacob and his family very much needed
bread, but what q struggle 1t would be to
give up his son. The orientals are very
demonstrative In their grief, and hear
the outwailing Of the father as these elder
sons keep reiterating in his ears the an
nouncement of the Egyptian lord, "Ye
shall not see my face unless your brother
be with you =" "Why did you tell him you
had q brother9" says the old man, COM
planning and chiding them. "Why, fa-
ther," they said, she asked us oil about
our family, and we had no idea that he
would make any such demand upon us as
he has made. "No use of asking me, -
said the father IT cannot, will not give
up Benjamin. The fact was that the old
man had lost children and when there has
been bereavement in household and a
child taken 1t makes the other children in
the household more precious So the
N1J ALL was hlu tl-
iourned and adjourned
Still the horrors of the famine increased,
and louder moaned the cattle and wider
open cracked the earth and more pallid
became the cheeks, until Jacob, in despair,
cried out to his sons, "Take Benjamin
and be off" The older sons tried to cheer
up their father. They said: ave have
strong arms and q stout heart, and no
harm will come to Benjamin. Well see
that he gets back again" Farewell"
said the young men to the father, in a tone
of assumed good cheer. "F-a-r-e-w-e-l-ll"
said the old man. For that word has more
quavers in it when pronounced by the aged
than by the young.
The Reception.
Well, the bread party, the bread embas-
sy, drives up in front of the corncrib of
Egypt. Those corncribs are filled 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 corresponding with our Indian
maize. Huzzal The journey is ended. The
lord of the corncrib, who is also the prime
minister, comes. down to these newly ar
rived travellers and says: "Dine with me
today. How is your father Is this Ben
jamin, the younger brother whose pres
ence I demandedP" The travellers are in
troduced into the palace They are worn
and bedusted of the way, and servants
come in with basin of water in one hand
and towel in the other and kneel down
before these newly arrived travellers, wash
ing off the dust of the way. The butchers
and poulterers and caterers of the prime
prepare the repast. The guests
are seated in small groups, two or three at
a table, the food on tray All the luxu-
ries from imperial gardens and orchards
and aquariums and aviaries are brought
there and are filling chalice and platter.
Now Is the time for this prime minister,
If he has grudge against Benjamin., to
show 1T Will he kill him now that he
has him in his hands, Oh, mol This lord
Of the corncrib Is seated at his own table,
and he looks over to the tables of his
guests, and he, sends portion to each of
them, but sends q larger portion to Benja-
min, or, as the Bible quantity puts it,
'Benjamin's mess was five times as much
as any of theirs" Bequick and send word
back with the swiftest camel to Canaan to
old Jacob that Benjamin Is we'll; all is
well; he is faring sumptuously; the Egyp-
tian lord did not mean murder and death,
but he meant deliverance and life when he
announced to us on that day, Ye shall not
see my face unless your brother be with
you.
Well, my friends, this world Is famine
struck of sin. 1t does not yield single
croD of solid satisfaction IT Is dvinn. IT
In recent letter to the manufact-
lrers Mr.. W. F. Benjamin, editor of
he Spectator, Rushford, N. Y, says:
1T may be a pleasure to you to
,now the high esteem in which
Jhamberlain's medicines are held by