Connecticut western news., 1896-09-10
THE FULL CORNCRIB.
REV. OR. TALMAGE'S GLOWING PIC. TURF OF PASTORAL LIFE.

Plenty In Egypt and Want In Canaan.
 The Journey of the Sons of Jacob and
 Its Result "A Cure For Sin Starved
 Souls.
 WASHINGTON, Sept 6.-No one not born and brought up in the country could preach a sermon like this of Dr. Talmage. It is a pastoral and full of scenes from country life. The text is Genesis xiii, 3, And Judah spake unto him saying, The man did solemnly pro- test unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
 Nothing to eatl Plenty of corn in Egypt, but ghastly famine in Canaan. The cattle moaning in the stall. Men, women and children awfully white with hunger. Not the failing of one crop for one summer, 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-breadi Jacob, the father, has the last report 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 a great corncrib in Egypt. The people of Egypt have been largely taxed in all ages, at the present time paying between 70 and 80 per cent of their products to the government. No wonder in that time they had large corncrib, 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 exhausted paying for the corn in sheep and cattle and horses and camels, and when they were exhausted then selling their own bodies and their fam flies into slavery.
 The Mission.
 The morning for starting out on the crusade for bread has arrived. Jacob gets his family up very early. But be- fore the elder sons start they say some thing 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 corn crib supplying them with corn, but say ing at the close of the interview, "Now, you need not come back here for any more corn unless you bring something better than money-even your younger brother Benjamin. Ahl Benjamin 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 Benjamin must have been 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 a struggle it would be to give up this sonl The orientals are very demon strative in their grief, and 1 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 brother?'' says the old man, complaining and chiding 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. ''No use of asking me-" said the father. 1T 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 child taken it makes the other children in the household more precious So the day for departure was adjourned and ad journed and adjourned. Still the hor- TOTS of the famine increased, and louder cracked the earth, and more pallid be- came 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: We have strong arms and a stout heart, and no harm will come to Benjamin. We'll see that he gets back again" Fare welll'' said the young men to the father, in tone of assumed good cheer. "F-a-r-e-w-e-l-lp' said the old man; for that word has more quavers in it when young.
 We'll, the bread party, the bread em- bassy, drives up in front of the corn crib 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 correspond ing 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 trav- elers, and says: ''Dine with me today. How is your father? Is this Benjamin, the younger brother whose present de- manded?" The travellers are introduced into the palace. They are worn and be- dusted of the way, and servants come in with basin of water in one hand and 8 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 repast. The guests are seated in small groups, two or three at table, the food on a tray; all the luxuries from imperial gar dens and orchards and aquariums and ayiaries are brought there, and are fill ing chalice and platter.
 Now is the time for this prime minis ter if he has a grudge against Benja- min to show it. 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 a por- ton to each of them, but sends larger portion to Benjamin, or, as the Bible quaintly puts it, Benjamin mess was five times as much as any of theirs. '' Be quick and send word back with swiftest camel to Canaan to old Jacob, that Benjamin is we'll. All is we'll. a- z Il n