Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-02-16

would have been
useless anyhow. There was only one
passenger, and that baby boy. But
the Mayfower, that brought the Pill
grim Fathers to America, carried not
so precious a load. The boat was
made Of the broad leaves of papyrus,
frightened together by bitumen. Boats
were sometimes made of that material,
as we learn from Pliny and Herodotus
and Theophrastus. "Kill all the He
brew children born" had been Phar-
aoh's order. To save her boy, Joche-
bed, the mother Of little Moses, had
put him In that queer boat and launch
ed him. His sister, Miriam, stood on
the bank watching that precious craft.
She was far enough off not to draw at
tention to the boat, but near enough
to offer protection. There she stands on
the bank-Miriam, the poetess, Miri-
am, the quick witted, Miriam, the faith
ful, though very human, for in after
years she demonstrated it.
Miriam was splendid sister, but had
had her faults, like all the rest Of us.
How carefully she watched the boat
containing her brother! A strong wind
often upset it. The buffaloes often
found there might in sudden plunge
OF thirst sink it. Some ravenous water
fowl might swoop and pick his eyes out
with iron beak. Some crocodile or hip
popotamus crawling through the rushes
might crunch the babe. Miriam watch
ed and watched until Princess Thermu
SpfI Oh "a - 10 al
Ing palm leaves over her head to shell
ter her from the sun, came down and
entered her bathing house. When from
the lattice she saw that boat she or
dered it brought, and when the leaves
were pulled back from the face of the
child and the boy looked up he cried
aloud, for he was hungry and fright
ened, and would not even let the prin-
cess take him. The infant would rath
er stay hungry than acknowledge any
one Of the court as mother. Now Mir
lam, the sister, incognito, no one sus-
pecting her relation to the child, leaps
from the bank and rushes down and
offers to get nurse to pacify the child.
Consent is given, and she brings Joche-
bed, the boys mother, incognito, none
Of the court knowing that she was the
mother; and when Jochebed arrived,
the child stopped crying, for it's fright
was Gained and it's hunger appeased.
You may admire Jochebed, the mother,
and all the ages may admire Moses,
but clap my hands in applause at the
behavior of Miriam, the faithful, bril-
liant and strategic sister,
go home" some one might have
said to Miriam; why risk yourself out
there alone on the banks of the Nile,
breathing the miasma, and in danger Of
being attacked of wild beast or ruffian;
go home! No; Miriam, the sister.
more lovingly watched and bravely de-
Tended Moses, the brother. Is he
worthy her care and courage? Oh,
yes; the sixty centuries of the worlds
history have never had so much in
volved in the arrival of any ship at any
port as in the landing of that papyrus
boat calked with bitumen! Its one pas
senger was to be nonsuch in history
lawyer, statesman, politician, legisla-
tor, organizer, conqueror deliverer. He
had such remarkable beauty in child
hood that Josephus says, when he was
carried along the road, people stopped
to gaze at him, and workmen would
leave their work to admire him. When
the king playfully put his crown upon
this boy, he threw it off Indignantly,
and put his foot upon it. The king,
fearing that this might be a sign that
the child might yet take down his
crown, applied another test Accord
ing to the Jewish legend, the king Or
dered two bowls to be put before the
child, one containing rubies and the
other burning Goals; and IL he took the
Goals, he was to live. and If he took the
rubies, he was to die. For some reason
the child took one Of the Goals, and put
1t In his mouth. SO that his life was
spared, although 1t burned the tongue
till he was indistinct of utterance ever
after. Having come to manhood. he
spread open the palms of his hands in
prayer, and the Red Sea parted to let
two million five hundred thousand peo-
pie escape. And he put the palms OF
his hands together in prayer, and the
Red Sea closed on a strangulated host
Ills lie 30 uuutteTdDly grand. his |
burial must be on the same scale. God
would let neither man nor saint nor
archangel have anything to do with
weaving for him shroud or digging
for him a grave. The omnipotent God
left his throne in heaven one day. and
II the question was asked, whittier is
the King OF the Universe going?" the |
answer was, II am going down to bury
Noses" And the Lord took this |
mightiest of men to the top of a hill. |
and the day was clear, and Moses ran |
his eye over the magnificent range of |
country. Here. the valley Of Esdrae-
Ion, where the final battle of all ma
lions Is to be fought: and yonder, the
mountains Hermon and Lebanon and !
Gerizim. and the hills of Judea; and |
the village of Bethlehem there, and
the city of Jericho yonder. and the vast
stretch of landscape that almost took
the old lawgiver's breath away as he
looked at 1t. And then without pang
las learn from the statement that the
eye Of Moses was nsSim.'e and his