Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-02-11
A FAITHFUL SISTER.
DR.. TALMAGE TELLS AGAIN THE
STORY OF MIRIAM.
Her Service TO Moses Was Like That
which Thousands of Noble Sisters Have
Rendered to Brothers Whose Lives They
Have Influenced For Good.

wise, sympathetic and self denying SIS
ter is set forth as an example, and the
story will set hundreds Of men to think
ing over old times; text, Exodus ii, 4,
"And his sister stood afar off to wit
what would be done to him. "
Princess Thermutis, daughter Of
Pharaoh, looking out through the lat
tice Of her bathing house, on the banks
of the Nile, saw curious boat on the
river. 1t had neither oar nor helm, and
they would have been useless anyhow.
There was only one passenger, and that
q baby boy. But the Mayhower, that
brought the pilgrim fathers to Amer
lea, carried not so precious load. The
boat was made Of the broad leaves Of
papyrus, frightened together by bitumen.
Boats were sometimes made Of that ma
terial, as we learn from Pliny and Herod-
otus and Theophrastus. xiii all the
Hebrew children born" had been Pha-
raoh 5 order. To save her boy, Jochebed,
the mother Of little Moses, had put him
in that queer boat and launched him.
his klHltI 1lllldlll eAD0u bAA NID bAAA
watching that precious craft She was
far enough off not to draw attention to
the boat, but near enough to offer pro-
lection. There she stands on the bank
Miriam the poetess, Miriam the quick
witted, Miriam the faithful, though
very human, for in after time she dem
onstrated 1t.
She Had Her Faults.
Miriam wasa splendid sister, but had
her faults, like all the rest Of us. How
carefully she watched the boat contain
ing her brother a strong wind might
upset it. The buffaloes often found
there might in sudden plunge of thirst
sink it. Some ravenous waterfowl
might swoop and pick his eyes out with
iron beak. Some crocodile or hippopota-
mus crawling through the rushes might
crunch the babe. Miriam watched and
watched until Princess Thermutis, a
maiden on each side of her holding palm
leaves over her head to shelter her from
the sun, came down and entered her
bathing house. When from the lattice
she saw that boat she ordered 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 frightened and would not
even let the princess take him. The in
fant would rather stay hungry than
acknowledge any one Of the court as
mother. Now Miriam, the sister, lncog-
nito, no one suspecting her relation tc
the child, leaps from the bank and rushes
down and offers to get nurse to pacity
the child. Consent is given, and she
brings Jochebed, the baby's mother, in
coguito. none Of the court knowing that
she was the mother, and when Jochebed
arrived the child stopped crying, for 1T
fright was calmed and its hunger ap
peased. You may admire Jochebed' th'
mother. and all the ages may admire
Moses, but clap my hands in applause
at the behavior Of Miriam, the faithful
brilliant and strategic sister
go home" some one might have
said to Miriam. "Why risk yourself ou
there alone on the banks Of the Nile
breathing the miasma and in danger O
being attacked of wild beast or ruitlan
Go homer' No; Miriam, the sister
more lovingly watched and bravely de
Tended Moses, the brother. Is he worth.
her care and courage? Oh, yes; the 81
centuries Of the worlds history hay
never had so much involved in the ar
rival Of any ship at any port as III TN
, landing of that papyrus boat caike'
with bitumen! It's one passenger was {
, he a nonsuch in history-lawyer, states
man. politician, legislator, organizer
conoueror, deliverer. He had such re
markable beauty in childhood that
Josephus says, when he was carrie
e along the road people stopped to gaz
J at him. and workmen would leave thel
work to admire him. When the Kin
I playfully put his crown upon this boy
= he threw it off Indignantly and put hl
4 foot on it.
D The king, fearing that this might |
4 a sign that the child might yet taB
g down his crown, applied another ties
e According to the Jewish legend III
king ordered two bowls to be put befol
h the child. one containing rubies and Il
n other burning Goals, and if he took Il
: Goals he was to live and If he took u
rubies be was to die. For some reasc
/ the child took one Of the Goals and p'
il in his mouth, so that his life WI
e SHARED, although it burned the tong'
!. till he was indistinct of utterance ev
q after. Having come to manhood,
spread open the palms of his hands
It praver. and the Red sea parted to
Ie $500. 600 people escape. And he p
1t the palms of his hands together in pra
rs er. and the Red sea closed on strang
ID lated host.
N Grand In Life and In Death.
IS His life so unutterably grand, b
s. burial must be on the same scale VI
er would let neither man nor saint n
g. archaneel have anything to do wi
O. weaving for him a shroud or diggil
Of for him a grave. The omnipotent u
le left his throne in heaven one day, al
at if the question was asked, Whittier
ID the King of thu Universe going" {
~ answer was, 81 am going down to bu
Moses" And the Lord took this Nigh
ly est of men to the top of hill, and t
ne day was clear, and Moses ran his
ig over the magnificent range OF countI
ig Here the valley Of Esdraelon, wh'
be the final battle Of all nations is to
a fought, and yonder the mountains H'
nd mon. and Lebanon, and Gerizim. a
ps the hills of Jud9a, and the village
p Bethlehem there, and the city OF Je
ed cho yonder, and the vast stretch
a. landscape that almost took the old la
rk Riyer's breath away as he looked at
And then without a pang-as ies
from the statement that the eye
Moses was undimmed and his natul
force unabated--God touched the sr'
Is lawgiver's eyes and they closed, a
y his lungs and they ceased, ana
Gu heart and it stopped, and commando
v ..M.m