The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-07-21

p,e wa have committed this unnatu-
ral crime. Here 10 the headiess truns;
Of saul ON the walls Of Eatlie han.
Here Ii a man VINO chased httle oa-
vid-ten feet In stature chasing -four.
Here IL che man who consulted c.air.
voyant-wtch Of Endor. Hep
man who. whipped In battle, instead
Of surrendering his sword with digni-
ty. as many man has done. asks his
servant to slay him, and when that
servant declined, then the giant plants
the hilt OF his sword In the earth, the
sharp point sticking upward. and he
throws his body Oh II and expires
the coward, the suicide! Here Is Ahi-
tophel, the Machiayelli Of Olden times,
betra wing his best friend, David. nor-
der that he may become prime minis
ter of AbsalOm. and Joining that fel-
low In his attempt ut parricide. Not
getting what he wanted by chaage Of
politics ne takes a short cut out Of n
disgraceful Mfe into the suicides eter-
nifty. There he is the migrate!
Here is Abimelech, practically sui.
eide. He Is with an army bombarding
q tower, when woman In the tower
takes n grindstone from its place and
drops 1t upon his head, and with what
life he has left In his cracked skull
he commands his armor bearer "Draw
thy sword and slay me lest men say
that Il woman slew me!" There is his
post mortem photograph In tbs book
Of Samuel. -
But the hero of this group is Judas
Iscariot. DR. Dome says he was a
martyr and we have In our day apollo
gists for him. And what wonder In
this day when we have book reveal.
ing Aaron Burr as pattern Of virtue.
and this day when we cover statue
of George Sand as the benefactress Of
literature, and In this day when there
are bctrayals of Christ on the part of
some of his pretended apostles--a be-
trayal so black It makes the infamy Of
Judas Iscariot white. Yet this man by
his own hand hung up for the execra-
tion of all ages. Judas Iscariot.
All the good men and women Of the
Bible left to God the decision Of their
earthly terminus. and they could have
said with Job. who had right to com.
init suicide II ever any man had
what with his destroyed property. and
his body all atiah;e with insufferable
carbuncles and everything gone from
his home except the chief curse Of 1t
n pestiferous wife and four garrulous
people pelting him with cOmfortless
talk while he sits on a heap " ashes
scratchin. his scabs with Iheee OF
broken pottery, and crying cat in tri
umph. IAN the days OF my appointed
time will l wait till my change
: comes"
Notwithstanding the Bible is agains
this evil and the aversion which i
creates by the lOathsome and ghastl!
spectacle Of those who have hurlet
themselves out of lie, and notwith
standing Christianity Is against 1t an,
. the arguments and the useful 1--WE
and the illustrious deaths Of It's dlscl
pies, It Is a fact alarmingly patent tina
suicide 10 on the increase. What |
the cause? charge upon infidelit
and agnosticism this whole thing.
there be no hereafter, or II that here
after be blissful, without reference t
how we live and how we die. why no
;,lcve back the fnlGin" doors l~twcc
his world and ,da ir.t. .'"i W."
:, our existence hc.c bccorl"s -, -
y some why not pass righ, Vr.. L..
= cl,sium? Put this DOWN NJ 1t al
u most solemn reflections. There la
never been a case Of suicide wn, Z III
operator was not either demented. an
u therefore irresponsible, or an infide
= ! challenge all the ages and l challens
all the universe. There never has bee
a case Of self destruction In full al
probation of his immortality and {
e ), the fact that that Immortality wOul
= be glorious or wretched according q
. he accepted Jesus Christ or rejecte
: him.
iou say II Is n business trouble {
- you say 1t Is electrical currents or
II this or 1t is tl.at or 1t Is the 9th,
thing. Why not so clear back, III
:. friend, and acknowledge that in ever
y case 1t is the abdication Of reason {
h the teaching Of intidelity, which pra
=, tcally says, III you don't like til
lie get out Of it, and you will Ian
I. either in annihilation, where there a
>, no notes to pay, no prosecutions to su
Il ter. no gout to torment, or you wi
, land where there will be everythir
"a glorious and nothing to pay for it
u lntdelity has always been apologet
- Tor self immolation. After Tom Paine
a Age Of Reason was published NJ
a widely read there was marked |
:. crease of self slaughter.
W. A man in London heard Mr.. Ow,
- deliver his intidcl lecture on socialis
.. and went home. sat down and wro
/, these words: Jesus Christ IL one
Ia the weakest characters In history, IN
tho Rible the preotpst nossihlp Il