The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1898-02-10

example. and the story Will set hundreds
of men to thinking over old times; text,
Exodus H.. 4, And his sister stood afar
off to wit what would be done to him.
Princess Thcrmutis, daughter of Pha-
raoh. looking out through the lattice 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 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 to-
gether by bitumen Boats were sometimes
made Of that material, as we learn from
Pliny and Herodotus and Theophrastus.
Kill all the Hebrew children born,' had
been Pharaoh's order. To save her boy
Jochebed, the mother Of little Moses, had
put him in that queer boat and launched
him. His sister Miriam stood on the
bank 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 demon
strated it,
Miriam was a splendid sister, but had
her faults, like all the rest of us. How
carefully she watched the boat containing
her brother! A strong wind might upset
it. The buffaloes often found there might
in a sudden plunge of thirst sink it. Some
ravenous water fowl might swoop and
pick his eyes out with iron beak. Some
crocodile or hippopotamus crawling
through the rushes might crunch the babe.
Miriam watched and watched until Prin-
cess Thermutis, 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 pull
ed 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
infant would rather stay hungry than
any one of the court as moth
er. Now Miriam, the sister, incognitO,
no one suspecting her relation to the child,
leaps from the bank and rushes down and
offers to get a nurse to pacify the child.
Consent is given, and she brings Joche
bed, the baby's mother, incognito, none
of the court knowing that she was the
mother and when Jochebed arrived the
child stopped crying, for its fright was
calmed and its 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, brilliant and
stra tegic sister,
A Nonsuch in History.
''Go home,' some one might have said
TO Miriam. 'Why risk yourself out there
alone on the banks of the Nile, breathing
tie miasma and in danger of being at
tackled of wild beast or ruffian? Go
home.' No. Miriam, the sister, more
lovingly watched and bravely defended
Moses, the brother. Is he worthy her
care and courage? Oh, yes; the sixty CEN
turies of the worlds history have never |
had so much involved in the arrival of |!
any ship at any port as in the landing Of |
that papyrus boat calked with btumen |
Its one passenger was to be a nonsuch in |
statesman, politician, leg |
lslatOr, 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 on it.
The king. fearing that this might be a
sign that the child might yet take down !
1inI
ing to the Jewish legend, the king ordered |
two bowls to be put before the child, one
rubies and the other burning
Goals. and if he took the Goals he was to
i've and if he took the rubies he was to
lie. For some reason the child took one
If the Goals and put it in his mouth. so
hat his life was spared, although it burn
ID the tongue till he was inGistinct of ut
erance ever after. Having come to man.
rood, he spread open the palms of his
hands i'll prayer, and the Red Sea parted
o let 2,500,0 900 people escape. And he put
he palms of his hands together in prayer.
md the Red Sea closed on a strangu-
ated host.
Miriam the Faithful.
Oh. was not Miriam, the sister of
'iOSSS, uoih5 SOou tulIS, Gu important |
hing, Il glorious thing when she watched
he boat woven of river plants and made
water tight with asphaltum, carrying it's
me passenger? Did she not put all the
ges of time and Of coming eternity un-
er obligation when she defended her help
ess brother from the perils aquatic. rep
ilian and ravenous? She it was that
'rought that wonderful babe and his
mother together. so that he was reared to
'e the dcliverer Of his nation. when other
wise. if saved at all from the rushes of
he Nile, he would have been only one
more Of the God defying pharaohs for
'rincess Thermutis of the bathing house
would have inherited the crown of Egypt,
nd as she had no child of her own this
dopted child would have come to corona
ion. Had there been no Miriam there
would have been no Moses. What a gar
and for faithful ssterhood! For how
many lawgiver and how many hero
nd how many deliverer and how many
saint are the world and the church in
ebted to watchful, loving, faithful. god
= sister? Come up out of the farm
ouseS, come up out of the inconspicuous