The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-05-13

MhM1NttgNofA- ~VI/IVIU
REV. TALMAGE ing the sheep and
cattle and camels of their father TO the
watering. They lower the buckets and
then pull them up, the water splashing
on the stones and chilling their feet, and
the troughs are filled. Who is that man
out there sitting unconcerned and
looking on? Why does he not come
and help the woman in this hard work
of drawing water? But no sooner have
the dry lips and painting nostrils of the
fiocks begun to cool a little in the
trimming trough of the well than
some rough Bedouin shepherds break
in upon the scene, and with
clubs and shouts drive back the ami
mails that were drinking, and alright
these girls until they fly in retreat,
and the hocks of these ill-mannered
shepherds are driven to the troughs,
taking the places of the other fiocks.
Now that man sitting by the well be-
gins to color up, and his eye flashes
with indignation, and all the gallantry
of his nature is aroused. 1t is Moses,
who naturally had quick temper any
how. as he demonstrated on one occa-
sion when he saw an Egyptian Cypress
ing an lsraelite and gave the Egyptian
sudden clip and buried him in the
sand, and as he showed afterward
when he broke all the ten command
ments at once by SCATTERING the two
granite slabs on which the law was
written. But the injustice of this
treatment of the seven girls sets him
on fire with wrath, and he takes this
shepherd by the throat, and pushes
back another shepherd till he falls
over the trough. and aims stunning
blow between the eyes of another, as
he cries, "Begone, you villains" And
he boots and roars at the sheep and
cattle and camels of these invaders
and drives them back; and having
: cleared the place of the desperadoes,
he told the seven girls of this INDIAN
lite sheik to gather their hocks to-
gether and bring them again to the
watering.
A like scrimmage has taken place at
the well in the triangle of Arabia be-
tween the Beduoin shepherds and
Moses championing the cause of the
seven daughters who had driven their
fathers floclSs to the watering. One of
these girls, Zipporah, her name mean
ing little bird" was fascinated by
this heroic behavior of Moses; for how
ever timid woman herself may be, she
always admires courage in a man.
Zipporah became the bride of Moses,
one of the mightiest men of all the
centuries. Zipporah little thought
that that morning as she helped drive
her fathers hocks to the we'll she was
splendidly deciding her own destiny.
Had she stayed in the tent or house
while the other six daughters of the
sheil tended to their herds, her life
would have been a tame and unevent-
full life in the solitudes. But her in
dustry, her fidelity to her fathers in
terest, her spirit of helpfulness brought
her into league with one of the grand
est characters of all history. They
met at the famous well, and while she
admired the courage of Moses, he adj
mired the flial behavior of Iipporah.
The fact that it took the seven daugh-
tiers TO drive the hoclSs to the well inn
plies that they were immense hocks
and that her father was "a man OF
wealth. What was the use of Zip
porahs bemeaning herself with work
when she might have reclined on the
hillside near her fathers tent anC
plucked buttercups and dreamed out
romances and sighed idly to the wind,
and wept over imaginary songs to the
brooks? No, she knew that work was
honorable, and that every girl ought
TO have something to do, and so she
starts with the neighing droves to the
well for the watering.
Around every home there are hoclS'
and droves of cares and anXieties, anC
every daughter of the family, though
there be seven, ought to be doing hel
part to take care of the flocks. II
many households, not only is Xipporah
but all her sisters, without practica
and useful employments. Many o
them are waiting for fortune ant
prosperous matrimonial alliance; bu
some lounger like themselves will
come along, and after counting tn
large number of father Jethro's sheel
and camels, will make proposals tina
will be accepted; and neither of then
having done anything more practica
than to chew chocolate caramels, tn
two nothings will start on the road o
life together, every step more an,
more a failure. That daughter of tn
Midianitish sheik will never find he
Moses. Girls of America, initial
Zipporah. Do something practical
Do something helpful, DO something
we'll. Many have fathers with grea
Aocks of absorbing duties, and such
father needs help In home or office, O
field. Go out and help him with tn
hoclSs, The reason that so many me
now condemn themselves TO unatliance
and solitary life is because they canno
support the modern yOun woman, VIII
rises at 1920 in rnr morning and re
tires after miin gnt ouo Of the trash