Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-05-14
THE BRIDE OF MOSES.
HOW zIPPoRAH DECIDED HER MATRl-
MONlAL DESTINY.

A Glorious Example and Inspiration Tor
Women of All Times God Has Work
For Young and Old-How We Are Call
cd to Special Labor.
downright, 1895. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, May S.-From rustic
Bible scene DR.. Talmage in this SER
mon draws practical and inspiring los
sons for all Glasses of people. The text
is Exodus ill., /, "Now Moses kept tho
flock of Jethro his father-in-law, tho
priest of INDIAN. u
In tho southeastern part of Arabia a
man is sitting by we'll. 1t is an arid
country, and water is scarce, so that a
we'll is of great value, and focks and
herds arc driven vast distances to have
their thirst slaked. Jothro, Midianite
sheis and priest, was so fortunate rs to
have seven daughters, and they are
practical girls, and youder they como
driving the sheep and cattlo and camels
of their father to the watering. They
lower the buckets and then pull them
up, the water FLASHING on the stones
and chilling their feet, and the troushs
arc filled. Who is that man out there
sitting unconcerned and looking on?
Why does he not como and help the
women in this hard work of drawing
water? But no sooner have the dry lips
and painting nostrils of the flocks begun
to cool little III tho Drumming trough
of tho we'll than some rough Bedouln
shepherds break in upon the scene and
with clubs and shouts drive back tho
animals that were drinking and alright
these girls until they fly in retreat, and
the flocks of these i'll hammered shep-
herds are driven to the troughs, taking
the places of the other flocks. Now that
man sitting by the we'll begins to color
up, and his eye flashes with Indignation,
and all the gallantry of his nature IS
aroused. 1t is closes, who naturally had
a quick temper anyhow. as he demon
strated on one occasion when he saw an
Egyptian expressing al Israellte and
gave the Egyptian sudden clip and
buried him in the sand and as he show
ed afterward when he broke all the len
Commandments at once by shattcring
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 shop
herd by the throat and pushes back an
other till he falls over the trough and
aims stunning blow between tho eyes
of another as he cries, "Begone, you
yillains!" and he boots and roars at tho
sheep and cattle and camels Of these in
vaders and drives them back, and hay
ing cleared the place of the desperadoes
he told the seven girls of this Midianlte
sheik to gather their flocks together and
bring them again to the watering.
Oh, you ought to see fight between
the shepherds at we'll in the orient as
1 saw it in Decemuer, 1890. There were
here a group OF rough men who had
driven the cattle many miles, and here
another group who had driven their
cattle as many miles. Who should have
precedence? Such clashing of buckets!
Such hooking of horns! Such kicking
of hoofs Such vehemence i'll a language
1 fortunately could not understand!
Now the sheep with q peculiar mark
across their woolly backs were at the
trough and now the sheep of another
mark. 1t was one of the most exciting
scenes ever witnessed. An old book
describes ono of these contentious at an
eastern we'll when it says: lone day
the poor men, the widows and the Or
phans met together and were driving
their camels and their focks to drink
and were all standing by the water side.
Dali came up and stopped them all and
took possession of the water for his
masters CATTLE Just then an old woman
belonging to the tribe of Abs came up
and accosted him in suppliant manner
saying; BE so good, Master Dali, as to
let my cattle drink. They are all the
property possess and 1 live by their
milk. Pity my flock, have compassion
on me. Grant my request and let them
drink. Then came another old woman
and addressed him: oh, Master Daji, l
am a poor, weak old woman as you see.
Time has dealt hardly with me. 1t has
aimed its arrows at me and its daily
and nightly calamities have destroyed
all my men. 1 have lost my children
and my husband, and since then have
been in great distress. These sheep are
all that possess. Let them drink, for
1 live on the milk that they produce.
Pity my forlorn state. have no one to
tend them. Therefore grant my suppl
cation and of thy kindness let them
drink But in this case the brutal
slave, so far from granting this humble
request, smote the woman to the
ground. :"
The Bride of Moses.
A like scrimmage has taken place at
the well in the triangle of Arabia be-
tween the Bedouin shepherds and Moses
championing the cause of the seven
daughters who had driven their father s
1ocks to the watering One of these
girls, zipporah, hor name meaning
"little bird, was captured by this he
roic behavior of Moses; for however
timid woman herself may be she al
ways admires courage in man. Zip
porah became the bride Of Moses, one
of the mightiest men of all the cen
turtles. zipporah little thought that
that morning as she helped drive her
fathers focks to the we'll she was
splendidly deciding her own destiny.
Had she staid in the tent or house while
the other six daughters, of the sheik
tended to their herds her life would
probably have been tame and unevent-
full life in the solitudes, but her indus
try, her fidelity to her fathers interest,
her spirit of helpfulness, brought her in
to league with one of the grandest char
acters of all history. They met at that
famous we'll, and while she admired the
courage of Moses he admired the filial
behavior of Zipporah.
The fact that it took the seven daugh-