Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-05-26
A VOW OF JEPHTHAH
1t Is Cited as a Warning Against
Parental Heedlessness.
DIR. Tnlmage Lodges Protest
Against the Sacrifice of the
Young on the Altar of
Worldly Ambition.
Copyright, 1897 Washington,

heedlessness and worldly ambition
which are threatening the sacrifice of
many American children; text, Judges
1876: "My father, : tlou has opened
thy mouth unto the Lord, do TO me ac-
cording to that which hath proceeded
out of thy mouth"
Jephthah was a freebooter. Early
turned out from home where he ought
to have been cared for, he consorted
with rough men and went forth to earn
his living as best he could. In those
times it was considered right for man
TO go out on independent military eX-
petitions. Jephthah was good man
according to the light of his dark age,
but through wandering and preda-
tory life he became reckless and precipi-
tate. The grace of God changes a mans
heart, but never reYerses his natural
| temperament. The Israelites wanted
| the Ammontes driven out of their
country, so they sent delegation to
Jephthah, asking him to become COM
mander-in-chief of all the forces. He
might have said, "You drove me out
when you had no use for me, and now
you are in trouble you want me back" !"
but he did not say that. He takes COM
mand of the army, sends messengers to
| the Ammonites to tell them to yacate
the country, and, getting no favorable
response, marshals his troops for battle.
Before going out TO war Jephthah
makes a very solemn vow that if the
Lord will give him the victory then,
on his return home, whatsoever first
comes out of his doorway he will offer
in sacrifice as u burnt offering. The
battle opens. 1t was no skrmishing
on the edges of dangers, no unlimber-
| ing of batteries two miles away, but
the hurting of men on the point of
swords and spears until the ground
could no more drink the blood and the
horses reared to leap over the pile of
bodies of the slain. In those old times
opposing forces would fight until their
swords were broken and then each one
would throttle his man until they both
fell, teeth to teeth, grip to grip, death
stare to death stare, until the plain was
one tumbled mass of corpses from
which the last trace of manhood had
been dashed out.
Jephthah wins the day. Twenty
cities lay captured at his feet. Sound
the victory all through the mountains
of Gilead. Let the trumpeters call up
the survivors. Homeward to your wives
and children. Homeward with your
| glittering treasures. Homeward to have
the applause of an admiring nation
Build triumphal arches. Swing out
flags all over Mizpah. Open all your
doors to receive the captured treasures
Through every hall spread the banquet
Pile up the viands. Fill high the tank.
ards. The nation is redeemed, the in.
vaders are routed and the national hon.
or is indicated.
Huzza for Jephthah, the conqueror!
Jephthah, seated on prancing steed
advances amid the acclaiming multi.
tudes, but his eye is not on the excited
populace. Remembering that he had
made u solemn VOW that, returning
from victorious battle, whatsoever first
came out of the doorway of his home
that should be sacrificed as a burnt
offering, he has his anxious look upor
the door. | wonder what spotless lamb
what brace of doves, will be thrown
upon the fires of the burnt offering!
Oh, horrors! Palencss of deatl
blanches his check. Despair seizes his
heart. His daughter, his only child
rushes out the doorway to throw hersel
in her fathers arms and shower upor
him more kisses than there were
wounds on his breast or dents on hi
shield. All the triumphal spIendor van
ishes. Holding back this child from hi:
heaying breast and pushing the lock-
back from the fair brow and looking
into the eyes of inextinguishablc af
fection, with chokcd utterance he says
"Would to God lay stark on the blood,
plain! Ny daughter, my only child
JOY of my home, life of my life, thou ar,
! the sacrificed"
The whole matter. was explained Il
her. This was no whining hollow
hearted girl into whose eyes the fathe
looked All the glory of sword ant
shield vanished in the presence of tn,
valor of that girl. There may have beer
: tremor of the lip, as a rose leaf trem
bles in the sough of the south wind
there may have been the starting of
tear like n raindrop shaken from tn,
anther of a water lily. But with self
sacrifice that man may not reach ant
only woman's heart can compass sh,
surrenders herself to ire and to death
; She cries out in the words of my text
: "My father, If thou hast opened tn,
) mouth unto the Lord, do unto me what
, soever hath proceeded from tn.
. mouth"
: She bows TO the knife, and the blood
] which so often at the fathers voice ha,
rushed TO the crimson cheek, smokes il
I the fires Of the burnt offering. No on
can tell us her name. There Is no nee,
2 that we know her name. The garland
J that Mizpah twisted for Jephthah th
warrior have gone into the dust, bu
J all ages are twisting this girls chaplet
: It is wei that her name came not t
G us, for no one can wear it. They ma
t take the name of Deborah or Abigail o
S Miriam, but no one inall the ages shal
=. have the title of this daughter OF sacri
flee.
Of course this offering was not pleas
!, ing to the Lord, especially as pro
I vision was made in the law for such
T. contingency, and Jephthah might hav
c redeemed his daughter by the paymen
) Of 80 sheckles Of silver. But before yo'
burl your denunciati9Ds at Jephthah