The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-05-13
A VOW OF JEPHTHAH
1t Is Cited as Warning Against
Parental Heedlessness.
DIR. Taimage Lodges Protest
Against the Sacrifice of the
Young ON the Altar Of
Worldly Ambition.
Copyright, 1897 Washington,

many American children; text, Judges
11:36: my father, if thou has opened
thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me ac-
cording to that which hath proceeded
out of thy mouth"
Jephthah was 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 a wandering and preda-
tory life he became reckless and precipi-
tate. The grace of God changes mans
heart, but never reverses his natural
temperament. The Israelites wanted
the Ammonites 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 vacate
the country, and, getting no favorable
response, marshals his troops for battle.
before going out to war Jephthah
makes 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
an sacrifice as burnt offering. The
battle opens. 1t was no diminishing
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
Lhorses reared to leap over the pile of
lbodies 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
zone 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
feire 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.
iPile up the viands. Fill high the tank
ards. The nation is redeemed, the in
vaders are routeA 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
gpopulace. Remembering that he had
tlnade a solemn vow that, returning
from victorious battle, whatsoever first
ocame out of the doorway of his home
that should be sacrificed as burnt
Offering. he has his anxious look upon
= the door. wonder what spotless lamb,
what brace of doves, will be thrown
snpon the fires of the burnt offering!
Oh, horrors! Paleness of death
blanches his cheek. Despair seizes his
heart. His daughter, his only child,
rushes out the doorway to throw herself
him more kisses than there were
wounds on his breast or dents on his
shield. All the triumphal splendor van
ishes. Holding back this child from his
heaving breast and pushing the locks
back from the fair brow and looking
into the eyes of inextinguishable af
lection, with choked utterance he says:
"Would to God lay stark on the bloody
plain! My daughter, my only child
joy of my home, life of my life, thou arr
the sacrificed"
The whole matter was explained t.
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
a tremor of the lip, as rose leaf trcm
bles in the sough of the south wind
there may have been the starting OF
tear like raindrop shaken from tn
anther Of water lily. But with self
sacrifice that man may not reach an,
only woman's heart can compass sh
surrenders herself to fire 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 i
the fires of the burnt offering. No on
can tell us her name. THERE'S no nee
that we know her name. The garland
that Mizpah twisted for Jephthah th
warrior have gone into the dust, bu
all ages are twisting this girls chaple
1t is well that her name came not t
IT'S, for no one can wear it. They ma
take the name of Deborah or Abigail G
Miriam, but no one in all the ages sha
have the title of this daughter of sacr