The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-11-30

I RlNeT Will tell you why, oOu utu
made a promise and He was going to
seep it. There shall not any man
iiA able to stand before thee all the
rs of thy life"
But this is no place for the host to
p. Joshua gives the command:
inward, march!" In the distance
,A, is long grove of trees, and at
iAa End of the grove is a city. 1t is a
etv with arbors, city with walls
"a ng to reach to the heavens, to
be ,ss the very sky. 1t is the great
81 polls that commands the noun
,ain pass. 1t is Jericho. That city
was afterward captured by Pompey
and once by Herod the Great and
once again by the Mohammedans, but
this campaign the Lord plans. There
shall be no swords, no Shields no bat
tering ram. There shall be only one
weapon of war, and that rams
horn. The horn of the slain ram was
sometimes taken, and holes were pune
tured in it, and then the musician
would put the instrument to his lips,
and he would run his fingers over this
rude musical instrument and make a
great deal of sweet harmony for the
people. That was the only kind of
weapon. Seven priests were to take
| these rude, rustic musical instru-
ments, and they were to go around
the city every day for six days-once
day for six days-and then on the
seventh day they were to go around
blowing these rude musical instru-
ments seven times, and then at the
close of the seventh blowing of the
rams horns on the seventh day the
peroration of the whole scene was to
be shout, at which those great walls
should tumble from capstone to base.
The seven priests with the rude mu-
steal instruments pass all around the
city walls on the first day aud score a
failure. Not SO much as piece of
plaster broke loose from the wall, not
so much as loosened rock, not so
much as a piece of mortar lost from
it's place. There" say the unbeliev-
ing Israelites, did 1 not tell you so?
Why, those ministers are fools. The
idea of going around the city with
those musical instruments and ex-
pecting in that way to destroy it.
Joshua has been spoiled. He thinks
because he has overthrow and con-
quered the spring freshet he can over
throw the stone wall. Why, it is not
philosophic Do you not see there is
no relation between the blowing of
these musical instruments and the
knocking down of the wall? 1t is not
philosophic." And I suppose there
were many wiseacres who stood with
their brows knitted and with the fore
finger of the right hand to the fore
finger of the left hand arguing it all
out and showing that it was not pos
sible that such a cause could produce !
such an effect. And I suppose that
night in the encampment there was |
plenty of caricature, and if Joshua |
had been nominated for any high mil
itary position he would not have re- !
ceived many votes. Joshua's stock
was down. The second day the priests
blowing the musical instruments go |
around the city and again failure. |
The third day and a failure, fourth |
day and a failure, fifth day and a
failure, sixth day and failure. The
seventh day comes, the climacteric
day. Joshua is up early in the morn
ing and examines the troops, walks
all about, looks at the city wall. The
priests start to make the circuit of
the city. They go all around once, all
around twice, three times, four times
five times, six times, seven times, and
a failure. There is only one more
thing to do, and that is to utter
great shout. / see the lsraelitish
army Strengthening themselves up,
filing their lungs for a vociferation
such as was never heard before and
never heard after. Joshua feels that
the hour has come. and he cries out
to his host: "Shout, for the Lord
hath given you the city" All to-
gether the troops shout: Down.
Jericho! Down. Jericho!" And the
long line of solid masonry begins to
1uiver and to move and to rock. Stand
from under. She falls! Crash go
the walls and temples. the towers,
the palaces, the air blackened with
the dust. The huzza of the victorious
Tsraelites and the groan of the con-
guered Canaanites commingle. and
Joshua, standing there in the debris
Of the walls. hears a voice saying:
There shall not any man be able to
stand before thee all the days of thy
ife."
Only one house spared. Who lives
here? Some great king? No. Some