The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-10-29
David and AbsaIom

! Absalom was of imperil presence
and doubly-rOyal descent Purple
| became his style of beauty. a diadem
/ seemed indispensable to confine his
phenomenal locks. That personal
comeliness, for which grandfather's
house was justly famed, all came to-
| gether in him as in common center.
| He was the nations ornament. the
peoples pride.
| Added TO this charm of person and
/ fascination of exalted birth, there was
manner ingratiating to the last de
! gree. Absalom was good mixer
| full of the arTs and Establishments of
the ideal politician of modern date
! He affected pOmp of State, but at the
same time above no one to make
obeisance to him, promptlyembracing
every man RS his fellow and equal.
He had an eye to geography in the
| distribution of his courtesies. so that
in every tribe and quarter there shou-
/ id be some whom he had hypnotized
/ by his high art.
Absalom feigned an intense person
al interest in the case of every appli-
cant to the royal court of appeals He
forestalled the appellate court He
uttered innuendoes concerning his
fathers negligence: My father has a
hobby for building and conquest. He
leaves himself no time for the admin
istratiOn of justice. He fails to APP
! point deputy even. If | were Judge,
l would see that your wrongs were
righted But am powerless
So silly Israel was duped by trans
parent arts. He walked into the net
spread in his very eve Absalom, YER
liable thief that he was, appropriated
! to himself the popular love and loyal
ty that belonged by divine right to
his father. He kept at this artful
business with consummateperti
for four years. At length he felt as
sured that that the harvest of disloy-
| atty he he had been sowing was ready
to be reaped
David is pleased at the signs of re
! llgiOus fervor in his maynard son.
| The fathers heart, ingenious and de
vout, beats fast as he hears the propo-
sition of the young prince to 90 to
holy Hebron, and pay the vow he had
made to God in the days of his exile.
He will not put straw in his way
On the contrary, he dissmisses him
with his benediction.
The last touch of strategy on the
! part of Absalom is to associate with
| himself two hundred of the chiefs of
Church and State in his pilgrimage
| the shrine of the patriarchs He will
add whether they intend it or not,
/ the prestige of their names to his
cause, Compromised already, the
probability is strong they will cast in
their fortunes with the revolt
BY means of Gordon of trumpeters.
skillfully posted, Absalom's corona
ton is telegraphed in a single day
/ throughout every tribe of the nation
1t is cOup-de-main, master-stroke
of policy. Multitudes flock to the
standard of the idolzed rebel. The
conspiracy has undoubted elements
of strength. But its greatest acquisi-
ton is i'll the person of Ahithophei,
David's prime minister and confiden
/ tIal counselor-a cunning and expert
enced prince of statecraft.
| The fight of David's, infinitely de
/ scribed by some eyewitness, makes
one of the most significant and pa
! thetic scenes of Hebrew history.
Barefooted and with covered head,
he goes down into kedron, and over
| Olivet, toward the wilderness, Weep
| ing as he goes. His household and
I his loyal six hundred attend him
mo more striking picture of great
man under adversely was eyer drawn
The black treason of a son seems
all the more odious in contrast to the
self-oblivious loyalty of the Gentle
plince, Ittai When David generous
ly urges him not to Join his fortunes
to failing cause, he pledges his feal-
ty with an oath.
Again, the lofty faith of the unhap-
Ply king is shown in his declining to
imperil the ark by making it his tails
man. His grievous Christening is al
| ready bearing its peaceable fruit.
COmpleter SUBMISSION never found ex-
preston, except on the lips of David's
greater Son: Here am |: let him do
as seemeth good unto him. He shows
still more clearly that he recognizes
his present disgrace as a judicial vie-
itatiOn of Providence in the patient
endurance of the epithets, stones, and
dust cast at him by Shimei.
David's native sagacity, and his ex-
pedients, learned in the emergencies
incident to his life as fugitive, avail
him now. He provides means of
keeping himself informed as to the
doings of his son. He prays that the
counsel ofAhithophel may be brought