The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-06-30
The Kingdom Divided.


boundary of Palestine, and covered a
populations of 100000 and terri
.ory of $1,000 square miles. He also
had an alliance with Egypt and
Tyre. His revenues was 500, 900, 900
per annum. The current prOverb
was that he made cedar as plentiful
as sycamore, and gold and silver as
stones. But the upbuilder of the
empire was the overthrower of it
His own hand sowed the seed of dis
solution. He disregarded that natur-
al and persistent cleavage between
Judah and Ephraim which David had
bridged by his craftsmanship. He
taxed the northern tribes excessively
and lavished the revenues on Jerusa-
lem, forgetting entirely time hOnored
Shechem. All tokens of the impend-
ing national calamity, greatest in
its history, were apparent before
Solomon's death, vet he seems to
have taken no steps to avert that
Cdloihl'S y. Ills lIAC' w. saw t44O Ilo
to all his well turned ethical phrases
and all the exemplary power Incl
dent to higher office was lost.
A crisis hour in the history of the
Hebrew commonwealth had surely
come when Solomon died. Tribunal
iealousies, popular discomfort, threat
ened invasion, created a state of af-
fairs calling loudly for man of abili-
ty, courage, and patriotism. 1t is
said that Solomon had a thousand
wives, but one son, and he a conceit-
ed fool. So to meet the grave situa-
ton there came stumbling out of the
luxurious environment of the harem
the shallow, effeninate, inexperienced
Rehoboam. There is pitiful irony
in his very name, which signifies
'enlarger of the people" 1t is an
added stain on the character of
Solomon that he did not train his son
for statecraft, or if he was incapable,
did not find another to reign in his
stead.
RehobOam went up to Shechem to
meet BODY resembling in its com
position and powers the State GeDer-
al of France, before which Louis XVI
appeared The historic scenes, sun
dered by three thousand years, have
some points in common. The Hebrew
National Assembly was resolved that
the new king should plight his faith
. asa constitutional monarch. Had
been nipped in the bud. There was
three days truce. 1t was the pause
before great catastrophe which is
always solemn. During this time
Rehoboam was taking counsel chief
ly of the his fellows, the gilded youths
of the empire. Then came the kings
recklessly insolent answer to his sub
jects on the very edge of revolt, in
which he threatened to add to his
fathers yoke and exchange his whips
for scorpions. The war cry arose at
once, ITO your tents, O Isreal."
which has been aptly called the He
brew Marsailaise. Even David's
sacred name had lost its spell at the
cry. See to thine own house,
David
With the inyeteracy of a prince of
blunderers Rehoboam sent tax
gatherer to placate tax-registers. At
the sight cf "Adoram, who was over
the tribute" the first overt act was
committed and the first blood of the
revolution shed. Happily it proved
the only blood.
Hebrew history parted into two
streams that day, never to be re-
united. Ten tribes, CARRYING with
them two-thirds of the population
and territory, flowed off into the
channel of the kingdom of Israel, to
continue for three centuries, until
swallowed up in the Assyrian cap
tivity. The tribes of Judah and
the half tribe of Benjamin, and later
the tribe of Levi, formed the other
stream of Hebrew life, flowing on for
four hundred years until ingulfed in
the Babylonian captivity.
The Teachers Lantern.
A new literature is opened to us.
The Books of Kings and Chronicles.
They are of great antiquity, dating
back in round numbers $500 years.
They are made up of documents still
older-official annals and state rec
ords. Their divisions are arbitrary
and unhappy. For example, the
Books of Kings were originally un-
divided, and had one compiler. The
same is true of the Books of Chroni-
cles, in which Ezra and Nehemiah
Awere included. The Hebrew name of
the compilation is almost equivalent
to our word diary. Some think the
writer to have been Ezra.
These six ancient books are in point
Of fact but two books. They have a
noble purpose. They are written for