The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-10-13
Elisha and the Shunammite.

tic incident in the midst of wars and
kingscraft. Hospitality, contentment,
mother-loye, bereavement, grief,
faith and importunitY,-all are shrin-
ed in this story. 1t casts its light
upon the character of the prophet
and upon the human life of thirty
centuries ago.
Shunem, of the tribe of Issachar,
and lying between Samaria and Car
mel, was in thewheat belt of Palestine,
on his own estate, lived an indepen-
dent farmer, whose wife was charac-
terized by thrift, piety and content
ment. She recognized Elisha as a
servant of the Lord, and, as such, ex-
tended her hospitality to him. The
roam she made for him on the wall
has passed into a proverb, THE
prophets chamber" This hospitali-
ty was marked by a thoughtful con-
sideration of the needs of a profess
sional man. The location of his apart
ment on the roof, approached by an
outside staircase, made it possible for
the prophet to come and go at will,
without observation on the part of
the family. He could have as much
privacy as if he was in his own home.
Another jewel set in the filigree of
this story is Contentment. When the
prophet asked his hostess, in appre-
citation of her generosity, if he should
name her husband for preferment at
court or in the army, her answer was,
Il dwell among mine own people. -"
She might have said:
my crown is in my heal ., not on my head,
Not deckedwith diamonds and Indian stones,
Nor to be seen; my crown is called content.
A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy
Another jewel shines out in the da rk
hour of her bereavement-Fai She
believed that the son given to her I'M
der such unusual conditions, and
taken from her in such an ineXplica-
BILE manner. could be restored to her.
She would, undoubtedly, in due time
have shown the grace of resignation,
but it is to her credit that she did not
too quickly say, THE Lord hath tax
en- away Not until she had made
strenuous efforts at recovery was she
ready to say, submissively, Blessed
be the name of the Lord
The prophet, from his eyrie on
Mount Carmel. saw the Shr,ammite
approaching. The unusual hour, to-
wards evenipU end not q Sahhsth or
new moon, az we'll as the speed with
which she travelled. excited his sonre-
hensiop But ne failed lot IN com
tesv His servant wa di.notohad
with s4lntatiops. The e,pt,. IS. O.
the AVERAGE greeting IS eere u.t~t-
ed. }5 was d. mer, -. s..ug of th,.
word OF day. The oman BUSINESS
was with the prophet not Win his
servant. II is said tb.t itiI the East
you asked after person wlrom ou
knowto be IN. invariabI III. .ap'v
will be, "Wer, thanl, GOD, -" when the
very next sentence j. TO inform von
that he is diving.
A moment d. taaLer.,veam3t .,
was clasping the feet CT fine m. ~ o.
God Gehazi sAIf-annci, tor ,r "a
ian of his Masters dignity ,1.G AND
oa,1o =,
NJ, y - P'''"y - F7"'' .- '' u
= '-io = '''
n "A 'ear Iol picS apo a haho'
' .o' ''N'7 Oi-''i i'''
-. 'etia ~ us us , ollloiou0 ''i 'an.' Leu
~ ' ~, H1i 'o' 'eAeu Will
mo
The ontcoma If tho inoidon+ 70 g.
miliar The nronbet,s -evnadian+ 90
sendino his staff 70 ha Iaid IN ~ fooo
of the dead child; the mothers i'm.
portunity, expressing itself in the as
severation, "As the Lord livetb and
as thy soul liyeth, l will not leave
thee" The failure of the expedient of
the staff, the night journey to Shu-