St. Tammany farmer., 1905-08-12
gentIa creatures By the long leather


our father is to make promptly spoke
up Jacob, and started on, calling te
Esau to follow.
But the latter fingered. his eyes hav-
ing fallen on some of the merchandise
which lay about Jacob walked oE
some distance, and then noting that
Esau was not behind him, he turned
aud looked back to see what had be-
come of him. Just as he was about
to return and find out why he rarrIad.
he saw him leave the camp leading his
lamb and waited where he stood for
him to come up. As he drew near ne
saw that the lamb he was leading was
not the fine sleek one which he had
brought from the herd, and said:
why. Esau, what have you done
with your lamb. and why have you this
one ilsteads"
Well, it's a lamb, amt it, and
good one, too" he CALCULATED testify.
T traded my lamb for this. and tha
merchants gave me this hunting knife
to boot
'+But you know how particular father
is about the lambs for the Offering, Id
you can see for yourself that it is poor
and imperfect beside the other one"
Well, / don't know why it is not as
good 10 kill and burn up as the other
one would have been,'' he stubbornly
contanded And I have the knife.
too ne added, fondliug it with SIT
|isfed air
And thus it was that on their return
home Isaac had sharply reprimanded
Esau, but the lad apparently did not
realize why one lamb was not as good
as another to offer to the Lord. 1t
troubled Grandfather Abraham, and
that afternoon as he saw the two boys
coming towards him this other story
Of Cain and Abel came to his mind,
and he resolved to tell it, and now that
he had quieted them down and had
their attention, he began:
Cain and Abel were twin brothers.
Just as you boys are, and they were
about your ages, OR perhaps a little
older, at the time Of our story. Little
did they realize then that they were
TO become the eenters of the tragedy
of that first home. They were bright.
active, happy boys, and their parents
loved them dearly and sought in every
way to Lave them grow up into ways
Of usefulness and honor.
FNote-Cain and Abel were probably
twirs, and 1t is thought tEat- at this cary
period, children were born n pairs fC2-
vin9-I
You boys know how particular your
father is in regard to the Sabbath day
not willing that any work shall be per
formed therein. for the Lord after His
SIX days OF creative work rested on the
seventh day blessing and sanetfysng
it. Well, Adam and Eve were as par
tieutar, and sought to impress their
boys with the saeredness of the day
The customary toll and activities of the
other days of the week ceased and the
day was given over to rest, and when
the occasional sacrifice was offered. 1t
was offered on the seventh day.
Now Cain early manifested liking
for the fruitful fields, while AheIs de-
sires turned in the direction of. tas
foeks and herds And in the course
of time, as the boys grew into sturdy
strippIfngs, the father gave to each the
desire OF his heart To Cain he gave a
small plot of ground and Instructed
him in the cultivation thereof. Abe
he took from his focks some Of ths
finest of his sieep and showed hin
how to tend them Thus the days
passed and Cain and Abel seemed con
tented and happy The family enjoyed
life together and, as we have said, thesI
Sabbath days were carefully observed
But one Sabbath day soon after
Cain had been given his plot of ground
he started for his field. anxious to fin
ish an arbor which he was building
as shelter. In spite of the entreaties
Of his parents he persisted In going
impatiently declaring it was no worse
for him to do that than for Abel te
watch his sheep and keep them from
straying. You see he was letting ths
mere desire Of the present warp and
twist his ideas of right, and made him
deaf to the advice and enIreaties OF
his mother and father. He was willful
and wanted his own way. right OIL
wrong.
We'll, he finished his arbor, and a
very pretty place it was, but he did
not find the pleasure and comfort in it
that ne had expected, for ais conscience
troubled him II he had only taken
warning then and instead of sitting the
better nature within him had yielded
to his better promprings and repentea
Of his wiIIfuIness and wrong doing.
/ perhaps it would never have been said
of him that he slew his brother. But
he wanted his own way too much, and
that pleasant arhor became the snare
which led his feet farther and farther
away from the right way. for instead
of staying at home on the Sabbath
days and listening TO his father as be
| talked about God, and sharing in the
| worship and sacrifice. he would slip
OFF to his arbor and spend the day
there. Somehow. you see he did not
enjoy the worship of the Sabbath days
/ lEtGAsS AlS 0Gcis "oS dos A1cAs- AAe
[ did not want to hear about God. He
| just wanted to know Cain and to
| please Cain
And that is the other story Of Cain
and Abel. concluded the grandfather
But there blows the horn and supper
| must be ready. Let US be going
| Il should like to have seen Cain
| arba.r.'' spoke up Esau as they started
| honeward. being apparently unim-
{ pressed by the moral teachings OF the
/ sts,ry.
| But, grandpa. I should have thought