The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-24

they got after me to make them a
golden calf. / said, / had no gold, UNI
less the women would give me their
earrings | hAd no idea they would
do that but to my establishment they
did, and l threw them into the fire.
thinking that would be the last of
them, when 10, to my surprise, out
came a calf
He didn't tell Moses anything about
using his craving tools to finish up
the job in a workman-like manner,
neither did he mention the facl that
he built an altar before the calf and
made proclamation for a feast on to-
morrow in honor of it.
Poor human nature! But, after all,
guess Aaron didn't color his story
amy worse than some of us would do
under similar circumstances one
thing about it, he did not deceive
Moses, for Moses expressly charged
him with having exposed the naked
ness of the people to the heathens.
And this brings out the idea that, turn
or twist, or fix the stories of our sinful
actions as we may, we cannot deceive
God.
Now, While the foregoing is not ex-
actly a Renaissance, it serves the
purpose of putting us on our guard,
lest we fail, when tempted. to stand
for the right and denounce the wrong.
No man ever undertook Il more try
ing task than did Moses, in leading
the Israelites from Egypt TO Canaan:
for, as we may well imagine they were
a rough, wilful, restless people who
were always devising something and
doing something that made mischief
in the camp and gave trouble to
Moses. There was not day of real
quiet and pleasure to him; for there
was not q day in which there was no
trouble among that dissatisfied peo-
pie. The history of their daily trans
actions, is one continued round of dis
obedience dissatisfaction and murmur-
ing; and Moses had to hear and know
everything and settle everything
Thinking it all over. one can but Won
der how he stood it all He could
not have done it had not God gone
before and with him, and helped him !
And then, after all the trouble he
had had from the day he caught |
Aaron and the idolatrouS Israelites
dancing around the golden calf, just
as they were nearing the banks of the |
Jordan to cross over and inherit the |
promised land, and at n time, too. |
when every soul should have been
thrilled with joyful anticipation a |
thing occurred which was enough to
veX a saint indeed. The children of !
Reuben and Cad. who were cattle |
r31S3rS, discovered some mighty tine |
grassy plains ON the east side of the !
Jordan. and having an eye TO business
they went to Moses with a very plau- !
sible proposition. But Moses saw
through it and, in terms less elegant !!
than severe. he gave them a piece OF /
his mind. Their proposition was about /
this: You take the ten tribes cross
over the Jordan and conquer the coun- i
try and divide it among yourselves. /
and We'll remain on this side, and sur /
render all our claims to any inherit |
ance on the other side
Moses saw, at once the hypocrisy |
and the rascality in their proposal and |
asked: will you stay here while
your brethren go to war over yonder?'
And then he proceeded to show them
how mean and selfish was their pro-
position. 1t amounted to about this:
The Reubenites and Gadites, having
found good place to Craze cattle.
we're willing to give up their interest
n that land which God had promised
o the seed of Abraham; and. so little
lid they care whether or not their ten
brethren could prevail against the
leathens. they proposed TO shirk the
light entirely. Moses soon exposed