The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-08
1oseph's Corner in Wheat.

In Mondays paper we referred brief
ly TO the fact that Mr.. John D. Rookie
Teller. Jr. on Sunday held up Joseph 70
his bible class as model OF virtue and
thrift, and it was mentioned in con-
clusion that ,Joseph's venture in the
cereals was tho first corner" ever put
through successfully.
1t is an interesting story. Joseph had
been sold by his brethren into Esypt
and had become the servant OF Pharaoh.
Now, Pharaoh had a remarkable dream,
and Joseph was the interpreter thereof.
He told his lord that the significance
of the dream was that there were to be
seven years of plentiful harvest, to be
followed by seven years of famine. He
also advised Pharaoh that it would be
the part of wisdom for him to buy up
the surplus corn (wheaD. during the
years of plenty and store 1t up and
hold 1t against the seven years OF famine
to follow. Pharaoh was duly impressed
and taking Joseph at his word made him
the first lord of the land and gave him
full power to carry out his thrifty pol
icy. The seven years of plenty came and
Joseph bought wheat and bought wheat
and bought wheat, like rampant bull
in the pit. Until allPtlie barns which he
could secure were filled.
AT the end of seven years the famine
set in. and by and by the people came
to Joseph TO buy wheat. He supplied all
the demands and put the price in Phar-
aoh's treasury, but the famine continued,
and when the people came next to buy
they had no money. so Joseph took their
cattle in exchange for wheat and put
them into Pharaoh's pens. The famine
still continued, and finally the people
came and said that they We're without
money and without cattle, and yet must
have wheat, so Joseph took the lands
Of the people In exchange for wheat, ana
took the people themselves to be the SER
wants of the king.
Joseph has been greatly condemned for
cornering the wheat and taking advan-
tage of the peoples misfortune to profit
thereby, and if the story had ended just
where we have left off; If there were no
qualifying statements, the conclusion
would be irresistible that Joseph was
more hard-hearted and grasping than
ever profitted out of the necessities Of
the public.
But fortunately the story does not end
here. Joseph's brethren, who had sold
him into bondage, were among those who
came to buy wheat, and there is no more
beautiful story in print than the inter-
view between himself and those who
had treated him so brutally. 1t is - story
of love and forgiveness, of generosity
and masnanimity, and ii is hard to foil
into the spirit OF 1t without being we'll
night moved to tears, The pathos OF It
all Is delightful. 1t is in this part of
the narrative that we see the true Joseph
and we know that he had n tender and
loving heart. that he had. to use a favor
lite expression of the Bible, bowels of
compassion. Joseph's tender love for his
ment of them when, in their distress, he
had them in his power, furnishes indlsput-
able proof that he was not hard-heart-
ed grasping monopolist.
Pursuing the story to the conclusion,
1T is related:
And Joseph bought all the land Of
Egypt for Pharaoh and as for the people,
he removed them to cities from one end
Of tho borders of Egypt even to the
other end thereof. Then Joseph said unto
the people: Behold | have bought YOU
this day and your land for Pharaoh; To-.
here is seed for you, and We shall SOW
the land and ii shall come to pass in
the increase that We shall give the fifth
part unto Pharaoh and four parts shall
be your own, for seed of the field. and
for your food and for them OF your house
hold and for food for your little ones,
And the people said: Thou hast saved
our lives.
Is 1t not clear, therefore, that after all.
Joseph did his countrymen II great SER
vice? II he had failed to buy up the
wheat and keep it against the Years of
famine, the wheat would have gone Ia
waste and the people would have per-
ished from the face OF the earth. II Il
true that he made n great profit for his
lord and master, but 1t is also true that
BY his foresight and Thrift he saved tlla