St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-06-27

when boy, and now as word came
that the prophet was dying there
swept over him sense Of loss to the
nation which almost made him trem-
ble Thus moved, he had gone.
What a scene and experience that
had been. With the memory Of the
death Of his own father fresh In his
mind he had gone to the death cham.
Der Of the prophet expecting to find
again that gloom, that despair, that
hopelessness which he had somehow
come to think was always part of the
death scene, but instead he had found
cheer instead of gloom, expectancy
and hopefuIness instead of despair and
hopelessness. Physical weakness there
was, and it was plain to see that the
sands Of life were running out fast,
but there was a moral strength there
which told only too plainly that that
f1eeting life was conscious of being
linked with the eternal and that
though earth was passing the things
which the life had stood for would go
on after he had passed away
King Joash had run over in his mind
the comforting things he would try
to say, but as he had entered the
room where the old prophet lay and
had felt those quiet, earnest, search
ing eyes fixed upon his face, he had
forgotten everything except that here
was man who rose above physical
weakness, and in that instant there
came to his mind a faint realization
that it was the character behind a
man after all, and not physical
strength or worldly position, which
counted.
Intuitively he fOlt that the true
| man stood revealed in the presence
| Of death, and in that first moment
in the prophets chamber there swept
over him the contrast between his own
father, fearful and helpless, and in ter
ror Of death, and this man of God
who, just on the borderland of eter-
nifty, gave no sign that he feared for
himself, but rather that he was not
only master of himself but of others.
| There was that quiet serenity and con-
| fidence which betokened a mysterious
source of power, and instead of the
king commiserating with dying sub
ject and speaking words of comfort,
he rather felt like a child in the pres
ence Of it's teacher receiving instruc-
ton.
To relieve the tenseness of that mo.
ment, he burst out with the cry:
20, my father, my father, the char.
lot Of Israel and the horsemen
thereof"
And throwing himself by the side
of the couch he gave way to weeping
He wept, but not for the prophet
as he had expected, but fer himself
There came to his heart a sense Ct
personal weakness and need which he
had never felt before, but which the
morally weak, stripped Of superficial
self-confidence, always feel in the
presence Of goodness and moral
strength. He remembered afterwards
thinking that If the coming into the
presence of the prophet Of God could
affect him so, what would 1t be tc
come into the very presence Of God
But that il was not time for idle
tears was evident, for in commanding
voice the prophet babe Kim rise, and
pointing to the corner Of the chamber
said, sternly:
I "Take the bow and arrows"
Submissive as child obeying III
parent the king reached forth and
took the bow and arrows in his hands
and turned and looked at the prophet
with wondering eyes.
".Put thine hand upon the bow"
He did SO, and the prophet raising
himself upon his elbow, laid his griz
zled old hand upon that Of the young
er man, and then with sudden earn
est intensity he exclaimed:
open the window eastward ant
shoot"
In a mechanical sort of way thu
king shot, little sensing the signi6
canoe of the act until the prophe
cried, eagerly:
'The arrow Of the Lords deliver
ance, and the arrow Of deltveranc'
from Syria; for thou shalt smite tn
syrians in Aphek till thou hast con
sumed them
The prophet eyed him with
searching look and seemed disappoint
ed that the king did not manifest al
} enthusiastic spirit, for almost impa
tiently he exclaimed:
! take the arrows and smite upol
the ground"
Never did King Joash forget tn
words of reproach and grief which tn
prophet spoke when he had smitte
three times and stayed, and year
: after when the third victory over tn
king of Syria had been won he rea
| lied the significance Of the prophet
| words: Thou shouldest have smit
ten five or six times; then hadst tho
, smitten Syria till thou hadst cor
) sumed it; whereas now thou shal
/ smite Syria but thrice"
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