The farmer and mechanic., 1911-08-29

comprebensible to US; though I want
no worse Interpretation Of 1t than l
have seen on the faces Of detach-
ments of Siberian exlles-
Up through their own dear land
the exiles were driven, laggards De-
ing hastened by spear butts or spear
points. Across the beautiful noun
tains of Lebanon, and into the fertlle
valley of the Orontes-the same jour
nev may now be made by rail
where they Joined Nebuchadshe ezzar
himself at perhaps what IS now the
city of Homes. Thence they went
across the stony wastes, stopping pos
sibly at Tadmor, or Palmyra, the city
in the desert which is still wonder
ful ruin, and then to the bank OF the
Euphrates, down which some OF them
probably foated on goat-skin RATS.
The heat was terrific, waxing greater
as they drew near to Babylon. The
physical suffering Of the exiles, ana
their broken spirits and the renorse
that gnawed at their hearts, made
the journey one that tinged their
thinking for decades.
Into the Great Babylon.
The Immigrant from rural Europe
eho sees New York and its splendors
for the first time is less impressed by
its magnificence than We're the He
brews who entered ignOminiously in
to that wonderful capital Of the
world, Babylon, with its palaces,
hanging gardens, great temples and
triumphal arches. Alas, for the burn
ing shame of it! These proud He
brews were part of the popular spec
tacle and entertainment. They We're
derided and tested about by the
throngs of curious Chaldeans. How
are the mighty fallen
j haze seen the ruins OF the via
sacra in Babylon. that runs from the
Temple Of Ishtar to the great Tenn
pie Of Marduke, through or past the
palace of Nebuchadnezar The great
unicorns and sacred bulls-which are
still as Clear-Cut on the walls as when
their sightless eyes were turned upon
the professions OF captiveS-and the
blue enameled lions and walls, and
the asphalt pavements, all meant
little to the diSconsolate company OF
Hebrews whose broken hearts sobbed
the refrain that they were slaves and
exiles. Only the friends Of the earlier
captiveS, waiting to comfort them,
gave them any light in their gloom.
Learning the Great Lesson.
Not at once, even in this severe
school, did the Jews learn the great
lesson Of loyalty to the one God.
They were caught up in the whirl Of
popular idolatry for a time and the
German archaeologists at Babylon
told me that the only traces Of the
Hebrews they have found are mean
tation bowls, dug from graves, and
covered with Hebrew inscriptions;
such as [ have at the present mo-
ment in my possession. But eventu-
ally, the exile taught the Jews what
| they had failed to learn from a sue
cessiOn Of gracious prOvidenceS and
clear-voiced prophets, that Jehovah is
a king who demands single allegi-
ance; and that tRighteou usness exalt-
eth nation but sin is a. reproach to
any people, They were to spend
seventy years in this severe school
| OF exile; thenceforth they would
wander no more after false gods To
this day the Jews of Mesopotamia re-
main true to the God Of their fathers.
History is the best homily. The
fate of nations dead is the trueSt
warning to nations living. The
tragedy of the blotting out Of Judah s
LIE will have been studied in vain if
lit does not set men and women, boys
and girls to vigorous heart-searching g
with respect to their own nations.
Are the seeds of destruction, which
grew SO banefully in the life Of the
ancient Hebrews, still in our midst
Are we turning from single-hearted
allegiance to the one true God to the
popular idols of our time?
Judge of the NATIONS, spare us yet
Lest we forget! Lest We forget'
SEVEN SENTENCE SERMONS.
In this world it is not what we take
up but what we give up that makes
Iy YSIflt