The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-10-11
The Story.

1t is marvel of literature, the |
fidelity with which the Bible pic
lures the faults of its heroes. No |
effort is made to create a series of |
ideally perfect characters. That is
what would have happened if it
had been a strictly human produc-
ton. The Bible gives us its peo-
pie exactly as they ere, without eff
fort to gloss or exteluate- Noah
drunk-Abraham lying--Jacob de-
ceiving- David an adulterAr- Pc
in this instance, Aaron has been
his brothers mate from the very
inception of the Exodus-has shar-
ed his honors and responsibilities
He is the very incarnation of &C.
clesiasticism- the embodiment of
objective religion as it expresses it
self in ritual. On the other hand,
Miriam, Moses sister, is the Vir-
gin Mary of the Old testament
the foremost woman organizing
and voicing the praise of the peo-
pie on the deliverance from Phara-
oh and the Red Sea. But, with
terrible fidelity, the Bible pictures
the fall of brother and sister from
their high estate. And the cause
of it is so very human. They are
been the First lady of the land"
and has liked being it. But Mo-
ses' wife has arrived in camp, and
Miriam with a woman's quick in
tuition sees herself about to be
displaced. The only way in which
she can retain her laurels is to
make herself equal to her brother
Moses. This she proceeds to do
by disparaging him and exalting
herself. Her claim is that God
has spoken by her as we'll as by
Moses. Aaron follows Miriam in
her folly. That the younger bro
Their should be primate seems al
ways to have stuck in his craw.
1t has led him into trouble before.
1t is another instance where "base
envy withers another's joy and
hates the excellence it can not
reach" God nipped the insurrec-
ton in the bud. He dealt with it
swiftly and directly. In unmistak-
able terms he established and con-
firmed Moses primary. He pun
ished Miriam with the tell-tale dis
ease of the Orient. Aaron goes far
toward restoring himself in good
graces of the reader by the prompt
ness with which he shares his sis
ter's guilt and cries to the very
brother OF whom he had been so
jealous, Lay not the sin upon us
wherein we have done foclishly."
Like mediator he pleads for his
sister. The Bible does not afford
finer illustration of contrition, con-
fession, and supplication than that
of Aaron and Miriam. Their hearts
were broken for and from their
sin. They did not hesitate to Of
fer the honorable amend to Moses
and thus, as far as possible, make
restitution. The joy and blessed
ness of those whose sins are for
given has bright example in this
instance.
The Teachers, Lantern.
Nothing appeals so to the uni
versal human heart as the age-old
allegories of virtue in combat with
evil, typified in giant or dragon.
These are favorite themes of gen.
Jus with pen, pencil, or chisel. They
are immensely popular, and for
teaching purposes are unsurpassed.
But it remains for the Bible to
concrete them all in one-stripped
of mere artistic and rhetorical en-
bellishments,the human soul is pic
tured in mortal combat with all it's
own devilish and deadly propensi-
ties. The fight is to finish. It
is the real contest of which all
others are mere figures. immortal
destiny of the soul turns upon the
result. The talk of crowns and
wreaths to the victor is mere rheto-
ric. The real reward is fixity of
character in a righteousness which
invincibly chooses the good, the
true, the divine. This intense and
memorable picture should be the
cure of ankle-deep notions of sin
current in our day. The sin of sin
is that it is done against God
his goodness and love. 1t is the
deliberate crossing of his will or
refusal to come up to his standard
as expressed in his law. How diff
ferently God looks upon sin finds
expression in his dealing with this
concrete case. To the mind OF
God it was no trivial lapse to be
condoned and easily cured. The
penalty visited was swift and terri
BILE. The segregation of Miriam for
seven days was in itself significant.
If she had suffered. some insult she
would naturally retire from the pub
lie eye. So, in view of her own
immoral act, she may we'll retreat
and reflect. Same computations to-
day would suggest reflection in
solitude. This paragraph contains
one of the characteristic and won
derful parenthetical EXPLANATIONS of
the Bible. Now the man Moses
was meek above all the men who
were upon the face of the earth"
1t is the only time in which Moses
is called meek. 1t seems to have
no connection with what precedes
or follows. Moses was really a
mighty, passionate, impeEious man.
But he had obtained what Ruskin
calls the greatest possession i
!, poolv Solf-pocsocSinn He had