Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-08-28
GETTING OVER
DIEEcULnES


GEITiNG OvER !
DIFFICULTIES
By Wm.SEs Ellis.
The past casts its spell over the pres
q and 4 noticed when going through
me 6uex canal ard the > reaches OF
the Red Sea that the passengers were
talking mostly about the scenes enacted
"a b region at the time Of the Exodus
rather than about the engineering won
dsrs Of the canal itself. The figure OF
Noses doomed large over this region. AS
2 goes by rail from Sue to Cairo. he
looks out over the very scenes witnessed
by the fleeing Children of Israel. The
hlstoricity os this event and the actual
ity OF the places Is to be stressed. Some
Df Us have been over a part of the re-
zion OF the Exodus story while our friends
have traversed every foot Of 1t. There
- danger that many readers OF the great
Exodus narrative will say with the old
mi Of the story. well now. ! knew
MI those places were in the bible, but I
never thought OF them being on the
sUarths1st
Looking into the flight OF the Children
Of Israel from beneath Pharaoh's cruel
rod. which the death OF the first-born had
temporarily lifted, we must remember
that eversyy year ID throwing collateral
light upon ffis story as mel unearth ana
decapher more monuments, and as they
study more deeply into the facts and
language OF scripture.
How Many Jews Made the Fliaht7
huge and an interesting point In this
ttory. which looms like q pillar of fire
pn the horizon Of history. is the num-
bar OF the host OF the Children OF Israel
who were delivered from Egypt. The
accepted belief has been that there were
100000. This IL built on the statement
that there were 100000 fighting men.
Taking the common average OF 1--WE per-
IONS 10 a family. this immense total has
been reached. Critics a v not been slow
10 point out the difficulties OF leading
such Z host, and the practical Impossible
suity OF sustaining them on the Sinai PEN
lnaulR. The passage OF the Red sea In q
Night by 100000 persons seems incred-
Ible.
The gloatinE has been premature.
n ch0lars ara now showing by evidences
that seems fncontrovertfble that the word
translated .thousands," in this and many
passages. Us also the word used for Fam
Mes s.clans.. This whole subject Is
n~lUfninatingly treated in DR.. Hoskins'
49, 81 = W4AA ASEA - ~ eAGe
noves all difficulties ut a stroke. The
word s'alaf,' II taken to mean families.
means that there were 600 families who
made the Exodus DR.. Hosktn's conclu-
DiOn IA. numbers of the Children OF
1sraelgwere somewhere about 10000 souls,
MI these figures Will be found to at in
enthusiastically with the conditions in
Egypt before the Exodus, with the con-
Sditions and possihilities through the Exo-
s81IuS IA taof& Nj a ~ w oVsTHsn1w~ oil 4Ino 4 y, ,lroE
snenta for the growth and extension Of
The Kingdom after tho Exodns..s
The same authority suggests three en-
il4hteninG illustrations:
SassIt might also! be remarked here for the
sof those who may n q difficulty
~ letttng gOSof the exaggerated numbers
which hAyes plAyeds = part In our mental
SUBSCRIPTIONS since childhood, to recall
hia0ther b thai It was not the great
sSaWl330 marched up from the coast to the
shsSla.norsthe MOslem Hegira departure. $50
speruonsisn0r the great number on board
Tho Mayfipwer aOe souls), which made
these nnUSetients famous and mcmentous
sl6lss hIstortyy but the principles. moral and
Gparitua II h led and sustained these
sp6tdters and pNgrtmG through their dam
g ~ b vicissit,des:: 10 also g 1t true
s3nfs xsh6snr4fter OF the Exodus, III Import
III I1Nds ~ I'LL 34tU y y U5ASt
4r61t or small. but In the message OF
a0dssa truth which they carried In their
/ ~ Place of tie Crossing.
D Old figure OF speech that we stand
'ssa66N tha#6houldera OF all who have lived
bHef0ra$us i III especially applicable to bible
study Elftyssyears ave let In . Hood! OF
sSng3it upon: the history Of the bible from
scurces undreaned by q fathers. We
now know multitude of archaeological
1ncts that Siao the reasorls for many OF
without explanations Thus the children
oe IaraNl4tnight have chosen their routes
S0ntsdf Egypt-onasup along the Medtter.
ssxanoax shore, which III still the dtrectest
route from Canaan, but which would have
tedssthoHm into inistant conflict with the
Ehtliatiines second, the central route
through Stse great Egyptian wall which
msAgnardedh y Pharaoh's troops. Or ths
third route below the lower end of thu
~ ~ the Red Sea-. Be It remembered
hAtsMoses was perfectly familiar with
4kis Fentife region Even - the war de
paf3ihsIitS Sof III governMentsi today ma
sNUtStngadvance the rOutensof their arIniei
4n$Ec9ee Or war,gsBo MoBes had decided
np,0nsE MI hest way of delivering his hun
dxSede h0uAaud coMpatrtots. II was neceA
#earys t0ssget them Oft where they nigh
disciplined, f0rat the moInen the,
Hsfe#huf & fseinga horde.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS from pr. Hoskins !
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Id on the historicity .
|SAhN Exodu1.sI am aalst an clear that ther,
IA D route poseihle TOR such
am6l1a speople,. that II was settled abso
N UsttSS1y y Gkhe8Water. IND that. contrar.
xse common conceptioassttsw was along
%&[xalI9H - " vfln1