The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-02

~ l1CS ' l
to the world. They are an answer
10 the sheer hat women are never
loyal 70 WOmen and that there can
not DE a true and noble friendship
tive women Everybody knows
of love and loyalty between
women as beautiful as that of Naomi
and Ruth; and a fair counterpart for
the friendship Of David and Jonathan.
Blessed for both is the reciprocated
af1ectlOn of an older woman for a
younger. Ruth priced Naomi's love
above her life's oldest ties.
So she cried, when unselfish Naomi
would nave parted rom her, in that
spirit Of self-sacrifcing owe which
marks human nature at it's highest
level-and the beautiful cry Of Ruth
has given literature one of it's richest
gems, and has voiced the loyalty Of q
myriad hearts since:
"Entreat me not to leave thee, and
to return from following after thee;
for whittier thou gOest, I will 60; and
whittier thou lOdgest, l will lodge; thy
people shall be my people, and thy
God my God; where thou diest, will I
die, and there will I be buried: Je-
hovah do so to me, and more also, if
aught but death part thee and me-"
The Great Decision.
Courageously making choice, Ruth
dared all consequences. She had turn
l ~ AASA OOSN uPoli IAO1 OIO 4 upO11
her kindred, upon the possibility of a
husband from among her own people,
upon her ancestral faith; and she had
elected to share the fortunes, good or
i'll, of a lone widow. Naomi's home,
Naomi's people, Naomi's God were
henceforth to be as her own.
God bleSSeS the daring. High faith
and noble loyalty are. not forgotten by
Him. He favors those who are brave
enough to make decisions, n to ad-
venture new enterprises. He seems
particularly a God Of pioneers. The
splendid fortitude of Ruth were not to
go unrewarded. Fo to her it was to
be given that, in the new land, she
should become the ancestor Of IsraeIs
great king, and Of the worlds Prince
Of Peace. We hear never another
word about Orpha, she sank back into
the commonplace prosperity Of the
majority who take no risks.
Back to Bethlehem (what a place OF
personalities that little old town has
been, and is to this very day!) we
follow the two widows. The unknown
writer Of this beautiful story vividly
pictures the welcome given Naomi by
her old neighbOrs and kinSfolk:
S they two went until they came
: to Bethlehem. And it came to pass
I when they were come to Bethlehem
that all the city was moved abou
them, and the women said, Is thi
Naomi And she said unit them
Call me o. Naomi pleasantly, call M
Mara (bitter); for the Almighty hail
dealt very bitterly with me. l wen
s out full, and Jehovah hath brough
e me home again empty; why call y
n me Naomi, seeing Jehovah hath testi
fed against me, and the Almight
o hath afflicted me?"
Loyalty is more than a matter Q
l hOofn1 cnpfivoonnfC oOCtC TIL
d genuineness of loyalty is tested Whe
Ie it is required, as it always is, to de
scend from the high plane of mob
IL words to the dead level Of humdru1
le living. Protestations must be SUP
n ported by practice. The e%cstatic moo
,e of swearing fealty had to be followed
in Ruth's case, by providing a livel
j. hood for herself and her mother-l
s. law. Despite all the new dogmas COZ
&c corning emancipated. ~wOmanhOo'
most of US feel that there is som
r, thing wrong with an order OF SOcle1
I'd which Ices not provide that men sha
TX earn a livelihood for women.
n Cleaning after the reapers-ho
art has seized upon the picture
Il Ruth gathered the stray StraWS
at grain that remained, to provide foo
of for her companion and herself. II
t. pictures Of the scene are romantic, b
it was back-breaking, Wearison1e al
nd ~monotonous work, with the label
so. poverty attached to it. Thank CT
nd for the men and women, the wor
ill around, who are daily repeating t
Die Ruth story and bearing the day
lily dreary load uncomplainingiy, all +
u. loves sweet sake.
to While about this loWly task, in t
field of duty, Ruth won the notice
Boaz. a wealthy landowner and
ese kinsman of her husbands father. T
rse tale ends in ~story-book -ash:on, I
rich farmer and poor cleaner we
in married, and that union was bless
1e- by a son, Obed, the grandfather
David, the great king. The won,
nd who ~adventured became n won?
let who won.
ter -
nes BRINGING UP THE RESERNE
owe -
- uN--.~ C~-o~o~ an thu VT,SfD