The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-09-18
In the Religious World

capital of the northern kingdom ana
the home of King Ahab. Ben hadad,
king of Syria, was besieging it.. Ap-
parently he had caught the city poor
ly defended for there were only seven
thousand soldiers that could be mus
tered for the grand rally. AS for
Syria, it was one of the mighty king
doms of the time, with peerless Da-
mascus for its capital. Lying east and
north of Israel Syria fairly enveloped
the kingdom of Ahab. His natural
resources and his military strength
were far superior to those of the king
whom he so confidently and Jaunt1ly
besieged.
-. Frightfu1noss in war is it's Oldest
fashion. Loot, lust, cruelty, murder
and nameleSS atrocities befoul the rec
ordS of all the great wars of antiquity.
Ben-hada6 was but following the
vogue when he dictated to Ahab terms
of surrender which included conf1S-
cation of the city's treasures, and of
its women for the cOnquerors harems,
and of its children for slaves.
That sounds awful beyond words
to U.S. We cannot forgive Ahab for
acquiescence in such demands. Bet
ter death than dishonor. A man may
die defending his family-and he
should die, if need be, despite all the
pusil1animous counsels of professional
pacificists. Ahab should have well
coined death in defence of his family,
rather than to accede to demands as
Benhadads. Yet at first he yielded.
He was willing to pay even this price
for the safety of his city and himself.
He failed to sense the eternal truth
that all is gone when honor is gone.
Better to die nobly than to live dis
honored.
The High-handed King.
Alcohol itself is scarcely more
high handed and insolent in its deal
ing than was Ben-hadad in his drunk
en- tyranny. He decided upon a still
stronger policy with Ahab; for, mark
you, there is nothing modern about
high in diplomacy. 1t is
old and heather. Drunk with wine
and a sense of his own power. the
Syrian king decided upon still further
acts of terroriZation. He sent word to
Ahab that he would send servants
not come himself, mark you, but send
servants-to go through the palace
and city of Samaria, and loot
everything that Israel seemed to prize
most
That was insult added to injury. AS
an affront it could scarcely have been
not to be borne even by Ahab, who,
apparently, had been we'll schooled in
abjectness by Jezebel, his wife. So
counsel of the elders of Israel was
called-as it should have been called
when the first demands were re-
ceived-and with prompt unanimIty
they decided to spurn Ben-hadad's in
suits. I'm a multitude of counselors
there is safety One man may be
craven, though an autocrat; but in
every degree of democracy there is
safety and sanity. Over against the
drunken insolence of the Syrian king
was put this sober judgment of the
manhood of Israel. Like true men,
they knew how to die for the obliga-
tions more sacred than life.
Wouldn't it be fine if those sturdy
old counsellors of Samaria could sit
down for an hour with all the weak
kneed business men, and travelling
politicians, who are affrighted by the
liquor interests, and who fear hurt
to themselves and to their business
If they assert their manhood? Moth
ing is more needed in the temperance
movement today than a stiffening of
the spinal cords of business men and
of office-h holders and office-seekers.
Taunt and Counter-Taunt.
Enraged at the sudden defiance OF
these Israelites whose defeat he was
already celebrating in the flowing
bowl, Ben-hadad sent back a wither-
ing threat to them.
Ahab countered with a proverb
which should be committed to MEM