The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-05-16
Plain Tales from the Bible
By III Trmisan

picable example, counsel continually need
actual living they surely wee-and just
tails In their humanness the lessons in living the
Bible holds for us
Constancy! Priced lowest; missed most; practic-
ed least of all the attributes of human character.
Love and hate joy and sorrow; hope and dspair; all
have in constancy their life DEATH Why sit,
them tina, people in propitious circumstances esteem
it so lightly and need reverses and misforunes OF
life to teach them what is lost without it? And
why do all men practice constancy so little! Not
only to the receiver does add richer and fuller iv
ing but to the who gives there returns degree
in proportion TO his eving-of it's rich rewards.
A lesson in constancy! How many can feel no need
of such?
In the days when Jewish history in the
making hard times came to the land of Bethlehem
judah. Crops failed, business was bad, work was
scarce and wages low. A famine was in the land
we are told. Now, there was one man dwelling in
that land whose spirit understand for it was
that of the pioneer. the adventurer. This man said
to himself Il will move. 1t is impossible to
main here and live and make the living my family
needs and should have at my hands l will go
and seek out land of plenty where work may be
found, where life and happiness may be ours" So
see him settle and continue there with his wife Noa
mi, and their two sons And having served his fam
lily as man should he dies and passes out Of the
story.
The boys grew to young manhood and took
to themselves wives from among the beautiful Moa
bite girls, among whom they living One of
them welded Orpah and the other Ruth. and we
them dwelling happily there for about 10 years.
frion do on6r
ing interests and blessings.
Then death came-as is his fixed habit-and
took away with him Naomis two sons. So. left
the three widows-one of them. Naomie, being
douby bereaved-and their only comfort was in
their common sorrow. 1t was to be expected that
Naomi should be lonely and weighed down by
her bereavement than we're her daughters-in-law.
They were among their relatives and life long friends
and own country folk while she, in addition to hav
ing lost all those who were held most dear in her
life, was away from her native land and those who
would give to her the comfort and sympathy her
heart and spirit needed in her hours of sorrow How
natural that her Thoughts should turn to her
people and country and that she should yearn to be
in her grlhood home again. &c. when she heard
that the famine was ended and the people were
again blessed with plenty she arose with her
country of Moab"
Naomi must have been wonderfully good woman;
nobly beautiful wife and mother-else this tale
would have ended here, Or told a different story.
See how the actions of these young testify to
this fact: When the preparations for the journey
were completed and the start was made Naomi said
to her daughters in law that each should
her mothers house; she kissed them and blessed
fort hou ho rofw
as she because she asks that the Lord deal kindly
with you as you have dealt with the dead. and me-"
And now the proof of her goodness for they would
not leave but wept and said that surely they would
stay with her and return with her TO her people,
But Naomi was as wise she good. She
knew what it ment to leave home, friends and love
behind and 90 live in strange land amid strange
people. She knew what this meant in heart aches
and loneliness and she exemplied her goodness and
love in telling the young women, whom she had no
doubt grown to love dearly in the place of her
| sons, to turn again-go your way And Orpah
| kissed Naomi and returned home.
Naomi now turns again to Ruth and points to
Orpah returning to her people and again asks Ruth
to do the same And then Ruth said to Naomi those
| words that an epitome of all that constancy-
and through it love and frendship-may signify and
hold for us. ALI the wisdom and experience human
ity has cleaned throughout the ages holds greater
or nobler example of constancy than this. Ruth
knew what she must leave behind and what her de-
csion meant. she would need adapt her thoughts
and life to the life she would take up But she
| did not hesitate. She had given her love and by
her constancy made of it the great and noble endow-
| ment it
| There is not person but may find here the true
estimate the high value and the noble purpose that