Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-10-29

'Vu-S S's>
Green Fruit on the Tree OF Peace.
Grew. Frederick Harlan Psss. p: d. E,r.
Congregational Church. waltham In Bossor
Readers Of the Sunday Herald who ars
for the third Sunday deprived Of church
services may be Interested to road fol
themselves . Biblical story which 10 one
of tho great narratives OF the Old Testar
ment and which has striking points oi
analogy to the world war leading up to
tho present hour. The story 10 found 70
II Kings, chapters 20 and "a, and ID told
with wonderful vividness and moral pas.
sion. It has to do with the wars be.
tween Syria and Israel and particularly
fierce strife over lost provinces-the
Alsace and Lorraine Of the kingdom OF
Israel. It's lesson, writ large In letters
of blood, is that the green fruit on the
tree of peace may look fair but will
prove deadly to the taste.
Syria had, 1t seems, In the early days
of its rapid rise to nationality consequent
upon the weakness of King Solomon's
foreign policy, raided the northern part
of the kingdom and detached the. region
of which Ramoth. Gilead was the centre.
When Solomon's kingdom broke In two
the northern half, the Kingdom OF Israel
longed for the lost territory and 1t was .
standing cause of quarrel. About the
year 600 B. G. Ben Hadad, King OF
Syria, determined to put an end once
and for all to Israel's longing for
Ramoth. Gilead. It was an ancient In
stance of the intention to bleed an
enemy white In order to kill out the
troublesome spirit Of revenge. Ben
Hadad gathered great host and to-
gether With thirty-two subsidiary kings
representing the Saxons, Bavarians,
Wurtemburgers. etc., etc.-of his over
lordship, set out to do the subjuga.
ton act with one tremendous and speedy
blow. Confidence was supreme, for
Israel, then under King Ahsb, could
only muster 5000 troops. For Syria 1t
was indeed "the day" And 80 1t might
have been had Ben Hadad allowed Ahab
any sort of terms. The parallel here is
precisely that of Austria's demands up.
on Serbia in 1914 Ahab agreed to
everything including practical vassalage,
but when virtual extinction of bis
kingdom was demanded he refused to
grant any of Ben Hadad's terms. Then
occurred the miracle of Ahab's victory.
Like "the miracle of the Marne" 1t is In
part comprehensible. The oontemptu-
ous over-confidence Of Ben Hsdad on
the one side and the daring strategy Of .
noon day assault In that hot climate, on
Ahab's part, were prominent factors
which have their counterpart 10 the
first battle of the Marne. But over and
above these features there was the ele-
ment which was believed to be the d.
vine interposition.
Ben Hadad withdrew bis beaten hosts
and prepared for Q new and great
or campaign the following season. The
two kingdoths were locked In battle
again and once more Ben Hsdad was de-
feated. His army was 90 soundly
threshed that 1t went to pieces. The
battle took place at Aphek and Ben
Hadad fed into the city, hiding himself
In cellar or inner chamber.
From thence he sent forth peace Of
fensive. In true oriental fashion bis
came forth to King Ahab,
dust on their heads, saokcloth on their
loins and halters about their necks.
They were ready for anything but keen
to the advantage OF everything. 1t was
In Ahab's power not only to get back
bis lost province but also to 80 reduce
the fighting power of Syria ss to estsb-
lish Israel's security and hand down Q
great name to posterity.
Behold the tragic failure Of Ahab to
see the situationl With an incompre-
hensible faulty he speaks Of an easy
peace. he sends for Ben Hadsd, who
comes out of hiding, 10 taken by Ahab
up into bis chariot and shortly the
Syrian monarch is actually proposing
terms of peace to the King whose
prisoner he was. And what 10 more,
Ahab accepts the terms instead OF nam
Ing them. Ben Hadad promised, OF
course, to restore the lost province to
Isrsel and he made the offer OF some
trading rights In Damascus. The aston.
isbing statement of the narrative then
"Then," said Ahab, II will
send thee away with this convenant."
So he made Q convenant with him and
sent him away. No hostages, no In
no gusrantees-just On an
cient ''scrap Of paper"
Was Ahsb war.wearyp Doubtless.
And he bad the growing menace of As.
syria to reckon with, but when all is
said his policy was utmost folly. It
seemed to smsck Of sentimentalism.
He referred to Ben Hadad as bis
as II calling him 30 would
make deadly enemy brother. he
insisted on calling It "pesce" when the
only guarantee Of peace was to prevent
Ben Hadad from being able to make
war in the future.
What happenedp After three years,
during wbich Syria was fast getting
back its military power, Ahsb finds that
the lost province is not restored, is not
likely ever to be restored, and that bis
treaty which he 90 weakly made with
bis "brother," Ben Hadad, was never
taken seriously by the Syrian king for
one moment. Unearned and undeserv-
ed generosity on Ahab's part bred con-
tempt In Ben Hadad's heart. Israers
king awakes to the miser-
able realization that II be is ever to re.
gain that lost province he must fight
the battle oil over again. And this he
decides to do. He gets help from the
kingdom of Judah. and In an inoppor.
tune hour and with an army unequal to
the contest he attacks the Syrian host.
He himself is doubtful OF the outcome,
but like many another, having made one
colossal mistake In policy, he seeks to
retrieve bis fortunes by rash hazard.
Fortune never favors the foolish, ancient
or modern. The armies Of Judah and
Israel were routed and Ahab, dying
from an arrow wound was driven from
the field of battle soaking In his blood.
On that fatal day when he called his
enemy "brother" and allowed him to
name the terms of peace Ahab thonght
he had done wise thing, but instead be
wrought disaster for his kingdom and
ruin and death for himself and his
dynasty. No conqueror can cat the
green fruit of tho tree Of peace and live.
Magnitude Of Social War Work.
What about this great United War
Work Campaign that will sweep the