Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-25

are. things of the past" All who
are conversant with conditions ere
ated by the war know that the peril
here is present and real; and is a
summons to every custodian of the
ideal of the race.
Far overshadowing this grim and
unlovely spirit of i'll, is the new
romaRce and chivalry and devotion
of women and men who, in this up
heaVal of emotions, have learned the
regnancy, of love. There is some
light talk about war brides; but
the truth is that myriads of young
men and women during these days
have come to the noblest realization
of the height and depth and breadth
and power of the love of man for
woman and of woman for man.
Again has been realized the poets
word,
-'I could not love thee, dear. so
much,
Loved / not honor more"
In this day of renunciation and
loneliness. countless spirits have as
cended to new levels of realization
of the divine beauty and possibili-
ties of love. In the breasts of the
absent soldiers, and of their yearn-
ing, loyal dear ones at home, love
has conquered the baser aspects and
temptations of war time.
May we not revently say that, as
God was interested in the marriage
of Isaac and Rebekah, so that he
sent his angel to prepare the way
for their union, so He is also con-
cerned in the true love of men and
women to-day and especially as men
follow the path of services which
He himself has so clearly marked
out? If God pays any attention at
all to men and women, it surely
must be in the holiest experience of
their lives; for God is love-"
4 Woman's Hour of Destiny
The idyllic picture of the scene
by the far-away Haran we'll (sol-
diers of late have been filling their
canteens at this identical welD is
true to life We find in the inspired
record a little touch which reveals
one of the minute accuracies of the
Bible. And the damsel was very
fair to look upon and she went down
to the WELL and filled her pitcher
and came up. She went down" to
the well. That is the nature of the
wells in this region, as 1 can tes-
tify. I have spent the noon-time
halt, when caravaning over upper
Mesopotamia, at wells so deep in
the limestone rock that one de-
scended two-score steps to reach the
water. In the home of Isaac, down
in southern Canaan, the wells were
dug so that the vessel was let down
from the top; but in Haran Rebekah
went down" and came up"
Art has. been fond of picturing
Rebekah with her water jar at the
we'll. She makes a graceful pose
in the pictures, as in real life. But
the artists never lifted one of those
full jars, as I have done. They
weigh like pig of lead. 1t is a
heavy burden that the women of the
East bear, with their interminable
water carrying. Nowadays, Stand
ard Oil tins have taken the place of
the ancient pottery jars. Better yet,
in some places gasoline pumps have
been installed, lifting an immemo-
rial and immeasurable burden from
womanhood. This revolutionizing
war is going to take the liberation
of civilization to all of Rebeka's sis
ters throughout the earth.
It was while modestly and humbly
acting as a servant of servants that
Rebekah found herself the choice
or the representative OF ner COUSIN
Isaac. the son of the great Shiekh
Abraham. That is destiny's way
to catch us unaware. Few women
find love by seeking it; most win it
by deserving it. Nobody can tell
what fate has is store for her around
the next corner; we are ever meet
ing with unrecognized opportunities
and possibilities. So the only re-
course is to be worthy at all times.
This is not a lesson on Isaac. who
was walking in the fields of Canaan
at eventide. waiting for his bride.
The home they made was a happy
one though marred by favoritism for
one son on the part of the wife and
mother-but of that later. Our
present interest has been with Re-
bekah. whom destiny found ready
and fit when it called. Thus she
became first link in that human
chain which bound Abraham with
Christ; and which made her one of
the mothers of the worlds redemp-
ton.