The Washington herald., 1922-06-10
When Faith Flees, Temple
Falls, Is Belief of Bryan
Kings Relied on Military Power Alone,
SAYS Commoner.
By WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.

BE not deceived; God is not
mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth. that shall he also reap"
How graphically the closing days
of the kingdom of Judah. to which
we now come, makes plain the in
exorable working of this great
moral law.
Again and again, as kings came
and went. the people of Jerusalem
had scoTned the prophets, turned to
idolatrous practices, stepped them
selves in the vices and sins of the
heather nations round about them.
forgotten and Knocked God. And
now the harvest.
But even as the people of Jerusa-
lem looked out over the city's walls
upon the besieEing host brought
against them by the mighty king
NebuchadneZZar OF Babylon, God
gave them their last chance to
avert the terrible harvest of their
own sowing. Through jeremiah the
prophet He had counseled. "Desist
in your rebellion against your over
lord, surrender to the Chaldeans.
repent of your sins. and Jerusalem
will not be destroyed and you shall
live" But the stiff-necked rulers
of Judah preferred their own judg-
ment to the guidance of the AL
mighty. and hence, national disas-
ter complete and full
Proof of Progress.
From the ninth unto the eleventh
year of King Zedekiah's reign. Neb-
uchadnezzer besieged Jerusalem
round about. Then the city's food
supply gave out, famine fell upon
the people, a breach was made in
the walls and all Zedekiah's men of
war and the king himself fled by
night from the might and wrath of
the Chaldean host. But the enemy
pursued and overlook the Hebrew
king in the plains of Jericho. made
him prisoner. scattered his army
from him. and took him up to Neb-
uchadnezzer TO the town of Riblah
for Judgment.
What followed when the two
kings came face to face is proof
that the world has made some
progress even in war.
While the purpose of war has not
changed; while the taking of human
life is still the first aim of war. and
while outrages are still practiced by
soldiers in the heat of passion and
under the impulse OF revenge, no
NlNiltLFu WOul0 gull
ty of the crueltieS that were openly
practiced in olden times. The Chal-
deans slew the sons of the captive
king before his eyes. and then they
put out the eyes of the king him
self. Any government that would
now thus torture a. prisoner, help
less in that governments hands.
would call down upon itself the con-
demnation Of the world
But in the time of which we
write the slauChtering of conquered
people was not an uncommon thing.
That was a part of war whenever 1t
did its bloody work, and the torture
of Zedekiah was not out of har-
mony with cruelties then practiced.
Destruction Of Jerusalem.
Nor was it an uncommon thing
to destroy a conquered city. And
SO Nebuzsr-adan. a captain of the
guard in the Chaldean army, was
sent to Jerusalem to destroy 1t.
He did his work effectively. He
burned the house of the Lord, and
the Kings house, and every great
mans house in the city. The walls
were broken down. and the inhabi-
tants who were left. except the
POOTcsl, were Carried away captive
to Babylon. But the poor of the
land were left to care for the vine
yards and the farms. Thus Jerusa-
lem was left desolate, its fate being
just what Jeremiah. speaking by
divine inspiration, had foretold.
God made him his messenger to the
people, but they would not believe,
and their punishment followed.
The most striking part of the
Biblical description of Nebuzar-
adams desolating work relates to
the destruction of Solomon's
temple.
In beauty II was one Of the won
ders OF the world, Its cost has been
estimated at from two and a half
20 four billion dollars-an appall-
ing sum even now and relatively
much greater then
Thirty thousand men were en-
ployed In cutting the cedar that was
brought from Lebanon for theNtem- !
pie. The masons and others who
aided IN its construction were num- |
bered at 10000 When It is re-
that the building was !
not remarkable for its size (ninetS |
feet long. thirty feed wide and |
feet high). the outlay |