The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-03

eminent IN the interest OF the king
and left the same disastrous policy
to his son. Reared in a harem with
a heather mother to coach him in pal
ace intrigue and with crowd Of
court Ioafers to instruct him in the
fine art of havinehis own way, he
was being prepared to beeoNa the
finest kind Of a cigarette stump in a
powder plant. One cannot believe that
he was the only son in that much 1
married and there must .
have been some Bathsheba business .
in placing him upon the throne. If
he were chosen for quality, pity the .
rest!
/ THE EXPLOSION.
! "Long live the King? cried Jeru-
salem with no answering shout from
Ephraim. When the leaders brought
him to Schechem they scored a vic
tory and the situation had probably
become rather strained already else
the palace pet would not have gone.
There was the clear-cut demand of
thinking men who knew both their
own power and their own rights as
citizens. They were willing to sup
port the new ruler if their modest
askings were granted. But they were
men and were determined that they
would not be mere counters for the
lords of the game Three days were
asked where none was needed had
the kings head been as big inside as
it was outside. He turned to the court
counselors, who advised policy but
gave no hint of principle involved
or justice concerned. There
is no trace of keen conscience in their
reply, but had there been disaster
: might have been averted. A temple
in the town can not take the place of
: shrine in the heart. The "toadies"
to whom he turned were not whit
worse in intent but they lacked the
ability to put the plan across as the
older men could have done. But it
appealed wonderfully to his pride to
: be declared the "State," the absolute
: ruler who was much bigger than Sol
: ONION ever was. Then came a great
: scene. There was dressed-up image
of a king never knowing that his
: crown had slipped clear down on his
!: shoulders. He was surrounded by his
9 bodyguard and palace favorites. On
:: the other side were the elders of all
!: the cities of Israel; grave, sober men
: with the marks of both thought and
: toll upon them; in the center of their
Z semi-circle stands Jereboam, who had
: won distinction under Solomon and
: had been schooled at the Egyptian
: court. Members of the prophet band
!, were among them, bare of head al
9 uplifted of face. That day marked
3 with destiny for all time would make
8 a canvass for the Salon. The king
= spoke his absolutism and democracy
= refused it's obedience. The United
8 Empire builded by David had come to
g an end.
3 iRELIGION-POLICY OR LIFE?
8 Jeroboam was a vigorous, hard
8 working son of a widow who had beer
9 placed over the work of his Ephra
3 Unite tribesmen in recognition of his
8 ability. He was ambitious and his
= power became in Solomon's mind {
3 menace to the throne and was forced
3 into exile. Chosen by the prophetic
8 party as king he found himself rulel
3 over the northern kingdom. 1t felt it
= self to be what our own Revolutionar!
8 leaders felt-a reverting to the orig
2 inal type of government. eve are th'
= real Englshment: it is you who have
=. changed" was the position of Adams
Il and the rest. These even carried thu
il original name with them, Israel, leav
II ing Rehoboam to select new nam
for his territory. And the old shrine
II partly dispossessed by Jerusalem
II were taken again as the religion
centers. Calves were set up as sym
III bols of this "Back to the Fathers
II movement, they having been familia
enough in the old days to be under
II stood as representing Jehovah.
| was mighty good politics but yer
II poor religion. For Jeroboam set u
II faith to serve the state; he wass no
| moved by any moral compulsion.
| was policy pure and simple. Stat
II churches seldom bring forth a propt
II ct, and unless church does that it
II a useless bit of machinery.
III WERE THE PROPHETS WRONG
~ Unrecognized as Solomon's cour
- the prophetic group was determine
nd to stop the drift toward absolutisl
as or divide the territory. Long befol
no the death of the king, Abijah did tt
US reasonable thing of amounting Jerc
boam and proclaiming the divisio
zee With that feeling their absence fro
nv Jerusalem may be explained. Aft