The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-03-30

prose, a veritable idyl of the chosen
people. 1t marks the beginning of the
family through which the Hebrew ma
ton would fulfill it's Messianic mis-
sion. Ruth was the great grand
mother of David, the family tree is
given at the close of this book: "Now
these are the generations of Pharez:
Pharez begat Heron, Heron begat
Ram, Ram begat Amminadab, Ammi-
nabad begat Nashon, Nashon begat
Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and
Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat
Jesse, and Jesse begat David"
Famine played very large part in
shaping the destinies of the Hebrew
people. Abraham was drawn by it to
sojourn in Egypt. Egypt usually en-
joyed great plenty when famine dew
astated Palestine and the adjacent
country, because of the regular annual
overflow of the Nile, carrying the rich
alluvial matter gathered from it's up
per valley out over the sandy shores
of the river, and moistening the earth
so that the harvests were not onlywell
fortified but we'll watered by the life
giving river.
So it happened that when famine
overlook Abraham in Canaan, he went
down into Egypt. Here the beauty of
Sarai, Abraham's wife, attracted
Pharaoh, who, believing that Sarai
was Abraham's sister, as indeed she
was, took her into his palace intending
to make her his wife. But the Lord
plagued Pharaoh and all his house
with great plaques because of Sarai
revealing through this means the err
ror he had committed and causing him
to restore Serai to her husband and
to send them both, with all theil
goods, out of the country. The mar
velous preservation of this remarkable
woman is demonstrated by the fact
that at seventy years of age or more
she won by her beauty and winsome-
ness the hearts of kings.
Famine also drove the entire family
of Jacob into Egypt, where they were
later held as slaves 400 years, or un.
til the Exodus.
And now famine again becomes the
pivot upon which the fortunes of the
David line turn. A certain man Of
Bethlehem-Judah went with his wife
and two sons, because of famine in the
land, to sojourn in the country OF
Moab. There the man-Elimelecf
died. Naomi with her two sons, Nah.
len and Chilion, continued in the land
where the sons married two Moabitish
women, Ruth and Orpah. Very early
the two young men died, after which
Naomi determined to return to Ca.
naan, having learned that the Lore
had visited his people with bread.
Orpah readily consented to remain
in Moab, there to seek another hus-
band. Ruth, however, chung to her
mother-in-law, and pledged her 10y.
atty in language that has added sane
tity to many family union since that
distant day: Entreat me not to leave
thee, or to return from following af-
ter thee: for whittier thou goest
will go, and where thou logest l will
lodge; thy people shall be my people
and thy God my God. Where thy diest
will l die and there will / be buried:
the Lord do so to me and more also
if ought but death part thee and me. .
A love like this could not be denied
There followed the romance in the
barley fields of Boaz, her marriage
with this chivalrous son of Rahab, and
the reward of her fidelity in becoming
an ancestor of the Messiah. A thou
sand years later the worlds Savior
was born in Bethlehem of the family
started by Ruth, announced by the
Angels on the shepherd hills above the
grainfields where Ruth CLEANED hel