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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Herald, 1903-09-11, Page 3mameasioal . sanday Seizoole 11NTI9RNA.TIONA.L LESSON O. XI. SECTEMBEJ 23, /903. David Becomes Ling. -2 Sam. 2:1-10. Commentary.—I, David anointed king at Hebron (vs. 1-7i. 1, After thus —Alter the loath of ea,u1 and his eons. Inquired of the Lord—By means Of Ablastin!.✓, the priest tievho was with David during his fugitive lite, "At tb,at de,clsive turning point in his life,, David wisber1 to kuow, the will of the ; Lord. He saw that the promise of the kingdom w,ais now to be fulfilled to him. As he couid no longer remain In the land of th,e Philistines, but :must return to Lis own country, and e e the northern part of the land was heel by the Philistines, the return to the territory of Ms owe tribe was most natural; for there, where be ha,d a long time found refuge (I. Sam. xxii. u), nor ereg11t daunt on a large following, and firm support and pro- teption against the remains of Soul`s army under Abner."—Lange. Cities of • Judaae—It would be, useless to think of udnertaicing to assume control of the country in the northern part of the kingdom, as that was in the hands of the Philistines, and David was in no position to drive theta out. Go up—"Going up" meant a.ssuming royal authority. God's answer was immediate and clear. Davi1'4 decision, guided by God, wails to establish him- 1ee'if as king at once. Unto Hebron— One of the most ancient cities of the world. 2. So David went up—It may bo well to nota some of the leading eilemeni„s winch we discern in David's life and 'charm: Ler al.. lie entere til.m1 his new life. "He had, 1. A. vivid sense of God's presence. 2. Personal proe- sssss. '3. Promptitude in all his move- . Monts. 4. A patience that was sub- lime. ;i. An affelctionate heart. 6, A enol head and a steady nerve. 7. Wide eeperience. 8. A heart loyal to God. '!!hither—We are to tliiuk of this journey_ as a. marola of an army, or, ✓lathe!•, the migration of a large com- pany of guerillas. There were few household effects and few women and children in the company ; it was made up of bronzed youths inured to iia.rdship, among whom rank and fame were secured by daring deeds rather than by anything comparable to modern military skill. 0, 4. His men—The six hundred men of lits cbosen band. With his house- hold. There was to be no more roam- ing in exile, but each one was to set- tle down to the duties of a peace- fuland quiet life. Cities of Hebron— The small towns which surrounded Hebron. Men of Judah—The elders of Judah, the official representatives of tbe tribe. Anointed. ''He had been privately anointed by Samuel, by which he had acquired a right to the kingdom ; by, the present an- ointing he had authority over the kingdom. The other parts of the kingdom, were, as yet, attached to the family, of Saul.' ' 6. David sent messengers —This was 'David's first act as king, and it was worthy of him. He had been in- formed of the manner in which the Philistines bad carried away the bodies of Saul and his sons after the battle. He had also been told that the inhabitants of Jabesli-gilead bad sent forth a party by night and had taken the bodies from the wall and carried them safely to their own town gird buried them. Blessed be ye —"David respected Saul as his once legitimate so ereign : he loved eon- athan as his most intimate friend. aaul had greatly injured David, but that did not cancel his respect for A prominent club woman, if Mrs. Danforth, of St. Joseph, Mich., tells how she was cured of falling of the womb and its accompanying pains. "Life looks dark "indeed when a woman feels that her strength is sap- ping away and she has ao hopes of ever being restored. Such was my feeling a few nenths ago when I was advised that my poor health was caused by prolapse:, or falling of the womb. The words sounded like a knell to me, I felt that my sun had set ; but Lydia E. Pinkhaln's Vege- table Compound came to me as an elixir of life; it restored the lost forces and built me up until ray good health returned to me. Por four months I took the medicine daily and each dose added health and strength. I am so thankful for the help I obtained through its use."—Mics. Fr e:re ns W11'Foxi'11, 1007 Miles Ave., St. Joseph, Mich.—s5000 forfeit If original of about) latter proving genuineness cannot be produced, The record of Lydia, E. Pink- bane's Vegetable Compound can- not be equalled by any other medicine in the world. "FREE MEDICAL ADVICE TO WOMEN," Women would save time and mtuch sickness if they would write to Mrs. Pinkham, Lynn, Mass., for advice as soon as any distressing syllnptoms appear. Jim an the anointed of God, and as the King of Israel. 6, 7. Will requite you—Will show you 'this kindness ; that is, the at- tention and honor Shown in the bless- ings I give you through these mos- imgers. Terry,. Be ye valiant—]3e of good courage; be Strong and show ypurselves brave men. Saul is dead— And therefore ye are without a king unless Ye acknowledge me, as the house of Judah lias done.—Whedon, 11, Isla-Bosbsth King over Israel (vs. 8-10). 8. Ish-Bioshieth--Saui's fourth and only surviving son. He was a mere tool in the hands of Abner. Abner was a great general, and if Ish- bosb.eth', who' was a weak man, could be made king, Abner would woukl be almost supreme. Mahan- aim—Abner chose this town because it was on the eastern side of'. the Jordan, and so beyond the range of the Philistines, who never seem- ed to have crossed the river. 9. Made him king—Here was th'e establishment of a rival kingdom, which probably would have had no existence but for Abner. He was cousin 'to' Saul. Loyalty to the house of his late master wias mix- ed up with opposition to David, and viesys of personal ambition in his originating this factious move- ment.—Gilead—The land beyond Jor- dan. Ashurites—Tee tribe of Ashur in' the extreme north. Jezreel—The extensive valley bordering on the central tribes. Ephraim Ben- jamin—These tribes, wii'iclr hadnot yet been .onquered by the Plaills- tines, holding no doubt to the house of Saul. Over all Israel—The majority of Israel, not of Judah. 10. Reigned two years—Five years and more had passed since the death of Saul, and Abner now. pro- claimed Ishbosheth King of Israel and 'thought himself powerful en- ough to reduce Judah' to obedieuce. —Deane. III. David king over all Israel (v. 1-10). After Abner and Ish-bosbeth were assassinated, the tribes of Israel. came to David, through their elders, and urged him to become king over all Israel. They have good rea- sons for .this : 1. David was one of their race. 2, Ho had shown him SOLI worthy. 3. He was divinely ap- pointed. 4. He understood the duties of a king. PRACTICAL SURVEY. David preparation. 'The Stepp from a shepherd's calling to kin•g- ship is by no means a short one, and in the case or David there were years of preparation made up of hardship and disappointment before the crown was reached. Caring for the sheep was his occupation when Samuel came with the horn of oil to anoint him King, as Moses was car- ing for the herds in the desert of Midian when God appeared to him in the burning bush when he was about to appoint him loader of Israel from Egypt to Canaan. Busy with his father's sheep, practising with his sling, acquiring the skill with which he was to vanquish Israel's boasting foe, training his hand and voice to soothe the malady of h mad king, he had no thought that within a few years he was destined to be a king of God's own people. At Saul's death acrisis would occur, and a man of unusual power and experience must be ready to tape the throne. God had a youth in preparation for this work. Now he was defending his father's flocks by slaying the lion and the bear, but it would not be long until he should be called to defend God's people against the as- saults of the Philistines. The long delay—There is no evi- dence to show that David was impa- tient to enter upon has royal office. He !.roved hdmsel.f so great a de- liverer to Israel that the song, "Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands" was sung by the women of Israel, and Saul's jealousy was so completely aroused that henceforth David's life was by no means safe in the hands of the king. Saul Is in turn kind and gra- cious, then fierce and vengeful. Da- vsid is engaged in fighting off the Ph,ulistiners on the one hand and in evacli,ng the king on the other. Pur- sued almost towdespair he finds Mansell among the enemies of Israel. !One thing, however, cheers him dur- ing these seven or eight years of waiting—ho has a warty friend in Jonathan, Saul's son. But the same battle that accomplished Saul's death brought about that of hie friend. There was real mourning for Saul as well as for Jonathan. Tho ,second anointing—The first Was at iris home in Bethlehem, the meanie at Hebron. Goe's purpose had at last ripened, and Davids ex- periene had ripened as well, and upon his inquiring of the Lord he Wee told to go to Hebron. There he found a people ready to accept him as king, and they anointed him as smell. However, the way was not clear to the exorcize et his office over all Israel. , The tribes united—There was a great loss to Ish-bosheth's kingdom when 'Abner, his father's servant, VMS slain, and he was soon to fol- low his servant. Ishbosheth had two captains, Baanall and Itechab, who conspired against hinr and stew him. These men were executed at David's command, 'because they had slain their master Without cause. This opened the wiay for the uniting of the tribes, and be. was for the third time, anointed,—this time as king over all Israel. By the taking of tho Jebusites the seat of govern- ment, which had been. at Hebron for seven land one-half years, was re- moved to Jerusalem. .tt last the purpose made known fifteen years previous was accomplished and David was Israel's king. The testing tines had been severe, the lasses had been great, the burdens had been heavy, bat he had endured and we,s crowned. There are in, thls lessons of patienne, reverence, ✓submission and trust. Weak souls Taint, strong; souls en- dure and win the God -ordained prize. David S. Warrior. ' FOR THE KE OF G00 E:31 11,C HELI Ceylon GREEN Tea. It is pure, delicious and healthful. It is as far ahead of Japan lea as "SALADA" B lack is ahead of all other black teas. In lead packets only. 25e and •40c per lb. By all grocers. U d1 JT Its Many Benefits Described for the Farmers' Benefit. er 0 0 Many reasons may easily be ad- rain cannot pass directly downward, duced to show, that Nature has fixer- as explained above, but runs away self thoroughly drained a consid- upon the surface, carrying with it arable proportion of the soil, but much of the toil, and washing the it is probable 'that lin course of fertility out of much which remains. time, as land becomes more valu- But with proper drainage, the rain is able, it will be found advisable to at once absorbed, and passes down- artificailly drain the greater part wards, saturating the soil. in its de - of our level or moderately sloping scent and carrying the fertilizing Leeds that are worthy of cultiva- elements to the roots of the plants, tion. The question whether it will while the surplus moisture runs pay to drain a given area depends through the drains. on the value of. the land before Again, drainage is absolutely drainage, the cost of the opera- necessary for the proper pulveri- tion, and the value of the land zation •of heavy soils. It is man - when drained. This is a question ifest that a wet soil can never which' every landowner must de- be pulverized. More water is held tide for himself. by a pulverized and open soil than At the outset it may be pointed by a compact and close one. :Wet - out that drainage deepens the er is held in the soid between the soil, and so affords greater room minute particles of earth, and if for the roots of plants. Unless its these particles be pressed together roots have an extensive pasture, as it were, 'no plant can make use of 'the resources of the soil to the best advantage. In well drained soils, the roots of most cultivated. crops spread .themselves widely and to a great depth; from two to four feet is quite usual, and some plants, such as lucerne, have been known to send 'their roots as far as thirty feet. No roots, except those of aquatic plants, will grow in stagnant water. Proper drain- age lowers • the surface of the ground water, so that the roots are able to penetrate to their normal depth, and furnishes con- ditions favorable to the greatest growth an eelargest yield of crops. The drain, by taking away the free water that occupies the pores of the soil, allows air to pass through the soiL The soil may be said to breathe through the drain, for there is a con- tinuous movement of air to and fro, up and down, caused by vibrations in the pressure of the atmosphere. When the soil ill comparatively dry there is a great deal of air in its pores. Then, when a rain comes, it fills the upper end Rf these pores, and if tli•ere is no outlet for the air below, it is imprisoned and exert- ing a backward pressure on the water above, prevents it from enter- ing the soil more than an inch or two. It may happen, therefore, that in an undrained soil a heavy sum- mer shower is forced to run off the surface, while the land below the first inch is as dry as ever. This is one illustration of the truth of the apparently contradictory statement that underdraining is a safeguard against drought. ALI sloping land, unless laid down to grass, is liable to great loss by this surface washing during the heavy rains in spring and fall. If the land has not sufficient drainage the compactly there is no space left between them for water. This coni- kind when • alJghting on a plant.. most ss existsmore or less in it hung head downward, exposing most subsoils,lwhich r au the under surface to view, ' ome- notreadilythropass. win water hdese times motionless, and sometimes not Hence, all these swaying gently like a flower touch- ed by gentle zephyrs. A bright vio- let blue dilation of the thorax,un' front of which its forelegs, band- ed violet and black, extended like petals, simulated the corolla of a papalionaccous flower so perfectly as to deceive the eyes of a prac- tised botanist, A whole tribe of spiders, members of the T,homisadoe farLl.F, living in flower cups, assume the 'colors and markings of the flowers in which' they lie iln wait for victims. Brazilian birds, fly -catchers, dis- play a brilliantly colored crest easily mistaken for to fio'wer cup. Bisects, attracted by what appears to be a freshly opened blossclrn, furnish the birds with fool. An As- iatic lizard is entirely colored like the surface of the desert plains where it lives, except that at each angle of the mouth., blooms a bril- liant red folding of a flesh exact- ly resembling a Attie flower that grows in the sand. Insects lured by the seeming flower are incon- tinently disillusioned ' when they settle upon it.—Scientific American. datory habits. The mantis is really e four -legged insect, for the fore limbs are so modified that they Can- not, under any, circumstances, be used in walking, and are no more properly, termed legs than would be the arms of men or the wings of: birds. They, are, in ,1aet,'the natural weapons of the insect, and are used for nothing else than fighting and for capturing prey. An insect discovered by; Wood Mas- on masquerades sometimes as a pink and at others as a wbite orchid. Tlie whole f lower insect is either con - spiel -0;161y white or of a resplendent pink color, aria both in color and form, perfectly imitates a flower. The lower or'apparently anterior pe- tal of an orchidaceous blossom, the labelium, often of a very cutlet's shape, is represented by the abdo- men of the insect, -wile the parts wli'ieh might be taken regarding it as an insect, for its wings, are ac- tually, the femurs of the two pairs o.r posterior •limbs, so greatly ex- panded, :lattened and shaped in such manner as to represent the re- maining petals of the flower. As the mantis vests, bead dow'nward, amid the stems and leaves of a plant, the forelegs drawn in so that theyi cannot be seen, the thighs of tbe two hind ones radiating out on each side, and the thorax and the abdo- men raised at right angles to each other, the insect might easily at first sight deceive more discriminating en- tomologists titan the honey -seekers that settle upon it. An allied species, exactly resemb- ling a pink orchid, is mentioned by' Dr. Wallace, on the authority of Sir Charles Dilke, as Inh'ebiting Java. Its specialty is alluring and capturing butterflies. The expect- ed guest having arrived, the seem- ing feast spread out for his delec- tation arises and devours him. Prof. S. Kurz, while 'at Pegu, lower Burmah, saw what he sup- posed to be an orchid of a spe- cies unfamiliar to him, but upon examination fotund it to be a mantis of the genus Crongylus. As is common with the habit of its subsoils are rendered more reten- tive of moisture by having the par- ticles of which! they are composed separated from we another—in a word, by pulverization. This in- creased capacity to' contalp moisture by attraction • is the greatest security against drought. The plants in a dry time send their rootlets throughout the soil, and flourish in the moisture thus stored up for their time of need. Soils tee are always wet, so that large amounts of water evaporate from their surfaces, never become warm. The sun has great power to warm dry eons, or soils which permit of a free circulation of air, but it has little effect DTI a saturated soil. Warmth is essential to the germina- tion of seeds and the proper growth of silents. Farmers wlio are cultivat- ing what is known as a "cold" soil will be the first to oonoede the im- portance of this fact. Other advantages of under -drain- ing many be mentioned, ouch as the longer season of crop growth conse- quent on the earlier seeding of drain- ed land ; the comparative: freedom of fall wheat and clover from freezing out or winter killing; the absence of open drains, which are a decided nulsanes in the cultivation of the land and the harvesting of the crop; and, fast of all, the removal from the soil of those soluble salts formed by the decay bf rock and organic mat- ter, which cannot be used by plants and the presence of which In the soil causes the condition known as "al- kali laud." s t Department of Agriculture, Ot- . tawa, Commissioners' Branch. ROMANCE OF A DIAMOND. The Excelsior Claimed to be the Largest South African Diamond. In the circle whose members make a living out of dealing in diamonds, says M. A. P., there is a keen lutes. - est just now in the operation about to be performed 'tat Amsterdam on the "Exoelslor," wdiich is claimed to be not only the largest diamond found in South AfricK'a, but tho largest stone of its kind in the world. So it may be, writes my Indian corre- spondent, an appropriate moment to rceall the romantic rilstory of the Dam Pedro diamond, about which there was eo muck excitement a. few years ago. When the unfortunate Emperor Dom Pedro was deported from. Brazil. Isis greet it,iamond soon came into the private market. An tat - tempt was ri i.de• to sell it to the Kling—tarn Prince of Wales—who did not like to liege anything to do with the painful busincs's. Then the attt•ntio:i ;:11.' turned to India, where the well k,lown f nancier, Mr. Jacobs, of Simla and Calcutta (tilts original, by 'the way, of Marion Crawtord';s "14r. Isaac") iuok the matter in hand. Eventually eaab: arranged the sale of to stu:ie Lo alba \:z:ciu of Hydera- bad for 46 lakhs, which, if the, ru- pee were at it1, nominal value, rep - repents a sum of £46:),000. Tiio Nizam deposited '28 lakh,t with the bank which Read possession of the dia- mond, tile deal having been carried out by means of a glees rrrl:ca and the expert description given by elr. Jacobs. But There's many a slip between a deal and a diamond, and one Happen- ed here, the interruption coming from a slip of an. Irish boy, Sir Don- nie Fitzpntrfek, at that timo i:ritiah rc,slgent at the Ancient court of Hy- derabad. It is the bustness of the lritish retsident in a native state to advise—ants tacitly control—the chief of the state ; and Sir Dennis went to the Nizam, and asked him if he realized that there would probably, en the general prospects, be a fain- Ino In Iiyeerab:ad the following sea- son, and if 1:o could imagine what itis starving subjects would do to him If they knew he bad squandered 46 lakhis on another diamond for his turban. Seldom had such a forcible .argument been used in official or diplomatic affairs. Shuddering at the thought of scimitars at his throat or hand -bombs hang up into hie how - dab, the alarmed Nizam sent off at ante to Jacobs to quash the bargain. Quito naturally the latter refused to bo east off thus peremptorily, but a rosy days afterward lie took steamer away. from Calcutta. This raised an alarm, en account of 'tile 23 lakh,s dc,po$ted, and Jacobs was arrested before the vessel got clear in the Hooghly. After n long trial, in which ill the bar leaders in India were en- gaged, the matter was settled by Jacobs returning the 23 lakbe to the Nizam and receiving ee,00:) to cover ll,s expenses over the transaction. REGARD ERYSIPELAS as n•dnn„erousdisease. Anoint the swollen Itching skin with Weaver's Comte, reduced. with lard or sweet otl 11 it smarts sharply. Take 1, eaver's Syrup. FLOWERS OF PREY. Insects of Form and Color of Orchids erhieli Their Prey Think Plants. Probably, in ;sonic respects, the most surprising roesul1 of late en- tomological explorations is the dis- covery of Semblances of orcbideceous flowers endowed with animal life and voracious carnivorous appe- tites, that seize end incontinently, devour insect vegeearians tivliioh, rehired by their form and color, in- cautiously,' Ught upon them. nese Slower insects belong to the curious family D2antidae, of which we have a,;well knnern member in our Southern States, Phasmoinantis car - ellen, commonly called "praying mantle," though it the first part or the name was spelled with an e instead of an "a," it would be far more appropriate, sines no known insect is more bloodthirsty, and des- tructive of smaller and weaker In- dividuals belonging to its class. Its form IS cliai'aeteri,stic of its pre- BRITISIi NATIONAL PHYSIQUE. official Report Shows its Deteriora- tion in Recruits. The physical unfitness of a large proportion of the mea offering themselves as • recruits for the army in England is strikingly brought out by the recent report of the Director -General, Army Med- ical Service, which' was published by the War Office in the form of a Parliamentary paper. During the ten years just past no less than a ,bout- 35 per cent. of those medically examined were rejected on various grounds, but many that were too evidently un- fit on reporting were not examin- ed at all,. so that the total of the rejections amounted to so per cent., or three out of every five. It is, therefore, an undoubted fact, that at the present time a very considerable proportion of the young men of the country, espeol- ally in the towns, are physically defective and unfit for military service. The Army and Navy Gazette, is commenting on this state or a.f fairs, says: "Fortunately, this is not the case as regards the entire population, but only those of the poorer classes. It is from the latter, however, that the 'bulk of the men desiring to be soldiers come. Owing to the ad- vance of sanitary science, and to the encouragement of athletic: sports, the general physique of the upper and middle classes is improv- ing rather than deteriorating. "It is a deplorable fact that in wealthy Enela.nil Borne 1;,000,000 of the people, dwellers in overcrowded towns, are in re state of actual poverty. The bulk of 'til'e hien seek- ing e:ilistment belong to this cate- gory." In this connection the Director - General remarks, in his report: "Were alt classes of the cemtnune lay able to provide their offspring with ample food and air Space a healthy race would be produced' and the proper material to fill the ranks of the army would probably; soon be obtained.' The new scheme of army organa- zation for the 13s'itish; army re- quires 50,000 recruits a year, but the Director -General's report shawls that only 68,000 art examined an- nually, and of these about 28,500 are rejected, giving a deficiency of 6,600 per annum, which England' hopes to make up by colosilal air- sistanca