Newspaper Page Text
CLIPPINGS FROM THE ANCIENT PRESS
The Story of Joseph and His
‘Brethren.
As it might habe appeared in the newspapers published
in the ancient times.
SLAIN BY WILD BEASTS.
(From The Bethlehem Journal.)
Mr. Jacob, the well known herdsman who comes
so often to our little city, is bowed down with
grief today at the sudden and awful death of Jo
seph, the next to the youngest of his sons, and the
oldest of the two sons of Rachel, who was liTs fa
vorite wife. About a month ago, Reuben, Simeon,
• Levi, Judah, Issaehar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali,
Gad and Asher, other sons of the old man, were
sent by him with a large flock of sheep and goats
to the rich pasture lands around Dothan. The pas
turage in this section has been very poor on account
of the dry weather and it was hoped that over
about Dothan the flocks might become fat enough
to be marketed in a few weeks.
Not hearing from his sons as soon as he hoped to
he sent Joseph to find them and bring him word
how the flocks were getting along. The boy has
always been quite a favorite with the father and
he has given him many tokens of his love, among
them, a beautiful parti-colored coat to be worn
upon state occasions. This he wore when he went
in search of his brothers.
Yesterday the ten brothers returned with their
Hocks and with them they brought the parti-colored
coat. It was wrinkled almost beyond recognition
and covered with blood and dirt. They found it
under some bushes on the other side of Dothan.
The ground on every side showed signs of a strug
gle and the surrounding bushes were smeared with
blood. The men had not found the pasturage
good about Dothan and they decided to push on lo
Shechem, fifteen miles to the north. On their
return toward home they found the coat. The
supposition is that some wild beast surprised the
Loy and killed him as he was traveling.alone and
unarmed. The blow is a terrible one to the father
and he is prostrated with grief. Although the
best pepole in the community have called upon him
to tender their sympathies to him, he refuses to be
comforted.
SOLD INTO SLAVERY.
(From The Shechem Herald.)
Last night a band of Ishmaelites, on their way
from Gilead to Egypt to trade, spent the night in
Shechem. They camped in the public square and
attracted considerable attention for they had with
them a number of young men purchased at differ
ent places along the road and destined for the slave
market in Memphis.
A reporter of the Herald talked with some of the
men and had a conversation with several of the
slaves. One of them was quite a boy. He was
bought only yesterday. His face and his body were
badly bruised and he was so sore from the rough
treatment he had received that he could hardly walk.
He told a most interesting story as to how he came
to be in the possession of the Ishmaelites. It seems
that he is one of a large family, as he has ten
brothers. Just where they live the reporter failed
to learn.
These brothers were in charge of a large flock of
sheep and he had been sent to them with a mes
sage. He had been searching for them for several
days and finally located them in a fertile valley
five miles to the east of Shechem. He was not
very popular with the other brothers because he
had been having some dreams about them that
made them think he regarded himself as superior
to them. He had dreamed on one occasion that
they were all binding wheat in the field together
when, all of a sudden, the sheaves they had bound
rose up, gathered about his sheaf and bowed down
to it. It was the general impression among the
brothers that he was the favorite of the father.
Not very long ago they were guilty of some very
Immoral -conduct. He kgijew of it and had told the
The Golden Age for December 20, 1906.
By ALEX W. BEALER
father about it and he, in turn, gave them a very
sharp rebuke.
Yesterday, as he approached them in the field,
one of them cried out, “Here comes our dreamer,
let’s put him out of the way where he will dream
no more.” He had no idea that they really in
tended to harm him and he approached them to de
liver his message. They seized upon him, and,
stripping off his outer garments, were preparing
to kill him, when another brother said: 1 ‘ Shed no
blood, boys; but cast him into that pit over there.
Lay no hands in violence upon him.”
They adopted this suggestion and hurried him
toward the pit. He begged them not to cast him
into the deep pit, and not to leave him alone to die,
but heeding not his entreaties they dragged him
along and cast him headlong to the bottom of the
pit. He was bruised and stunned by the fall, but
as soon as he recovered he could hear them talk
ing together as they seemed to be eating dinner not
far from the pit. He called to them again and
again but they heeded not his calls. He could
hear them planning to take his coat and dip it in
the blood of a kid so that they could tell his
father that he had been slain by the wild beasts.
Their voices died away and he was left alone to
face a horrible death, for he had no means of
climbing out of the pit.
After some time had elapsed, the boy heard them
coming back and his heart leaped for joy for he
felt that he was to be delivered and that he had
only been made the victim of a practical joke.
They drew him out, but instead of taking him with
them, sold him for twelve dollars and a half to
these wandering traders. They are going to sell
him as a slave when they get down into Egypt.
Before the name of the boy or that of his father
could be learned, the reporter was discovered by
the leader of the band and driven out of the
camp. A few hours later the company left and by
this time they are well on their way to Egypt.
A SLAVE PUT IN JAIL.
(From The Memphis News.)
A young Hebrew slave, the property of Captain
Potiphar, chief of the police force, was yesterday
put in the city prison for an indefinite period.
It is but a repetition of the old story of the
man who was bitten by the reptile he had warmed
to life in his bosom. The details of the story are not
Hl. for publication. Suffice it to say that the young
slave, Joseph by name, offered a gross and unpar
donable insult to Mrs. Potiphar, wife of the cap
tain.
The story is very unusual from start to finish
and bears within it much of human interest. 'Cap
tain Potiphar found this young man in the slave
market on Nile street. He had just come in, hav
ing been brought here for sale by a band of Ish
maelites who come from Gilead. The intelligent
face of the young man attracted the Captain’s at
tention and he purchased him, paying for him the
sum of one hundred and fifty dollars.
The young man had a number of peculiarities.
One of them was that he refused to worship the
deities of Egypt but worships what he calls the
true God of heaven. From this God he seemed to
get a supernatural power. Seeing this, Captain
Potiphar gave him some responsible work to do.
He did it so well that he was made overseer over
all the business that came into his hands. He was
trusted implicitly and had a more honorable posi
tion, probably, than any other slave in the city.
The captain reposed the most perfect confidence in
him.
In spite of all this the young man offered a gross
insult to Mrs. Potiphar a few days ago. He en
tered her private apartments and she tried to drive
him out but not until she screamed did he flee,
leaving a part of his robe in her hands. As soon
as Captain Potiphar heard of the occurrence on
his return to the city yesterday he found his wife
in a nervous collapse and he immediately had the
ungrateful slave put in jail.
FROM THE CELL TO THE THRONE.
(From The Memphis News.)
From a prison cell to the favor of the king and
to a throne of power is a step that is not often
taken by a man of this day and time and yet that
is just what happened to a young prisoner yester
day. ’
The story of the upward step is one of absorbing
interest. A few nights ago His Majesty, Pha
raoh, had a remarkable dream. He was standing
on the banks of the Nile when he saw seven sleek
cows come forth from the river and begin to feed
upon the rich grasses in the meadow below the pal
ace. While he stood there seven other cows very
poor came out of the river and proceeded to devour
the fat cows. It was such an astonishing perform
ance that the king awoke. He dropped off to
sleep again and dreamed another dream. He saw
a splendid stalk of* corn come up with seven well
filled oars upon it. As he looked seven thin ears,
blasted by the east wind, came out upon the stalk
and devoured the good ears.
The king sought among the magicians for an in
terpretation to his dream but they could not, give
it. He was about to despair when his chief butler
told him that there was a young Hebrew in the city
prison who could interpret dreams. He recalled
how he himself had had a dream and it had been
interpreted correctly for him by the young pris
oner. Pharaoh summoned the young man and
learned that he had been sent to prison for offering
an insult to Mrs, Potiphar, the wife of Captain
Potiphar. The king told his dream lo the young
man and he replied that he could not interpret it,
but his God could. When he heard the dreams he
said that God was only telling Pharaoh what He
was about to do. The seven tat cows ami the
seven full ears of corn denote that seven years of
unprecedented prosperity are coming upon Egypt,
but the seven lean cows and the seven blasted ears
of corn denote that they are to be followed by
seven years of dreadful famine.
The young prisoner spoke as one who was certain
of his information and he advised the king to ap
point a. wise man to gather in corn during the seven
years of plenty, so that the people should not suf
fer during the seven years of famine. Pharaoh in
quired into the imprisonment of the young man
and found that he had been a trusty in the prison
for nearly two years. He also learned that lie
was entirely innocent of the crime charged to him.
It seems that Mrs. Potiphar had become enamored
of the handsomest young man ami, failing to win ins
affections, trumped up the story that caused him
to be placed in prison. Having satisfied himself
as to the integrity of Joseph and finding that the
God in whom he trusts has 'worked wonders through
him, the king yesterday issued an order making
■him governor in Egypt and instructing him lo gath
er up corn against the day of tannine. His majes
ty and the new governor are today making out a
list of the men who will be appointed to help in
this work and within the next few days a contract
will be let for the erection of several of the largest
barns that have ever been built in Egypt.
♦ Only One Pair.
Mamma—“Why, Johnny, what is the matter?”
Johnny—“ M-my new s-shoes hurt my f-feet.”
Mamma—“No wonder, dear; you have them on
the wrong feet.”
Johnny—“ W-well, I c-can’t help it. I ain’t
g-got no other f-feet. 800-hoo-oo! ” —'Chicago
News.
For Men Only.
Sunday School Teacher, reprovingly—Georgia,
do you know where little boys go when they don’t
come to Sunday school?
Georgie (greatly embarrassed) —Yes’m, down to
the river behind that big sycamore—but don’t you
go, it’s only for men.
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