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ARTICLE III.—MIRIAM.

AND when the cloud was lifted from those three,

Lo Miriam was leprous, white as snow!

The people stood aghast, and shrank away

As shadow-like she passed. Straight through the camp
She took her way, the prophetess, the chief
Of women; who had heard the Highest speak
In holy dreams; who had declared his ways
And sung His praise; lo, now an outcast, vile,
With covered face, and thrust without the camp.
Men stood amazed, and death-like silence fell
Upon the host, as Miriam hastened on,
And muttered in a hoarse and broken voice,
Unclean, unclean!

Then stirred my heart within me,
And I ran and touched her, seized her hand.
My mistress, oh, my mistress-so I cried-
Let me go with thee! while a sullen roar
Arose from all the watching crowd-thou too
Art now unclean,-and loudest shrieked the voice
Of those I loved, the dear ones in the tent.
But on my father's face I saw a smile,
(His was the house of Levi) and he said—
Go, child, and comfort her, I'll bring thee food.

So forth we fared together, she and I,

For she held fast my hand, although no word
She spoke. Through all that sea of eager folk
We passed. 'Twas like the Red sea passage with
Its massive walls of water, which I scarce
Remember, such a child was I. But these
Were living walls, with curious human eyes,
Some mocking, some rejoicing at the fall
Of Miriam, the noblest of them all,
And some with pity for her, and with tears.

So went we onward through that mighty host
And stood without the camp. And there were men
Who pitched a tent for Miriam, at command

Of

my lord Moses; some fresh water brought, And some great sacks of wool and all the while She stood apart, in gloomy silence wrapt

As in a shroud. When all was done the men
Moved off, and presently my father came.
Upon his arm some badger's skins he bore,
And in his hand a cruse of milk, and dates,
And manna, freshly gathered at the dawn.
He set them on the ground, for he, a priest,
Might not approach to anything unclean.
Thy father's God shall bless thee, child, he said,
And thee, too, mighty Miriam ; and thou

Shalt see again the visions of the Lord

And hear His voice more plainly than before.
Whereat she smiled a rueful smile, and bowed
Her head, but spake no word.

And now the day

Was gone, and evening chill fell cold among
The mountain peaks of Hazeroth. I prayed
My mistress then to eat, and built a fire,
And begged her come and warm herself. But she
Beside the tent door sat, and shook her head.
And then the stars began to shine, and glowed
The cloudy pillar, hanging o'er the camp.
Whereon my mistress spoke in gentle tones
And bade me sleep, for she, she said, must watch
A while. Obedient, then I laid me down,
But purposed in my heart to watch also.
I must have slept, for presently I woke,

And saw the moon late rising o'er the hills
Look through the tent door. There sat Miriam
Erect and strong, her white hair not more white

Than was her ashen face, and she sang low:
Sing ye to the Lord for he hath triumphed
Gloriously. She ceased, and bowed her to the earth.
Full well am I called Miriam, she cried,
Exalted, yea exalted once, when I

Led forth the women in the joyful dance

With timbrel and with song, and praised the Lord;

Now bitterness I taste as of the sea.

She bowed herself again and ceased. And then

After long pause of silent agony

Broke forth anew: My little Moses, mine,

Belov'd, son of my soul, whose tender life

These young arms held. Who watched o'er thee upon
The banks of treacherous Nile? Who quickly ran
And faced the princess proud, with good excuse
To call a nurse, and brought thee home again?
Thy life was in my hand; my maiden breast
For thee knew all a mother's fears and joys,
First born, most dear art thou of all my sons.
And when I saw thee learned in the arts
Of Egypt, how my soul rejoiced in thee,
And pride and love conjoined to call thee mine!
My brother! Did not all that ancient love
That service, and my older years, my gifts
Of prophecy, my holy dreams, give me

Some right of judgment when thou prov'st thyself
A man, and takest thee an alien wife?

Again a pause, and longer than before,
And then in tones more resolute she spoke :
The bitterness is mine, I drain the cup,
And lo, the dregs turn honey in my mouth.
I said, I see, and so was blind; I said,
I know, and so was but a fool. The gift
Of God is given to him who can receive.
He gave me gifts, and I but shut them out,
Not seeing in the light that His gifts shed,
But in my pride of darkness. Whereas he,
My brother, saw the glory of the Lord,
Had open vision, heard the voice of God,
Yet was withal so meek, that in my pride
I said my gifts are equal his, and made
My older years excuse for judgment, turned
My love to uses base, and rashly wrought
Sedition in the camp. Love gives no right

To sit in judgment on another's acts.

Each stands or falls to God alone-the Just,
The Wise, the Wonderful, I bless His name.

Again she ceased. The night was spent, the east
Flushed with the tint of dawn upon the hills.
She rose, and stood beside the open door.
The light fell on her, lo, her leprosy

Had vanished; pure and smooth her noble brow,
The flush of dawn was painted on her cheek.
There stood she, tall, commanding as of yore,
But with a softened grace, as stately palms
Bedewed with rain; and, as the sun arose,
Arose her voice, sonorous, strong and clear,
Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed
Gloriously.

CAROLINE HAZARD.

ARTICLE IV.-DR. KELLOGG'S "LIGHT OF ASIA AND LIGHT OF THE WORLD."

THE motive of Dr. Kellogg in writing this interesting and instructive book is given by him in his introduction, and sympathy with that motive has prompted the following review. He says: "There is reason to believe that a large class, even of Christian people, have a most exaggerated idea of the excellence of the great non-christian religions, and the extent to which their teachings agree with those of the Gospel of Christ." It was the wish to correct the widespread misconception of the likeness between Christianity and Buddhism that prompted him to write the book under consideration. The reader does not proceed far in it before feeling that he is being guided in thought by a man thoroughly conversant with his subject, and honest. in his purpose to give credit to Buddhism for all that is true and good in it, whether as a system of religion or of ethics. But while treating Buddhism with the utmost candor, he announces in the outset that he is writing for a purpose, and not from the standpoint of religious indifference. He urges that he has a right to take his stand upon the ascertained truths of Christianity in his investigations of the teachings of other religious systems. The astronomer does not ignore the facts already in his possession in his further study of the heavens, but makes those facts the basis of his researches; so the scholar should use the accepted facts of Christianity in studying other religions. To reject truth already in possession is to disqualify one's self for the discovery of further truth, or to discriminating truth from error.

NOTE.-The following paper is a summary of the first four chapters of Dr. Kellogg's "Light of Asia and Light of the World," giving the results but not the processes of the discussion. Thoughts of the writer have sometimes been introduced without sharply distinguishing them from the thoughts of the author he is following, but such passages have only been introduced to make emphatic some important truth by giving it further application; and it is hoped that the conclusions of the author have in no passage been misrepresented.-D. Z. SHEFFIELD.

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