Fair to Look Upon | Page 8

by some sudden and tragic death, Rebekah slyly and
seductively smiled upon "the men of the place" from the fact that a
little farther on we read that the King issued a mandate, saying:
"He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
The King knew that Isaac was favored of the Lord, and he was afraid of
some swift and condign punishment if Isaac became offended by the

amorous attentions of any of his subjects to Rebekah, so he gave the
order to the men.
You will readily discern by that command that he was a keen and
intelligent student of female character, and knew there was no use or
reason in appealing to her sense of justice, her obedience to, or respect
for law, or her regard for the "eternal fitness of things" in a case of the
affections, and so he appealed to the fear and obedience of the men, for
he realized that no man's pleading, no King's command, no threats from
heaven or fears of hell can stop a woman's coquetry.
A little farther on Esau went the way of all young men and married, and
worse than that he married Judith the daughter of a Hittite, "which was
a grief of mind unto Rebekah and Isaac."
We know that one of Rebekah's strongest points was putting herself on
record for doing something that no woman ever did before that we have
any authorized statement of, and she did it in this case by being the first
woman who hated her daughter-in-law.
[Illustration: (Esau cheated out of his blessing.)]
As we read on we find she was not the meek, submissive and obedient
wife we are told women should be.
She systematically and continually had her own way, in spite of
husband, sons, kings, men, God or angels.
[Illustration: "AND REBEKAH WAS--A WOMAN."]
We discover that by a succession of deceptions, tricks and chicanery
she cheated Esau out of his blessing, obtained it for Jacob, and
deceived and deluded her dying husband, all at one fell swoop.
It is but just to Jacob to say that he objected to putting himself in his
brother's place, but Rebekah said, "only obey my voice," and he
obeyed--of course.

The men were always obedient, as the Bible proves conclusively. They
obeyed everybody and anybody--kings, mothers, wives, sweethearts
and courtesans.
But where can we find any evidence of the vaunted obedience of
woman?
Not among the prominent women of the Bible at least.
Rebekah influenced her husband in all matters, advanced one son's
interests and balked another's aims, prospects and ambitions. In short
she played her cards with such consummate skill that she captured
everything she cared to take.
Jacob was obedient, complimentary, submissive and loving and
Rebekah was--a woman.

A WOMAN'S MONUMENT.

A WOMAN'S MONUMENT.
[Illustration: (And there came two angels to Sodom.)]
"And there came two angels to Sodom, at even."
Now Lot and his wife were residents of Sodom, and they entertained in
the most courteous and hospitable manner the angels who were the
advance guards of the destruction that was about to sweep the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah into oblivion, leaving only a blazing ash-strewn
tradition to scare the slumbers of the wicked, and stalk a warning
specter down the paths of iniquity through unborn ages.
And the softening twilight fell upon the doomed but unconscious cities.
Unpitying Nature smiled joyously. The cruel sun, possibly knowing the
secret of the angels, gayly flaunted his myriad colors, and disappeared
in a blaze of glory without wasting one regret upon the wicked cities he

would see no more forever.
No angelic hand wrote in blazing letters one word of warning across
the star-gemmed scroll of heaven; but the song rung out on the evening
breezes, laughter rose and fell and the red wine flowed; women danced
lightly on the brink of destruction and men jested on the edge of the
grave.
And yet some rumor of these angels and their errand must have reached
the fated cities, for after Lot had dined and wined them before they
retired, "the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the
house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter."
And Lot went out and tried to pacify them, but his eloquence and his
pleading were in vain, and they said, "Stand back." And they said again,
"This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge."
[Illustration: "AND LOT WENT OUT AND TRIED TO PACIFY
THEM."]
And I imagine there was a great tumult and confusion, angry words,
flashing eyes and an ominous surging to and fro, "and they pressed sore
upon the man, even Lot," but still he pleaded the defense of the angels,