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About The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 1892)
THE HESPERIAN 13 "Behold and hearken! The land of the Office-seekers is indeed a mighty land, but it shall be wiped from the earth if ye repent not. Turn from the paths of the other evil prophets and follow us. We shall not pro tect ye from the wicked who dwell across the Atlantic, but will mako of ye a strong and mighty nation, so that you may smite them and punish ihem." And these prophets were hearkened to more and more, and they also were of the tribe of the Boodleitcs. But others of the prophets cried: "Be hold, what a dark and gloomy land is this, where no man has his wants supplied, where the tillers of the soil arc accursed! Follow us, all ye miserable, and we will take from the rich men all their gold and their silver and their shining brass." And the poor and hungry tillers of the soil followed these prophets in great multitudes, and were sore smitten with the plague. But the rich men mocked them and called them Howlers Cal ainitatis. Now, the rest of the prophets were few, and they were not sorclv stricken with the pestilence, nor cried aloud in the market places greatly; for they drank neither wine nor strong drink, and they were of a noble tribe, from the generation of Moses unto the generation of Henrius George. For they came out of the land of the Crankites. Now, it came to pass in that year that the people of the land of Office-seekers were moved to choose them a new king, and the prophets commanded them which to choose. For lo, this was a great country, where the people were ruled by the prophets and sooth sayers. Now, some of the Office-seekers said: "Let us have our old king, for indeed his ancestors were noble men." But others of iha Office-seekers said : "Let us have the chief of the Knicker bockers. For behold, he is a man of mighty flesh, skilled in smiting the slayers of men." And the prophets raised up many men who craved to be king. Then the Office- seekers waxed strong as the day for the cast ing of lots came near. And when the appointed day was come, they went all into the great places and cast the lots. And behold, the Office-seekers cast the lot for the man of mighty flesh, that it might not be fulfilled what most of the prophets had spoken. Now, the tribe of the Bug-eaters was smitten with the Febris Politicus more than any other tribe. For lo, the Office-seekers were many in their land, and the young men in the places of learning did wax exceeding sick with the disease, and wasted their strength in their tomrues. Then the time came for the men of the land of the Bug-enters to choose a great warrior to go to the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem, and the Sooth-sayers told them and com manded them which to choose. But they obeyed not the commands of the chief pro phets. For they cast lots, and chose the greatest of all their warriors. And they sent him to the Sanhedrim, that he might fill their money-bags full to over-flowing with shining silver. And the people of the land of Bug-eaters chose them also a single king. For they were tired of having many chiefs; and they had loan hated their chief whom the Phari sees and Saducees had placed over them. For behold; it had come to pass that the Pharisees and Sadducees loved each other with a love that passeth all understanding, and they had chosen a chief from out of the Erinites to rule over the land of the Bug eaters. And the People punished the Pharisees and Sadducees for their evil deeds, that it might be fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: "They shall place them in a dark dungeon in the'jail of Public Opinion, and at the end of two years they shall take them to open places called the Polls, and shall stone them to death with many stones." But the Pharisees and Sadducees bribed with many bribes, and plotted wickedly, so that the chief whom the People chose might not wear the crown. And they declared a man who dwelt not in the land of the Bug eaters, but ar Jerusalem, to be the rightful chief. And the People submitted with fear ful hearts. Then the pestilence passed from the land mm f ,,-