this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them, the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed time thereof, every year; and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the remembrance of them perish from their seed.

Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. And he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had ordained for themselves and for their seed, in the matter of the fastings and their cry. And the commandment of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.

And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

This selection gives the Hebraic answer to the riddle of existence. Note the style: concise, picturesque, graphic, and concrete; but seven short paragraphs and the story of the creation is told.

For other accounts of the origin of the earth and man, the pupil may consult the Encyclopædia Britannica under "Babylonia and Assyria,'' and Gayley's Classic Myths.

III. THE EXPULSION FROM EDEN

In this brief selection we have a simple account of the other great problem of humanity, the solution of which man has ever sought the origin of evil. These three paragraphs present the tragedy of tragedies in human history, man's getting out of harmony with God through disobedience. It is a dramatic presentation of the endless struggle within the heart of man; the conflict between duty and inclination; between the higher and the lower natures; the conflict commonly called temptation and looked upon by the great dramatists as a testing of the soul.

Caedmon, "the first English poet whose name we know," writing in the seventh century, drew material from these early stories. Milton's Paradise Lost is, of course, the most elaborate handling of the old theme which we here find in its original simplicity.

IV. CAIN AND ABEL

We must imagine a considerable lapse of time between the events of III and IV, for we find that the worship of God has been established, the institution of sacrifices has come into existence, there are other tribes, and the "tribal mark' is spoken of as something that would be readily comprehended. The compactness and brevity of the narrative are striking. Characterization is for the first time in evidence. Like III, it is most suggestive and one reading cannot give its full significance.

The

question of Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper?'' is finding its answer in modern sociological activities.

The greatest literary masterpiece inspired directly by the story of Cain and Abel is Byron's drama Cain, concerning which Sir Walter Scott said Byron had equaled Milton on his own ground.

V. NOAH AND THE FLOOD

The Babylonian records show interesting parallel accounts. A suggestive theme subject would be, "An imaginary conversation among the eight persons in the ark," the student attempting to express his thoughts and feelings from the beginning of the rain to the time when the flood receded. Another suitable subject would be "The first rainbow," that "triumphal arch" which was to be the pledge of the new covenant and concerning which the poet Campbell has written:

"When o'er the green undeluged earth
Heaven's covenant thou didst shine,
How came the world's gray fathers forth
To watch thy sacred sign!

And when its yellow luster smiled

O'er mountains yet untrod,

Each mother held aloft her child,

To bless the bow of God."

IX. THE BIRTH OF ISAAC AND THE PROMISE CONCERNING ISHMAEL

This deserves a place in our collection because of its significance in Hebrew history and in the history of the Arabs, who were descendants of Ishmael. These latter people have ever been antagonists of the Hebrews and of the later religion which grew out of the Jewish.

X.

THE SUPREME TEST OF ABRAHAM

This is one of the best and most significant of the early parts of the book of Genesis. Abraham had already shown his great faith by leaving his home and his country, but he who was to be called "The Friend of God" must stand one more

test, the severest of all.

He must prove his willingness to

sacrifice his dearest possession, the son in whom all his hopes centered. Inasmuch as human sacrifices were then common, and inasmuch as a father had absolute control over the members of his family, it was but natural that Abraham should take the command literally. The boy's life was spared for larger purposes. The human interest of the incident is noteworthy.

In this connection the student should read the story of Agamemnon's offering of Iphigenia to Artemis. Consult Bulfinch's Age of Fable, or any other good work on classic mythology.

XI. THE WOOING AND WINNING OF REBEKAH

What are the strong points in this narrative? Can you recal any modern American story of Colonial days that is in some respects similar? Why was Abraham unwilling that his son marry a Canaanite woman? Comment upon the ending of this story. Would you call the story idyllic?

XII. THE STORY OF ESAU SELLING HIS BIRTHRIGHT AND OF JACOB SUPPLANTING ESAU

The narrative clearly portrays the characters of the two men. Esau was a man of impulse; with him the present was all. Jacob, with an eye to the future, reveals his shrewdness in bargaining for his brother's birthright for a paltry price. Note, also, how Jacob later outwitted his brother in securing his father's blessing, without which the cheaply secured birthright would have been of little avail. What are the dramatic elements of the scene?

Notice how the feud which naturally ensued became the source of many difficulties lasting for years. Search for the reason for the change in Jacob, who later became a man of spiritual vision valuing the things that count. The deeper meaning of this story will be apparent later.

XIII. JACOB'S DREAM

As we shall have frequent occasion to observe, dreams play an important part in the events of the Old Testament. This story