trong young men of the country
went out to fight against these invaders, and among them went the sons
of old Jesse. Nobody stayed at home except the old men, the women and
the younger boys and little ones. The whole country was turned into a
moving camp, and there arrived a time before long when Israel and the
Philistines each on a rolling hill, with a valley between them, set
their battle in array.

I once supposed that battles were fought on open plains, with soldiers
confronting one another in plain sight, as we set out toy regiments of
wooden warriors to fight for children's amusement. But since then, in my
later years, I have seen the old battlefields of our Civil War and I
know better. Soldiers fight behind trees and barns and fences, and in
the shelter of hedges and ditches, and a timbered mountain side makes a
fine place for a battle ground.

Now I will quote a passage or two from a certain old book, which tells
this part of the story in much finer style than I can. The old book is a
familiar one, and is full of splendid stories for all the year round. I
wish the young people who read this holiday book would make a point
hereafter of looking every day in that treasure-house, the Bible.

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines,
named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a
coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels
of brass.

And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass
between his shoulders.

And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his
spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a
shield went before him.

And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto
them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a
Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and
let him come down to me.

If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be
your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then
shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give
me a man, that we may fight together.

When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they
were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Now