d there from the west
and the north. And it was often difficult to distinguish their
descent. Our carpenter was born in the south of Judaea, in the town of
Bethlehem, which, in olden times, had been the native place of King
David. Joseph, the carpenter, was not unwilling to speak of that, and
even to let it be known that he was of the house of David, the great
king. But yet he might well have thought it a finer thing to rise up
from below than to come down from above. And is it not so? Does not
man rise up from below, and God come down from high? In his boyhood
David was a shepherd; it is said that he slew the leader of the enemy
with stones from his sling, and that was why he rose so high. Now for
that reason, and because Joseph, the carpenter, was glad to visit his
native town once again, and to take his wife with him and show her the
land of his youth, the enrolment of the people was right pleasing unto
him. So the two made their plans, and set out for Bethlehem. It was
three days' journey and more, and they might well have complained. If
a workman to-day has not all that is of the best, he should think of
Master Joseph, who always cared more for good work than good money.
They probably took a packet of food with them from home, and the bride
was often obliged to rest by the way. The path over the rocky
mountains was difficult and tiring, and they had to pass through the
suspected land of Samaria. But Joseph never grumbled. And at last
they reached Judaea. And when they came upon ancient monuments, he
liked to stop, first in order to see how they were built, and then to
ponder over the great men and great deeds of olden times. They spent a
night at a place called Bethel, and there Joseph dreamed that he saw a
ladder before him, and that it reached from earth to heaven. And
Joseph thought, if the rungs would bear him, he might perhaps ascend
it; meanwhile, he saw how an angel, robed in white, slowly descended it
until he came down to where Joseph was. But when Joseph stretched out
his hand to him, the angel was no longer to be seen. Joseph awoke, and
the sweet dream filled his soul. It was the place where once the
Patriarch Jacob saw the heavenly ladder, and there it had remained ever
since, so that angels might continually descend and ascend between
heaven and earth. And then they cheerfully continued their way.
Joseph was afraid when he heard the jackals shriek in the desert and
saw the Bedouin c