THE CALL OF SAMUEL
(Enter the Prologue.)
Prologue: This is the story of the call of Samuel. The scene is Shiloh, before the door of the tabernacle. Lo, there entereth Eli, priest of Israel. (Prologue withdraws.)
(Eli, the old priest, enters, and stands praying.) Eli: O Lord God, turn thou my sons, I pray thee, from their evil ways. Lo, they come yonder, full of wine and drink, a disgrace to mine old age.
(Hophni and Phinehas come swaggering in, arm in arm. One has a jug of wine; he drinks and hands it to the other. Eli raises a trembling hand toward them.)
Hophni: Hi there, old man, art going to chide again?
Phinehas (mockingly): Do not show anger, for anger doth not become a man of God.
Eli: My sons, why will ye tempt the Lord your God? Turn from your evil ways and pray. (Lays a hand on Hophni.)
Hophni (jerking away): I pray not, I! Thou hast ever said the Lord was slow to anger.
Eli: Yea, but the cup of your iniquity is full; and I—I suffer in your fall.
THE PRIEST ELI REBUKES HIS DRUNKEN SONS
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Phinehas (laughs mockingly): Ah, so? The iniquity of the children shall be visited upon the fathers? Eh? Well, who is responsible if not the father? Come, Hophni, come where it is merry.
Hophni (eagerly): Yea! (They go out singing and taking turns at jug.)
Eli (raising his arms despairingly to heaven): O God! God! (Passes out.)
(Enter Hannah, followed by her husband, Elkanah. She is weeping.)
Elkanah (imploringly): Hannah, why weepest thou? And why is thy heart so grieved? If it be because thou hast no son, grieve not. Am I not better to thee than ten sons?
Hannah: Ai, my husband, the women mock me that I have no child. (She kneels and prays silently.)
(Eli enters and observes her in wonder, for silent prayer was unusual.)
Eli: Woman, what ails thee?
Hannah (rising): Ah, sir, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit; I pour out my soul before the Lord.
Eli: Give me to know thy sorrow.
Hannah: I prayed unto the Lord that he would look upon the affliction of his handmaid, and give unto me a man-child. If he do so, then will I give the child unto the Lord all the days of his life.
Eli: A man-child? Nay, ask more. Ask that he grow in the grace and love of God, else will the gift be one of sorrow.
Hannah: Ah, sir, that shall be my task—to lead him in the love of God.
Eli: Ai, 'tis there that I have failed. (He raises his hands and blesses her.) Go thou in peace, and the Lord grant thy petition.
Hannah (bowing): May thy servant find grace in thy sight. (She and Elkanah go.)
Eli (prays): O Lord God, O let this, thy servant, find grace in thy sight. Forgive thou the iniquity of my sons. For who shall follow after me, O Lord? Who shall be judge of Israel, if not my sons? Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give unto me an answer of peace. (He bows his head and passes out.)
(The Prologue reenters.)
Prologue: Now many years have passed. Eli is still the priest and judge of Israel, though he is blind; and his sons continue still in evil. Yonder come Hannah and her husband to give thanks for the gift of the child Samuel, and to give him to the Lord. (Prologue goes.)
(Enter Hannah and Elkanah leading the child Samuel.)
Hannah (caressing child): See thou, this is the very spot on which I prayed the prayer which brought me thee.
Samuel (roguishly): God heard thy prayer, and sent thee a little son to boast of. (He smiles up at her.)
Elkanah (rumpling Samuel's hair): Nay, an imp of mischief!
(Eli enters, groping blindly. Samuel regards him in ame.)
Samuel: There cometh the priest in raiment. (He shrinks away.) Ai! Why walketh he in such fashion?
Hannah: He is become blind. (She advances to him.) Sir—O Eli—
Eli: Woman, thy voice is known to me—and yet—who art thou?
Hannah: O sir, I am that woman who stood here praying, these many years ago. For a child I prayed, and the Lord hath granted my petition. (She leads Samuel to Eli, who passes his hands delicately over the child's head.) Therefore I also have given the child to the Lord. As long as he liveth he is granted to the Lord. (She turns to Samuel.) Kneel thou, my son, before this holy man and beseech him to take thee into the service of the Lord.
Samuel (pulls Hannah away and puts his lips to her ears): Hark'ee, dear mother, I would fain go home with thee again.
Hannah: Nay, little son, night approacheth; we must leave thee.
Elkanah: Come, say, "Farewell." (Samuel goes to him.)
Hannah (prays, as though facing the altar of the Lord):
My heart exulteth in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord.
The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich;
He bringeth low; he also lifteth up.
For by strength shall no man prevail.
The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth;
He shall give strength unto his king
And exalt the horn of his anointed.
(She turns, embraces the child, then bows before Eli.)
O Eli, priest of God and judge of Israel, the Lord be with thee.
(Hannah and Elkanah go.)
Eli (sits on couch and beckons to Samuel): Come hither, lad. (Samuel goes to him reluctantly.) What do they call thee?
Samuel (sniffling): Samuel, master.
Eli: Samuel? And what hath thy mother taught to thee?
Samuel: She hath taught me that the Lord Jehovah is one God, and there is none beside him, that I must love him and speak truth always.
Eli: And what else—if there be aught beside?
Samuel: She bade me serve and follow in thy steps.
Eli (musing): Follow in my steps? Come, thou shalt serve these blind eyes and quench the candles. (Omit this if there are no candles.) (While Samuel puts out the candles, Eli muses.) Follow in my steps? Shall it then be this lad, and not my sons, who shall rule Israel? Come, little lad, thou shalt lie here the night. (He motions to couch on which he sits. Samuel lies down. Eli kneels as though before altar.) O God, God, would that my sons were pure as is this child! Yea, I have reared my sons in folly; now I reap the punishment thereof. Lo, what shall be the end?
(He falls silent.)
(There is a pause; then Samuel half rouses and listens. He runs to Eli.)
Samuel: Here am I, master, for thou calledst me.
Eli: Nay, my son, I called thee not; lie down again.
(He reclines on other couch.)
Samuel (after a pause of about twenty seconds, again runs to Eli): Here am I, master, for thou calledst me.
Eli: Nay, my son, I called thee not; lie down again.
Samuel (lies down for twenty seconds; then he half rises and looks bewildered): He did call me, he did! he did! (He crosses to Eli.) Here am I, master, for truly thou didst call me.
Eli: Not I! (He reflects.) It is the Lord, who speaketh to thee and not to me. Alas, I have not the open vision. Go, lie down, and it shall be if he call thee, thou shalt say, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."
(Samuel lies down; presently he rises and kneels.)
Samuel: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
(There is a pause while Samuel listens. Eli turns toward him eagerly, then calls.)
Eli: Samuel, my son! (Samuel goes to him slowly.) What is this thing the Lord hath spoken to thee? I pray thee, hide it not.
Samuel (reluctantly): He said—he said—the Lord hath said: Behold, I will judge the house of Eli forever, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. Master, what did he mean?
Eli (slowly and mournfully): It is the Lord! Let him do what seemeth unto him good. (He raises his arms to heaven.)
Shouts Outside: News! News for the priest!
Eli: What meaneth the noise of this tumult?
(Three Soldiers run in.)
First Soldier: O Eli, servant of God, woe unto thee!
Second Soldier: O Eli, be strong, and hear the news we bring.
First Soldier: Israel hath joined battle with the Philistines; Israel was smitten before the Philistines.
Second Soldier: We brought the ark of the covenant to save us: It was thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who carried the ark.
Third Soldier: And there was a very great slaughter—And thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas—
First Soldier and Second Soldier: The Lord hath slain them!
(Eli trembles and falls backward; the First and Second Soldiers support him.)
Third Soldier: Lo, ye have slain him with your evil tidings.
Samuel (runs to Eli lovingly, and kneels before him, embracing him): O my dear master! (A pause, then he rises and turns to the soldiers.) Bear him hence between you. (First and Second Soldiers lead him out.) (To Third Soldier.) Grieve not; ye have not slain him, but he is smitten of the Lord. For the Lord, he came unto me in a vision of the night, saying, I will smite the house of Eli forever, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves and he restrained them not.
(First and Second Soldiers return.)
First Soldier: Alas, alas, who now shall judge our people?
Third Soldier (seizes Samuel and raises him aloft): Behold the judge who shall rule Israel.
(The Soldiers pass out, bearing Samuel and shouting, "Huzza!")
(The Epilogue advances.)
Epilogue: Hear ye the words of the preacher, how he said: Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure and whether it be right. Bring up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (The Epilogue passes out.)
DAVID
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[DAVID AND GOLIATH]
(The Story of a National Hero and a National God.)