Show TilE CLOSING CENTURf The loot Christmas of the nineteenth century is drawing near but the worldo condition bias not a very hopeful hope-ful look to those whose eyes are straining strain-ing upward looking for the dawn of the day when peace shall rule and the nations shall learn warno more There are wars In Asja and Africa there Is a mighty unrest In Europe in our own country there is no end of partisan contests and the struggles for advantages advan-tages are Just ns Intense as they were when with a whip of cords the master mas-ter drove the moneychangers from the I I temple A superficial view cannot mark much progress on the dial of the centuries there are so many shadows to obscure the sunlight The peace congress showed one bright day but the soldiers oC the powers whose representatives met In that congress are looting temples in a land In which the story of the Cross has not been much told and the effect upon a Pagan nation is not hopeful Once a ship had been buffeting with a great storm for three days The storm had Increased until the seamen reefed all sail save a little stormsall to steady the vessel and had thrown the ship up Into the wind and were holding I It there waiting for the violence of the gale to subslie Just before daylight on the third morning two men clinging to the shrouds stood on that ships deck and In the dim light watched the warfare between wind and sea Said one I see no abatement of tho fury that is sweeping tho sea I believe the tempest tem-pest is more fierce than it was yesterday yester-day dayThat That is true said tho other I never felt a fiercer gale I never saw bigger seas But even then the sky in the east was growing roseate and an hour later when the sun came up out of the sea I as if abashed at the splendor of the advancing morning the winds stole back to thelrcaves and hid themselves the billows lowered their angry crests a breeze came up from the south the sails were again unfurled above and below and boom stretched on either beam the ship was again set upon her course and after the terrible night Joy came with the morning Let us all have faith that the long warfare between be-tween right and wrong is even now in that stormy hour Just before the dawn that the storm has about exhausted its strength and that with the dawn of the new century the winds of discord and strife will retire to their caves that the billows of passion will lower their furious crests and that smiles will fill the world |