Show iT T GItA HOI OR A contributor to the North American Review Rno Frederic sp speaking of at the grave rave of the nine nin century paints paint a wry very sombre shade no light lIht JJ lie finds findl that the churches were never more mort In evidence than at t pre present their pre pretensions pretensions tensions were never their rolls roll never fuller their patron never more But Aut Dot notwithstanding this he finds find a universal hall hale after money a rampant love of gambling ambling extravagance gance coarseness a materialistic spirit growing on Ob all lid sides e uk ask are the churches doing to check all this And IW who would believe them In earnest earnt It If they were to tr try dr points to tb the wr war spirit that hu has taken laken possession of at Chris Christian tian nations including the spokesmen ot of the church Not a voice he says y cornEl comes from the official churches to raise a doubt II ae to the justice goal faith and Christian charity of those who have hse thrust England Into war Th The for tor war ill Is sounded In slang from saloon and echoed back In pale pal and conventional litanies from the nl al altan tars tan of the state Itt church and this 1 Is how Christianity works out In practice nt at atthe the close ot of the century While sober men ot of all parties cn can feel tHI some Ome doubt while soldiers and statesmen are open to remonstrance the only onh order of men which is il ever ready to supply the ma majority with hypocritical Is the ollda priesthood The writer turns turn away In sadness from tb the picture h he draws and con oon concludes A church a creed which cnn can chant such a requiem as al this over the grave ot of the nineteenth century needs trouble us u no more mOrt It w ls left Ift henceforth to faith In humanity to do what It can ean to curb the passion ot of the strong who are to crush the weak to leach what I Ia true glory lory of civilised men to preach the Gospel ot of peas peare which the apostate preachers or of Christ hn have turned Into a byword and have made a war cr cry There are many who regard the at tb the grave of the century In that light Th They need to be reminded that though Ute the outlook la II gloomy there then I Ino Is no reason for tor despair The century I Is pet lint passing away In n midnight darkness and storms Many llIn a star Is twinkling There I q on the tops tope ot of the moon moun tans nn and It message to the watchers Is II thAt tb the midnight hour boW U II Ions lono r rand Test and the morn morning In approaching h hII ha II a to usher In the glorious day In Inthe inthe the history of 01 mankind It I U not left u the last lut mournful resource to found lound our faith upon frail humanity The Rock of Ap Ages le I as Arm as 1 ever er erThe The lellOn 1 tle put pest are re highly In as to the present From th the pinnacles of our ws w may look far lar back to the time when the world powers were prostrate in worship before birds bird serpents IUd and other creep tag thin things ot of tb the earth when man manmade manmade made rod gods were heated tor the Ace ot of innocent infants and wu was enthroned in the sanctuaries art aries But when all Hem seemed lost then thre wu was found among tb the bulrushes of tb the Nile HU a little child clId destined In due Um time timeto to break the of 01 bondage bonde and to proclaim amidst thunder and flashes the truth thAt gave a new lit litto life to the world Again Aln w we see let tb the world sinking in Pharisaical formalism In n 1 In slavery In III IIII gross Immorality III deep darkness darbe Hut But th the tar star of Bethlehem appears appeaR Tile The Savior is II ushered Into the world and the message II dally eyed ered the acceptance of which changed the entire current of events W We see He again In a period of gross JIOn su u of at abuse of religious of the prevalence of 01 vice Ice and of violence Iolen Tyranny ma made e Ila slaves of the masses and nd grotesquely attired priests parceled out salvation at so 0 much a dollar But at a rather ob scup town of Germany a boy was born bom In poverty Overt the result ot of whose holt life lit work wu was to open up the way war for freedom of thought for lor universal education edu education cation for liberty a work without which the ot of the most mOlt won wonderful on earth arth would In all 1111 human humn probability hv have been on In im impossibility possibility And all these thele vents events took plea without ostentation with without Ith out the tIre Aare of trumpets r hittle did the I rover kno know what the finding of MON In the river meant to hIs count country and to the world Few haul had any premonition of the ot of the teachings of Jesus ot of Nazareth th whose hOtle earthly mission ap apparently was 01 cut short In the agony ony of Calvary Calvar And none could see He In Inthe Inthe the little hand bind ot of to bo boy from I bell bep as b he went from house to house hOUN I singing and playing for tor II a plea piece ot of bread the hand ot of an Intellectual giant allt destined to turn the world as It were out of oC Its course history must be read rud In the light ot of history to roe be It may be but too true that the world wand again aln II a In the grasp of the sa satan tan Ie power that at so JO many in inthe tb the put past appeared to triumph It may maybe be true that materialism Immorality and o oppression ar are growing white the orthodox churches churche are silent lore tor to the conflict against every God given Instinct of human nature But It Is also allO gloriously true that the Al AlmIghty Almighty mIghty himself has sent the message to the world as lie He did in hi former ages ot of darkness through Moses through nil Ills own Son through Luther and oth message ot of approaching re rc redemption from sin aln and all Its conse both pre present ent and future No matter It 00 one generation refused to accept the Joseph as Gods messenger and shea his blood us as the blood ot of Jesus and so eo many martyrs WAS shed The work he commenced cannot die It t lives and prevails and andIn In the due time ot of the Lord pea peace will reign upon the earth universal broth brotherhood will VIII be no longer a beautiful dream for tor the children ot of God will have returned to their Father and the Redeemer ot of the world will III direct Its a affairs nl This Is the testimony of at Ih the grave of at the nineteenth century There Ther Is light In inthe th the In the valle valleys of the tho mountains mountain and to an any honest watch watchman man of the night who mI may turn In toward this to the world so IO strange phenomenon the reply comes comell that It Is one of he signs of at the times It means that the da day Is coming with trUth with justice and salvation I |