| Show a J In a 9 t a a tM 9 I n N hg til I II I Christmas Ch t mas Reflections e 11 lee t n FJ te ts ee S e e t LYING iVING BEEN asked to 0 write n ti few fes lines linen for tor the Christmas News New I 1 shall Jot doun dowil some thoughts suggested by b I the an all holidays days s which more tutors limn any others In tho tim year Inspire good goat will to nil Before Christianity was In lut Introduced Intro tro the worshippers wor re of ot Odin or Woden Wodell northern 1 ode cele celebrated a fenet tellI called Yule which com cent commenced ou out the time shortest day In III the year This the most Joyous jO OI of ot all oil their feasts wal sas characterized oo by games gaines anti and merry gatherings In which the Ito beer b lI ei soul and mead were passed etl around to tolie tolie lie the guests Tho Iho letter latter beverage won was of honey hOllo and was WaB considered a n drink fit It for fr their nods gods Friends iminda otto ono another lI and during tIme till days of ot this feast all nil feuds rested All AllOH OH pence The rIte early sarly Christian missionaries found much munh In the time religion of or Odin und mind I Thor lhor that lull resembled time thu new they U tu to introduce anI to I from ono one roll I m I to tho time other they thoy avoided making too many chances changes As tIme tho Odin wor wot worship ship prevailed among tIme lie Germans and 1111 as 1111 well wull ns nl the tho Scandinavians the heathen Yule tenet became iho tho Christian In III Germany and nel Christmas Christ mas In iii England l but bu t It re ra tamed Its III old name minute among time the Christ Christianized incised Scandinavians It has also perpetuated Ibm lI ancient down to our day da It is essentially tho time seIne same now OB ns In heathen times tho thin tenet feast of ot games Ramel and merrymaking of ot good cheer and antI hospitality of anti and good gent will to nil all A hearty wel welcome welcome welcome come awaits ono one everywhere the time doors are open to 10 all ILl comers and merry Christmas Is heard iward h ard wherever acquaint acquaintances ances ancos meet beet Washington Irving aptly calls callIS Christ Christmas mae mas tho the season for kindling not more moore merely ly Iy time the fire of ot hospitality In tIm tha hall but the tho genial flame of ot In tho time heart hoart Christmas should howe have a n deep deel roll reli religious glens character us mis well veli as nil a 1 sociable one It Is 18 one oum of ot tIme the great Christian festivals fe ter 1111 alone alono outranking It Its JIll name namo man mas meaning feast Indicates nt at once onte In whose honor It Is II observed U It Is III eminently that the festivities lea that commemorate the Lords coming com III In to tho time flesh should be he fittingly eels cele celebrated I His Ills advent was W contemplated with longing by hy the time people P of t God and amid was Will a n atheme theme on which tho the prophets of ut old do to 10 dwell Thin The great rat ot of Ills I is earthly mission anti and the glory of ot Ills His coming coining filled their theil minds to th ex elision of ot the tho thought of or His being poor hoar and of ut humble hUI birth yet Isaiah In his prophecy sometimes culled t III the tIme fifth Gospel depicts with a 0 few tev master masterstrokes strokes the ho meek and lna low lowly lowly ly 13 mortal sojourn anti and the great purpose of or Ills His coming The rh makes tills almost ax III clammy auar ol as 8 either of or the eye oye who wrote we story of ot JIll Ills life The people were wore look lookIng lookIng Ing lag for tor a it who should deliver doll vel them front from the hit foreign yoke under which they were svere groaning Their spirit spiritual ual bondage and suni captivity did not seem lOam to concern con corn them and when time till Lord of lords came to 10 take tak captivity captive they lucy Ihl rejected him No event line hums had such deep and 1 nil last lilt lastIng liltIng Ing lag Influence upon lIOn th the tue affairs a ot of the world anti and the character nf ot moan man as has hall haslie the lie of or time the Son In of God Owl to the earth oarth That the tue Importance of this luau has been recognized Is I shown by the tae fact that Europe EUrop America anu of ot Asia 1111 and Africa reckon their era orn from thus 1111 year of his hili birth Wo Wu are cue not told In iut tim tho th Scriptures time the th exact date dato tin cm which Jesus was born botn Some think It foolish to commemorate nn tin uncertain date datI The same objection cami be relied raised In III regard to other Im lm Important n i festivals Pentecost may vary var more than a month In dates on ohm which they are ire kept yet they are or held haiti In the reverence by Jy nearly all Christian denominations denomination has hM been given a fixed date lIale but this Itan been done arbitrarily Before the th fifth nUh century c It appears that I It was wal kept on In tho ho of or January Some Home have luave held the tho opinion that Jesus was waH horn born In October and others othern that lint H lie JIll wafa wai wa jn born In the time spring The Tint account given In the Oo vol affords no clue to tl the exact date but It tines does give partie ulars which show that list this lila event Is not likely to 10 have taken place In mid midwinter midwinter winter We W tc mire are told by Luke that there thore were shepherds abiding In the ha field keeping watch over their flock lock by liy night It Is I not probable that lust they would have han done this nt sit a time into of ot the year when the rainy sMon suon WAS sias at Its height I had hAIl icy fl t view few of ot the Holy HolyLand Land from the deck of ot a steamer as I l Jam In the tho month of Feb February l b North and IntI south louth ns nil tar far faras taras as nil my vision extended I SAW the hills hili of ot Judea covered snow When I aw sets again six weeks Inter they were wore clad Olad with the finest verdure afforded lod Ideal for tho lIme From Froma l my may own observation tion I consider eo II II III 1 that the month or April colophon CO batter with the lie condi condition f Ions tion mentioned by I tho ho evangelist at mu surrounding the I Saviors birth than any ally other time limo of the time year That la Is nut not celebrated on en time the ex 11 exact e tot act Into ditto of at tho lie Lords nativity lint not lessen I Ollie II our legard for tar this festival We know that Joans Jummu came and amid dwelt among men Anti and vo we know how his advent affects our lives hives both hOlh here heru anti hereafter hel nUll anil It bents befits nt us u uto to at mit Unit least one ne day tiny to 10 upon mind contemplate this huh grand ruml event t There Is 18 no doubt douht about the hue place pine tho the Savior win Willi hull born More than Ihan sewn hundred years before that thuat birth said Put But thou lieu Bethlehem though thou than ho bo little among the time thousands nt ot yet out of at thee thoe shall shah He lie como forth unto bunto nit me that hut U is I to tobo tohou bo Imen hou n ruler luler In lui Israeli Israel whose sybase goings forth hav boon been from of Ir old from everlasting ing lag Time Tho Church of ot time tha Nativity In iu that bunt city ty t IH in believed to bo hue standing just juston on out time the spot where horo stood th 1111 old khan Ihan 01 ot I y to which Joseph mind and Mary b h bla its Du buim la II lid and 1 to tc get HIt one of ot 0 We WeI tul i Upper lel reserved for tor strangers I and IntI hones hence wolo under the necessity of or taking ono one of the tha rooms underneath opening out upon tho time yard where the th stock was kept Thus was W a the time Son Hun of mit God hod born Jorn In a ru stable anti cradled In lut Ina luta a 11 mangor On tho tIme floor 1001 of the lie Is IR placed a golden star atar said to 10 be lx on en the th exact spot of or tho thin Saviors birth At Jl this of ut tho ho year It Il would be lie to go iu und tutu see enacted In church Zealous devo devotees tees of ot many denominations ore lire there Jut hut though all claim to tn be followers of ot tho thin Prince of Ponce Pence they timey mo UIO fur far from being tolerant of if one ono another The sul Mul sultan tan therefore Imn huan boon been under clutter tim the no nl of or stationing soldiers In III the theary vary ary to lo prevent the mem mount members hers herM of the lie different churches front from engaging In disgraceful conflicts It shocked me when 1 entered the time church to mice eo a Il Turkish h sol guarding lt Ii i portals portillA and amI soldiers stationed In the of ot tho the church or churches Hero Willi the tIme place whore where the time wise men mell from time the East 1 found the mother and thin the child They Thoy had come comae to wor sear worship ship the King iCing oC ot tho ho Jaws Jow for lor they had Imad won eon His star and luau hall been miraculously guided to tho tin very vry house houie Tho lowly y condition in I mu which timey toned found Him mutt did not hut hao Influence willi hemp but they the fell down and stem wot JIm Him What comfort title this must intuit have hae given the time young mother antI and how lieu her heart henrt swelled with Joy jay to tn 0 know lint she filio wax was Indeed among women Yet her exalted station st could not must shield her imer from train that bit sword which should also pierce her huer soul as ns foretold a few felY tIny days later by hy the aged 1111 1 Simeon I On my m visit to Bethlehem I stood 1001 on tIme tho outskirts of or tho time city anti and looked over the surrounding country Time The Ih Held of lIons Bon pointed out to me m There cannot be ho much doubt In III regard to time thu fact lint the lie David titled tilled those there un woe enacted that beautiful Idyl narrated In iii till the nook hook of ot Huth which gives us ua a II glimpse of nf manners anti and customs three thousand yearn ago ngo There lay hay la the Ihl theland land before me nun where gleaned no lit busily emil where SItu She Won the tho heart of ot till the titmice owner of Jt the time Held 1101 1 He Ur truth liar her love lovo sacrifice ce en elm endeared her luer to nil mill anti God chose choo her herto herto to tu become h tho hue of ot JIll Ills Only Begotten In III that fluid field and amid the sum sur ur country countr David as mu a boy loy herded his fathers flocks mind and fought f the lie lion and he bear beam In this Ihl same field O III also were warm shepherds watching their flocks flock on the tho night that hust Jesus Jelu was WAI born Jurn Shepherds aro mid to bay been Uen the first Dat astronomers Their business I of ot often otton often ten ton required thorn thoan CO to t in the lb fields Ild nt lit night caring for tha tho tim sheep and antI the he lambs and amid during th silent Ilent watches their gaze would no doubt be bl turned upward with wonder and nd awe at the sublime spectacle prevented by ity time the ris iii rising M ing culminating mind vetting setting of ot time the grand host hutt nf ot shining Stan itari ta These they grouped Into constellations and n mI from fro In some fancied resemblance or If form aria or arbitrarily to i tie It p memory of ot some somo of their heron heroes or duties We Ve can lan Imagine the shepherds who I were camped comIl on this field on nil that holy hol and auth peaceful night nl ht contemplating lime tho Ih beautiful appearance that the time heavens Nowhere do tho lie stars shine than In III the tue Syrian sky ky Over Overhead Overhead head hall they would see sea th the lovely lo ty eon On Orion culminating I m II and fur tur further tier ther west they would see time the Pleiades both mentioned In th this olden writings writing In this the Bible flIbbe The Lord says say to 10 Job Jb Anil thou bind time the sweet Influences of time the Pleiades or 01 loose the th hands bands of nf Orion Orbit 1 In the northwest they thoy could rould see so Cygnus C nus whose stars larA sInk strikingly form a mu crow cross Little thought they buoy however that lint the U who willi was wU to 10 expiate on a c crosS this sins of all iii the world was then thien lying In swaddling clothe in a manger mangor to so Clone to them If they turned their oy further to 0 the east and north did they see seo Ills star guiding the ha footsteps of the wise men to their city If 10 0 B |
