Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-12-25
ON THE TRACK OF CHRISTMAS.
BY MARGARET E. ssNGsTER.
sns NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.!

I'M NlNETEENTH-C ENTURYchildl
Zyls Did you ever think what that
~ ri55 means, little Robin and Ruby ?
You live in the time of the tele-
graph, the telephone, and the type
writer, the railroad and the ocean
steamer, and l don't know what else
that saves minutes and muscles. How
your little great-grandmothers in their
day would have stared if they had
been told of half the fairy-like wonders
which are everyday and common
place and matters of course to YOU
Why, even Christmas has grown to be
loyelier and brighter in these days than
it ever was before. 1t was dream of
delight to me in my childhood, but it
has gained some charms since then,
and every year it comes with new
beauty and added enchantment.
Merry Christmasn' The sweet
words have a music all their own. the
sweeter that everybody is saying them,
and they are popping from lips which
as well as from those which are
always smiling and bland. The
cook wishes the milkman Merry
Christmas" the mistress wishes it to
the maid, the merchant says Merry
Christmas to his customer, and, in
fact, we all wish il. Like jolly Bob
Cratchit and Tiny Tim, the though. in
our hearts is not Merry Christmas =
only, but .sGod bless us every onei'
There were thousands of years dur
ing which the earth waited for Christ
mas. There were sowing and reaping,
winter and summer, and the years with
their changes rolled round, but no
Christmas came with its songs and
gifts and its great gladness, until the
angels brought the first good news of
its advent.
like to think of the Wise Men
whom tradition tells us were three kings
of the -Melchior, Nicanor and
Balthasar, journeying slowly through
the desert day after day, and following
the wonderful star, until at last it stood
still over the manger where the infant
Jesus lay. They brought gifts to Him,
gold, frankincense and myrrh, and He
was Himself Gods gift to mankind.
So you see that giving is bound into
the very fibre of Christmas.
Better even than to think of the East
ern princes is it to recall the shep-
herds watching their flocks by night on
the Judean hillside, when, as they
talked together to keep themselves alert
and wakeful, the glory of God shone
round about them, and they were sore
afraid.
And there, right above them, lowered
a mighty angel, majestic and serene,
who told them to ''fear not because
this very day Saviour is born in the
city of David. Suddenly through the
opening skies issues host of the sera-
phim, praising God and singing sing
ing such strain rs the earth had never
heard beforehand when the last sweet
echo dies away the angels go back into
heaven.
Then the shepherds. in the gray dawn,
take their reverent journey to Bethlehem
to find the young child and His mother.
At the period of Our Saviour's birth
the world was ready forHim in peculiar
way. For long time there had been
war and fighting everywhere, but now
there was profound peace.
The great empires of Assyria, Persia,
and Greece had passed away, one after
the other, and the magnificent empire
of Rome had succeeded them. The
whole known world was under the sway
of the Seyen-hiIled City. Augustus
Caesar was the supreme ruler of the
world. Every nation paid him tribute;
the Roman eagles had conquered all
who opposed them.
When people are at war there is little