Daily Republican., 1885-12-30

---
It was in the region of the fixed stars.
Is grew more and more luminous until
1t shone like q planet. Then Its luBtre
waued and ceased to be luminous In
1906 It was white, then yellow, then
dull, and 30 went out. i
1t shone out in . wonderful astrologi-
cal year, the year Of the 6rey trigon, I
the year in which Saturn and Mars
and Jupiter are In the frey signs, an
event occurring only once in every 800
years.
In December, 1908, all astronomers
had been greatly excited by the con-
junction Of the planets Jupiter and
Saturn. They drew no near together -
to form rare fact In astronomy. In
toaeyher again with Mars. This seemed |
to be the foreshadowing Of something |
wonderful which was about to come to |
pass.
The wonder ceases when In Autumn
of that year, In the very quarter Of the |
heaven where the planets were still
together, this strange star appeared.
Kepler says" Like some all.powerful
monarch far and wide and long
expected, with much preparation and
In triumph came on the day ordained.
This excited Kepler, especially the
going before of the planetary signs.
He conceived that the star seen by the
Magi might have been foretokened and
marshalied In by the same train OF
phenomena.
He therefore traced their orbits back
for 1900 years, and made the remarka-
BILE discovery that the planets Jupiter
and Saturn were in conjunction in the
Ill AAAw
| 14S. about the time Of Christ's birth.
This star will again appear In 24O0.
Afford says, IL the Magi saw the Decem-
/ Der cosiunction, and the following one
| In May, II they left Babylon In the last
| Of May, and it took them five months to
travel the distance OF 1000 miles to
Jerusalem,
Then IL they took their Journey from
IJerusalem to Bethlehem, distance of
| seven miles, the December oonj un ction
| would have been before them.
But how did these strangers know
that he was born in Jerusalem?
They inquired Of Herod where the
child was, He could not tell them.
Their interest and appearance troub-
led him. He called tho council and
demanded of them where Christ should
be born. And they said unto him +" in
| Bethlehem Judes, for thus it Is written
BY the Prophets"
The wise men went out from him and
when they saw his star they reJoiced.
But how did they know In the East
his star from any other star?
How did they know 1t when they left
Herod's court?
The Magi mapped on the heavens. They
assigned certain portions 70 certain
Icountrtes. There was the Persian por-
tion. There were the baDylonian
heavens. When they saw the conJunc.
tion In the Judian heavens they were
assure1 tnst sometning would come 70
tpass in Ju,iea.
Il Then they read the prophecy OF Bal
, aam one OF their own prophets "rhere
shall come star out OF Jacob or Judea
la star not Christ's but In the next
breath he speaks OF Christ, . scep ter
a king shall rise out OF Israel.
! Here the star and Christ are DOLL
before the Magi.
u When they saw the new star In the
. Judesn heavens, with tnis prophecy ln
: their minds, and the seventy weeks ol
9 Daniel fulflled, which would bring 9 IL
i and anoint the Holy One" with the
wonderful conjunctions which had
o oIpreceded 1t, do you wonder that these
:lgood men, who had been LOOKING anc
II waiting Tor Daniels Holy One, anc
+, out of Israel, went in search OF him.
ell Do YOU wonder; when the Fakirs Of
q India will travel hundreds of miles
lmeasurinp their length on the grounS
% ali the way to find an idol God, tha
II these devoted pilgrims should trave
, Ii 900 miles to find the Lord Jesu
lChrlst.
eI Do you wonder when whole caravan
Fl will ford streams CROSS deserts-suffe
hunger and thirst, that they may reacl
10 the sacred Gsnges to have their sin
i washed away, that these sincere men
men of fsith-weuld undertake tn
II Journey from Babylon 70 Bethlehem Il
y and the living Christ, who alone ca
8, cleanse the soul. No, we should ne
d wonder. For faith can and will, will
her eyes fully opened, 60 - far to I'm
" her Christ as blind superstition Will
r. find the object of It's devotion.
ri "Lo the star went before them till
!. came and stood over where the youn
ar child WAS"
"a These words have caused some to re
! iect the Gospel of Matthew.
MI II one will but think of nature b
u will understand that the landscape
ns only revealed to the seeing eye. =,
49, II he have but an idea OF music
\ knows that melodies are only mad
"a known to the hearing ear.
OIL So inspiration never belittles itself
70 aiding q lie, but glorifies its autho
\ most when it sheds o halo of light abo'
"a truth observed alone by brillia
=, heart.
"a Nov ask ia Il a strange thing that
sron,d ou;de
AZ '' noes not the North Star guide m,