The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-24
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE.
BUSY PREPARATIONS FOR SANTA
CLAUS COMING.

OSTFlC0S dU LIl6
First Baptist Church-Dr. Holmes
Sermon-The Last Gifts to Be
Bought To-Day-The Shop Girls and
Clerks Anxious for the Holiday
Work to Be Over With.
The Sunday eve before Christmas is
next in importance to Christmas eve itself.
In most of the churches yesterday Christ
mas sermons were preached. AT the First
Baptist Church the services were especially
interesting in anticipation of Christmas.
The musical programme was redolent with
Christmas
At the morning service the anthem "Be-
hold L Bring You Glad Tidings," by
Barnby, was sung by the choir with
orchestral accompaniment and evidenced
the progress that this choir has made since
its recent reorganization under the leader
ship of M. G. B. Whatley. Gounod's
Nazareth" was sung as bass solo by Mr.
B. Fl. Spangenburg. The evening service
commenced with the singing of Chappells
anthem There Were Shepherds. The
graces and splendor of this exquisite COM
position were finely brought out by the
choir and orchestra. The symphonic pre-
lude by the organ and cornet left nothing
to be desired. The soprano solo "And the
Angels Said Unto Them Fear Not" was
happily rendered by Miss Florence Colding.
Mr.. Will Falconer sang tenor solo,
Hail Now the Moon,n with violin and
cello obligato.
DIR. HOLMES SERMON.
Rev. DR.. Holmes preached at both serv-
ices AT the morning service he prea, he'd
from the text Fear not, for beloved bring
you good tidings of great joy" He spoke
OF the good tidings OF the people Of peace
and good will as being intended for all peo-
pie. IF we look carefully" he said, Eve
shall see a connection between the an
nouncement of the good tidings by the angels
and the fear of the shepherds The shep.
herds were sore afraid because of the an
gelic visitation. 1t does not appear that
there was anything in the appearance of
the angels on the first Christmas eve nor
In their address to the shepherds to inspire
fear. They had only message of joy and
not OF terror, and yet the shepherds were
filed with fear. What is the explanation
of this fear? asked the preacher ''Is it
not found in the guilt of our races
Fear was not known to man
until he had first sinned. 81 heard thy
voice In the garden and was afraidn-was
the language of conscious guilt. We
fear the night and the presence OF the dead.
enough in the presence Of ply
steal danger tremble and quake
when confronted by what seems to be the
supernatural Man is awed by whatever is
mysterious. In this great world with all
its mighty forces at work, we fear that
these might be directed to our undoing, but
we cease in great measure to fear them
when we begin to comprehend them and
the laws that govern them.
A NEW ERA IN THE WORLD
Sin the nativity of the Messiah the fullness
of time had come when a new era should be
inaugurated, the era of perfect love, which
should again cast out fear. This was done
when God became man, and sinless man,
to sympathize with his fellow men, and to
suffer at cost for them. To all people cast
upon the pillows of life's uncertain sea the
advent of the Saviour proclaimed the glad
tidings OF the new era, saying, 1T is l be
not afraid
s"These circumstances of the Savioris
birth were peculiar. If angels werescom-
missioned to announce his birth, men were
appointed to wei come him. If He was de-
clared to be from heaven, He was also de-
clared to be from amo G men.
If angels knew him to be Christ
the Lord, men saw him a babe,
wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying
in manger Perhaps no creature is so
helpless, when young, as man. But our
Lord accepted the feebleness and unmatched
humiliation of human infancy. In his
LII vi ne tuIcW lliulScll llbO SN IllpdJuY With
our humanity, just as afterward he was to
give his life for our redemption. When he
took our nature there was seen the flesh of
godhead through veil 1t is a great mys-
terry, the fact of the incarnation, but it was
only in this way that the Saviour could
atone for sin. By this sacrifice man was
to have, and the opportunity to prepare for
paradise, for which, after the fall, he was
united BY this means he was enabled to
come back and be blessed as he was before
sin entered the world"
CHRISTMAS FOR ALL PEOPLE
In conclusion the preacher remarked that
the glad tidings which Christmas brings
are meant for all people the world around
Much has been said recently about the
failure Of foreign missions. Whether they
have failed or not, it is our duty, the
preacher said, to spread the ''glad tidings"
Tar as the curse is found. Foreign missions
have not failed. The cry to-day against
them if made and persisted in a few hun
dred years ago, would have left our ances-
tors heather and we might nave been
heather ourselves to-day
The Sunday schools were astir yesterday
in anticipation of the weeks festivals. The
st. Johns and Episcopal Free church Sun
day schools sang carols in the afternoon, in
preparation for the Christmas festival
next Sunday. The lessons IN all of the
schools were upon Christmas subjects
Everything in the church Is in keeping
with the glad festival season.
THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
Tonight will be Christmas eve--the uni
versal season of expectancy among the
little folks, and from the piles CT things
that the older folks have been buying-the
little ones will have a merry Christmas.
The toy shops and fancy stores were
thronged with ungrudging buyers last week,
but the rush will te at its highest to-day.
The buyers purse strings were well open,
and they appeased their desire for holiday
novelties. Every store in the city selling
toys and fancy goods has increased its force
of clerks to twice the regular number.
Its the b ggest time we have seen in a
good many years. said the floor manager
of Broughton street store ''Our force has
been increased to lis, and if the rush con-
tinues we will be obliged to employ
greater number"
"The number of extra clerks employed"
said another dealer of toys and fancy goods,
sis an evidence OF what is being done"
Several Of the fancy stores have an addi-
tional force of twenty, and one or two have
fifty extra clerks.
YOUNG LADIES AS CLERKS.
They are all young ladies. One pro-
prietor said that the cause of this is that the
young ladies can handle the goods better,
and they know how to please the lady GUS