The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1889-12-28
CHRISTMAS.

The anniversary of G: stmas will
occur tomorrow, and as such will be
celebrated all over the Christian
world. The day was set apart about
three hundred years after the event
occurred, and was undoubtedly in
correct as to the date and season of
the year "when shepherds watched
their focks by night" But this
makes little or no difference, for the
birth of the parsonage whom it is in
tended to cele brate was world char
acter, and AS such made his impres
sion upon present and future genera
tions. Born of the race of the llliberal
Jews he displayed the greatest ad-
vancement of any man of his time,
and taught doctrine which is suited
to all classes and conditions of people.
The titled noble who kneels amidst
the treasured memories of st. Paul's in
London has no more venerstion for the
grand and holy parsonage of Jesus
Christ than he, who, in the rude and
simple hut in the wilds of the wilder
ness or the boundless prairie, pays his
devot;ons to this great redeemer OF
the world. The simple son of the car
penter of Nazareth, though lineal
descendant of the line of David, lived
anong the lowly, ate with publicans
and sinners, and ministered to the
wants of the humblest of earth's un-
favored creatures. His companions
were not kings or mobiles. but the
outcast and erring; and to these he
impaired hope and consolation which
no other teacher ever did.
The New Testament teaches that
the disciples of this humble and de-
vout individual after his cruel death
we're first called Christians at Antioch,
and it is doubtful if he would have
sanctioned the nomenclature if he
lived. His life work as for no sect
or class, but for the human race,
and it Is perfectly relevant that
in honor Of the anniversary
of his birth, Jew and Christian, Mo-
hammedan, Buddhist and all others
who labor for the benefit of mankind
should celebrate this grand event in
the history of the world. Judaism
teaches forms and ceremonies, and a
chosen race; Buddhism an ascetlc
life; Mohalnmedanism, belief in the
prophet and close adherence to the
Koran; but Christ, pure motives and
an unspotted life. Of all philosophers
whose lives made bright and luminous
the records of the past, this simple
Nazarene, who made no pretensions
except purity of purpose, marked out a
line of conduct for all men, which
must be acknowledged the only true
doctrine of mans conduct towards his
fellows. It makes little difference
whether the dogmas of the trinity, as
set t rth primarily by the Nicene coun-
Gil be correct or not, the character of
Jesus Christ is such that all must ad-
mire it and all would do well to imi-
tate. Century may link itself to cen
tury until the world grows old with
the lapse of time, yet the teachings of
this great and good man will be as
pertinent and practical to human life
as when he taught his precepts
among the barren hills of Judea to a
few ignorant fishermen and uncult-
ured laborers. We have 10 doubt
that Paul, the great logician and cru
dite scholar, embellished the teachings
of Christ with the dogmas that now
cling to the church; but the purity of
the life and the sincerely of the great
teacher did more to spread the doc
trines and make them worldwide in
their application than all the ethics
taught by moral philosophers.
To celebrate the day properly and
in becoming manner, each one who
gathers in the social circle should at
tempt to instill into his character that
purity of life and sincerity of conduct
which characterized him whose birth
is commemorated. Anthems from sur
pliced choirs, and sermons from the
gilded alters of cathedrals will not be
as Christ-like as the honest, upright
life of the poor aud lowly. He who
taught as never man taught, who wan
dered homeless and houseless among
the barren Wa tes of Palestine, never
wore any royal raiment or associated
with the privileged classes of the world.
His life was one of self sacrifice, and his
grand, good and holy acts were devouted
to healing the sick and alleviating the
burdens of the oppressed. Christ be-
longs to the world, and the world of
good and purity belong to Christ.
TIE RACE QUESTION.