Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-11-13

good men and good women is what the
world wants. Toward moral elevation and
spiritual attainment let che chief struggle
be- The source of all that Will show you
before SHUTDOWN Of this day on which we
have visited the pools Of Solomon and the
gardens of the king.
BETHLEHEM OF JUDEA.
We are on this December afternoon on
the way to the cradle of him who called
himself greater than Solomon. We are
coming upon the chief cradle of all the
world, not lined with satin, but strewn
with straw; not sheltered by palace, but
covered by barn; not presided over by
princess. but hovered over by peasant
girl: vet a cradle the canopy of which is
angelic wings. and the lullaby Of which is
the first Christmas carol ever sung, and
from which all the events of the past and
all the events of the future have and must
take date as being b. c. or A. D.-before
Christ or after Christ. All eternity past
occupied in getting ready for this cradle,
and all eternity II come to be employed in
celebrating IFS consequences.
| said to the tourist companies planning
orr oriental journey, "Put us in Bethle-
hem in December, the place and the month
of our Lords BIRTH and we had our wish.
am the only man who haseye attempted
to tell how Bethlehem looked at the sea
son Jesus was born. Tourists and writers
are there in February, or March, or April,
when the valleys are an embroidered sheet
of wild flowers, and anemones and ranun-
culns are flushed as though from attempt
ing to climb the sleeps, and lark and bull
finch are flooding the air with bird orches
ira. But was there III December, winter
month, the barren beach between the two
oceans of redolenee I was told | must
not 20 there ut that season. told so before
| started, told so in Egypt; the books told
me so: all travellers that ! consulted about
il told me so. But | was determined to
see Bethlehem the same month IN which
Jesus arrived, and nothing could dis
suade me. Was | not right IN want
ing TO know how the Holy Land
looked when Jesus came to IL? He did
! not land amid flowers and song. When
the ANGELS chanted on the famous birth
night an the fields of Palestine were
silent. The glowing skies were answered
by gray rocks A. Bethlehem stoodagainst
| bleak wintry sky climbed up to It, as
through a bleak wintry sky Jesus de
| scended upon il. His way down was from
| warmth to chill, from bloom 10 barren
/ ness, from everlasting June to sterile
! December II were going to Palestine
ns a hotanist aud TO study the fora Of the
1 land would go in March; but went rs a
minister of Christ to study Jesus and 50
went in December ! wanted to see how
! the worlds front door looked when the
/ heavenly stranger entered IL.
The town Of Bethlehem, to my surprise,
! Is in the shape Of a horseshoe the houses
extending clear onto the prongs Of the
horseshoe, the whole scene more rough
and rude than can be imagined Verify,
! Christ did not choose soft, genial place 10
which to he born The gate through VIII, ,
our Lord entered this world was a gate Of
rock. n hard. cold gate, and the gate
through which he departed was swing
gate of sharpened spears. We enter q
gloomy church built by Constantine over
the place ia which Jesus was born. Fifteen
lamps burning day and night and from
century 10 century light our way TO the
spot which an authorities, Christian and
jew aud Mohammelan,agree upon as being
the place of our Saviour's birth, and covered
bva marble slab marked by silver star
sent from Vienna, and the words " Here
Jesus Christ was born Of the Virgin Mary.
NE WAS horn N A CATTLE PEN.
But standing there ! thought, though
this is the place OF the nativity, how differ
ent the surroundings Of the wintry night
IN which Ies,Ns1amel At that time II wa,
la khan. or a ca.tlepen visited one OF
these Lhaus. now standing aud looking
iast ~ fin Christ's time We rode In under
the archeI entrance and dismounted. We
found the building ST stone, and around an
open square. without roof The buildina
is more than two thousand years Old. i
is two stories high. ia the center are cam
els. horse, and mules Caravans halt here
for the night or daring long storm, Tbs
omen. square is large enough to accommo
date d whole herd 81 cattle. flock of sheer
or carayNn of camels. The nei4hb0rinl
Bedouins here find market for their hay
straw and meats ffrom this center Their,
are twelve rooms for human habitation
The only light Is from the door weni
into one 81 these rooms and found woman
cooking the evening meal. There were SIS
cows in the same room ON little eleva
zion there was some straw where the peopl,
sat and slept when they wished TO rest. Il
was i'm a room similar 70 that our Lord wa.
born
This was the cradle of king, and yel
whnt cradle ever held SO muchY Ciyiliza
ton, Liberty Redemption. Your par
don aud mine Your peace and mine
Your heaven and mine. Cradle Of uni
verse. Cradle of a Godl The gardens o.
solomon we visited this morning wer,
only a type of what all the world will b'
when this illustrious parsonage now born
shall have completed his mission. Tn
horses Of finest limb, and gayest champ o
bit. and sublimest arch Of neck, that eve
brought solomon down to these adjoining
gardens was but poor type of the hors'
upon which this conqueror born ia th'
barn. shall ride, when according TO apoca
lyptic vision all the armies Of heaven shall
follo.v him on white horses" The water
TINT rush down these hills into yOnde
three great reservoirs Of rock, and ther
. pour in marvellous aqueduct into Jerusa
lem till the brazen sea is full. and tn
baths are full. and Sloan Is full, are onll
an iraoerfect type OF the rivers Of deligh
which. as the result of this great one
coming. shall roll on for the shaking OF tn
thirst Of an nations. The palace of Lch
l --a.. L.. F-,,,, (which the immortal "a a