The morning call., 1890-12-25

lived less than a century after the time of
our Lord, places the scene OF the nativity in
a cave. This is. indeed, tn" ancient and
constant tradition both of the eastern and
western churches, and it is one of the few
to which, though unrecorded in the gospel
history, we may attach reasonable proba-
bility. Over this cave has risen the Church
and Convent of the Nativity, and it was in
cave close beside it that one of the most
learned, eloquent and holy fathers of the
church. the great st. Jerome, to whom we
owe the received Latin translation of the
Bible, spent thirty Of his declining years in
study and fast and prayer.
From their northern home in Nazareth, in
the mountains of Zebulon, Joseph, the viii
lage carpenter, had made his way along the
wintry roads with Mary, his espoused
wife," Fallen as were their fortunes,
they were both of the house and
lineage Of David, and they were trav-
ersing journey of eighty miles to the
village which had been the home of their
great ancestor while he was still shepherd
lad tending his fiocks upon the lonely hills
The object of that toilsome journey, which
could not but have been disagreeable to the
settled habits OF Oriental life, was to enroll
their names as members OF the house of
David in census which had been ordered
by the Emperor Augustus.
Travelling in the East is very slow and
leisurely affair, and was likely to be still
more so if, as is probable, the country was
at that time agltattd by political animos-
ties. Beerotb, which is fifteen miles
distant from Bethlehem, or possibly even
Jerusalem. which Is only six miles off, may
have been the visiting place of Ma ry and
Joseph before this last stage of their journey.
But the heavy languor, or even the COM
m encing pangs Of travail, must necessarily
have retarded the progress OF the maiden
and mother. Others who were travelling
on the same errand would easily have passed
them on the road, and when, after toiling up
the steep hillside, by David's Well. they ar
rived at the khan, probably the very one
which had been known for centuries as the
House of Chimham, and if SO, covering per-
haps the very ground on which, 1000 years
before, had stood the here ditary house of
BOaz. OF Jesse, and of David, every ''lee-
wan" was occupied. The enrolment had
drawn so many strangers to the little town
that there was no room for them in the
fnn." In the rude limestone grotto at
tached to 1t as stable, among the hay and
straw spread for the food and rest OF the
cattle, weary with their days journey, far
from home, in the midst OF strangers. In the
chllly'w inter night--in circumstances SO de-
void ol all earthly comfort or splendor that
1t is impossible to imagine humber nativity
Chris was born.
Distant but few miles, on the plateau Of
the abrupt and singular hill now called
Jebel Fureidis. or Little Paradise Mountain,
lowered the palace fortress OF the great
Herod. Tho magnificent houses OF his
friends and couriiers crowded around its
base. The humble wayfarers. as they
passed hear 1t, might have heard the hired
and vduptuous minstrelsy with which ito
feasts were celebrated. or the shouting Of
the rough mercenaries whose arms en-
forced bedience to It's despotic lord. But