Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-12-31

out the idea oil the one star. But pre-
fer the simple story of the Bible, that a
light of some kind-stellar or meteoric
pointed from the sky to the straw
cradle. am not surprised that, at the
birth of the Son of God, there was
celestial agitation; and my only Won
der is that instead of one star or one
meteor giving signal, all worlds did not
make demonstration. Why not other
worlds take interest in the event, when
Christ came from another world, and
another world was to get the souls that
would be saved by this celestial de-
scent?
You see, the birth at Bethlehem must
have been more novel and startling to
the heavens than the crucfiXion on
Calvary. 1t was expected that Christ
would be maltreated The world always
has maltreated its good and great
friends. Joseph hurled into the pit,
Shadrach put into the fire, jeremiah
lowered into dungeon. David bounded
from the throne, Elijah compelled to
starve or take his food from the beak of
a filthy raven, and Socrates condemned
to death. so that the Calvarian massa-
ere was in the same old line of NAL
treatment. But the novelty of all the
ages was the conjunction of divin-
ity and humanity. Invisible deity,
muscled and nerved and fleshed
in masculine physique. A child
and yet God. Why, if the meteor had
not pointed down that night, some an
gel would have rushed down and point
ed with his glittering scepter. Isaiah
and David and Ezekiel who foretold the
coming, would have descended from
their throne and stood on the roof of
the barn or in some way designated the
honored locality. As the finger of light
that December - pointed to the straw
cradle, now all the fingers of Christen-
dom this moment, fingers of childhood
and old age, fingers of sermon and song
and decoration and festivity point to
the great straw-cradle. Am not right
in saying that the first of the three
chapters of the holidays should be de-
voted to the illustrious birthday? BY
song and prayer and solemn reflection
and charities to-day, and by gifts and
trees that bear furit in an hour after
they are planted, and family gathering
and hilarities sounding from cellar to
garnet tomorrow, keep Christmas.
The second chapter of the holidays
must speak of annual decadence. This
is the last Sabbath of the year. The
steps of the year are getting short, for
it is getting old now. When it waved
the springtimc blossoms the year was
young and when it swung the scythe
and Graded through the summer har-
vest fields the year was strong, but it is
getting out of breath now, and after
six more throbs of the pulse will he
dead. We cannot stop this annual de-
cadence Set all the clocks back, set
all the watches back, set all the chro-
nometers back, but you cannot set time
back.
But there is great city clock, high
up in the tower There are so many
wrongs in all our cities to be righted,
so many evils to be extirpated, so many
prisons to be sanitaried; stop the city
clock until all these things are done.
Let common council and all the people
of the great town decree that the City
hall clock shall stop. We do not want
the sins of 1892 to be handed over to
1893 We do not want the young year
to inherit the misfortunes of the old
year. BY ladders lifted to the tower
and by strong hands, take hold and
halt the city clock. "No, no." says the
city clock, 81 cannot wait until you
correct all evils or soothe all sorrow
or drive out all sin. / have been
counting the steps of your progress
as city. have seen your opportuni-
ties. l have deplored your neglects:
but time wasted is wasted forever.
must go on, must go on. Textbook!
Textbook" But in the towers of the
capitols at Washington and London
and Berlin and Vienna and all the
great national capitals, there are clocks.
Suppose that by presidential proclama-
ton and resolution of the senate and
house of representatives our national
clock in the capitol turret be ordered to
stop? ''Stop, oh, clock! until sectional
are cooled off; until our Sab
baths are better kept, and drunkenness
turns to sobriety, and bribery, fraud
and dissipation quit the land. Stop, oh,
clock! in the tower of the great United
States capitol" mo, no." says the
clock. 81 have been going on so long
cannot afford to stop sounded the
of American independence I
rang out the return OF peace in 1855. l
have seen many presidents inaugurated.
l struck the hour of Lincoln's assassina-
ton. / have beat time for emancipa-
ton proclamation, and Chicago fire,
and Charleston earthquake, and epi-
denies of fever and cholera. Nations
never stop They march on toward |
salvation or demolition. And why |
should stop? l chime for the holidays.