The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1893-09-30

That Is a tremendous hour in the history
OF any family when an immortal spirit Is in
carnated. Out of very dark cloud there
descends very bright morning. One life
spared and another given. All the bells OF
Why any one should doubt that OF old a star
pointed down 10 the saviours birthplace, for
star OF JOY points down 10 every honorable
nativity. A new eternity dates from that
hour that minute.
Beautiful and appropriate Is the custom OF
celebrating the anniversary OF such an event,
and clear on into the eighties and nineties
the recurrence of that day OF the year in an
old mans life causes recognition aad moro or
less congratulation. So also Nations are ac-
custoyned TO celebrate the anniversary OF
their birth and the anniversary Of the birth
of their great heroes or deliyerers or benefac-
tors. The 22d OF February and the 4th OF
July are never allowed 20 pass In our land
without banquet and Grafton and bell ring
ing and cannonade. But all other birthday
anniversaries are tame compared with the
Christmas festivity, which celebrates the
birthday described in my text.
Protestant and Catholic and Greek
churches, with all the power OF music and
garland and procession and doxology, put
the words OF my text into National and con-
tinental and hemisphere chorus, ''To us n
child is born" On the 25th OF December
each year that ia the theme In SC. Paul's and
ST. Peters and 81, Marks and st. Isaac's and
all the dedicated cathedrals, chapels, meet
ing houses and churches clear round the
world.
We shall soon reach the nineteen hun
dredth anniversary OF that happiest event OF
all time. This century Is dying. Only seven
more pulsations, and It's heart will cease TO
beat. The fingers of many of you Will write
II at the head OF your letters and the foot Of
your important documents, $1,000" Ii will
be physical and moral sensation unlike
anything else you have before experienced.
Not ono hand that wrote that "1S0l" at the
induction OF this century will have cunning
left 10 write 1901" at the induction OF an
other.
The death OF one century and tho birth OF
another century will be sublime and sug-
gestive and stupendous beyond all estimate.
To stand by the grave OF one century and by
the cradle OF another will be an opportunity
such as whole generations OF the worlds in
habitants never experienced. L pray God
that there may be no sickness or casualty 10
hinder your arrival at that goal or TO hinder
your taking part In the veledictory OF the de-
parting century and the salutation OF the
new.
But as that season will be the nineteen
hundredth anniversary OF q Saviour's birth,
now nominate that a great international
jubilee or exposition be opened in this clus-
| ter OF cities by the seacoast on Christmas
day, the 25th OF December, 1900, to be con-
tinued for Mt least one month into tho year
| 1901. This century closing December 3ist,
1900, and the new century beginning Janu-
ary 1st, 1901. will II not be time for all Ma
! tions TO turn aside for a few weeks or months
| from everything else and emphasize the birth
OF the greatest being who ever touched our
planet, and could there be a more appropri-
,iis time for such oommemoration than this
-. a. n
| from His nativity You know that all his
tory dates either from before Christ or after
| Christ, from B. @. or A. ID. Ii will be the
! year OF our Lord 1900 passing into the year
/ 1901.
We have had the Centennial at Philadel-
! phia, celebrative OF the one hundredth an
I niversary OF our Nations birth. We have
had the magnificent expositions at New Or
leans and Atlanta and Augusta and St.
Louis. We have the present Worlds exposi-
! tion at Chicago, celebrative OF this conti-
nents emergence, and there are at least two
other great celebrations promised for this
! country, and other countries will have their
! historic events TO commemorate, but the one
event that has most TO do with the welfare
/ OF all Nations is the arrival OF Jesus
| Christ on this planet and all the enthusiasm
! ever witnessed at London or Vienna or Paris
| or any OF our American cities would be
| eclipsed by the enthusiasm that would cole
| brate the ransom OF oil nations, the first step
| toward the accomplishing OF 1t being taken
! by an infantile foot one winters night about
| hve miles from Jerusalem, when the clouds
dropped the angelic cantanta, "Gloryto God
in the highest, and on earth peace. good will
TO men,"
| The three or four questions that would be
asked me concerning this nomination oftime
and place proceed TO answer. What prac-
| tical use would come OF such international
celebration2 Answer-The biggest stride
the world ever took toward the evangeliza-
tion OF all Nations. That is grand and
wonderful convocation, the religious con-
gress nj Chicago. II will put inteligently be-
| fore the world the nature OF false religions
| which have been brutalizing the Nations,
! tramping womanhood into the dust. enact
Ing the horrors of infanticide, kindling
| funeral pyres for shrieking victims, and
rolling juggernauts across the mangled bod
! les OF their worshIpers.
But no one supposes that any one will be
converted 10 Christ by hearing Confuclanism
or Buddhism or any form OF heathenisn
| eulogized. That Is TO be done afterwards
| And how can IL so we'll be done as by a cele-
bration OF many weeks OF the birth and char
acter and achievements OF the wondrous and
unprecedented Christi To such an exposi.
ton the kings and queens ofthe earth would
not send their representatives-they would
| come themselves.
The story OF a Saviour's advent could not
| be told without telling the story Of His mis-
sion. All the world say. "Why this ado,
| this universal demonstration" Whist n vivid
presentation IL would be, when at such con-
vocation the physicians OF the world should
tell what Christ has done for hospitals and
the assuagement ot-1~uman pain, and when
| Christian lawyers declare what Christ has
done for the establishment OF good laws, and
Christian conquerors should tell what Christ
had done in the conquest OF Nations, and
Christian rulers Of the earth would tell what
Christ had donein the Government Of earthly
| dominions
Thirty days OF such celebration would do
more 10 tell the world who Christ is than
any thirty years. Not a land on earth but
would hear Of Il and discuss II. Not an eye
so dimmed by the superstition Of ages bat
would see the illumination. The difference
| OF Christ's religion from all others is that It's
/ one way OF dissemination is by n simple
"telling," not argument, not skilful exeget-
lists, polemics or the scienAs OF theological
| hstcufs, but telling" "Tell We the
daughter OF Zion, Behold, thy King cometh. y
"Go quickly and tell His disciples that He
has risen from the dead" go home 20 thy
friends and tell them how great things the
i 81 acpa tbao NWhap Ha M