The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-01-05

and Socrates condemned to death, so
that the Calvarian massacre was IN
the same old line Of maltreatment.
But the novelty OF all ages was the
conjunction Of divinity and humanity.
Invisible deity, muscled and nerved
and feshed in masculine physique. A
child and yet a God. Why, if the
meteor had not pointed down that
night, some angel would have rushed
down and pointed with his gilt
tering scepter. Isaiah and David
and Ezekiel who foretold the
coming, would have descended
from their thrones and stood on the
roof of the barn or in some way desig-
mated the honored locality. AS the
finger of light that Dec rs pointed to
the straw-cradle, now all the fingers
of Christendom 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 devoted to the
illustrious birthday? By song and
prayer and solemn reflection and
charities to-day, and by gifts and
trees that bear fruit in an hour after
they are planted, and family gather
ing and hilarities sounding from GEL
lar to garnet, keep Christmas. AS far
as possible, gather the children and
the grandchildren, but put no estop-
pei on racket, whetherI Of laughter or
swift feet or toys in shape 2of rail-
trains or trumpets or indian effgy.
Let the old folks for one day at least
say nothing about rheumatism, or
prospect of early demise, or the de-
generacy of modern times, or the
poison in confectionery. If you can
not stand the noise, retire from it for
a little while into some other room
and stop your ears. Christmas for
children without plenty ofnoise is no
Christmas at all. If children and
grandchildren can mot have full swing
during the holidays when will they
have it? They will be still soon
enough, and their feet will slacken
their pace, and the burdens of life will
bear them down. Houses get awfully
still when the children are gone.
While they stay, let them fill the
room with such resounding mirth
that you can hear the echoes twenty
years after they are dead. By relig-
ious celebration and by domestic
celebration 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 getting short,
for tits old now. When it waved the
springtime blossoms the year was
young, and when it swung the cythe
and cradle 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
be dead. We can not stop this an
nual decadence. Set all the clocks
back, set all the watches back, SET all
the chronometers back, but you can
not set time back. For the old family
clock you might suppose that time
would have especial respect and that
if you took hold of thoseold hands on
the face OF that centenarian of a
time-piece, and pushed them back,
you might expect that time would
stop or retreat for at least a few minu-
ties. s'No! MOI" says the old family
clock. II must go on. ] saw your
father and mother on their wedding
day. I struck the hour of your natl
witty. l counted the festal hours of
the day in which you brought home a
bride. I sounded the knell at your
fathers death. I tolled at your
mothers departure. Yea, I must
sound your own going out of life. I
must 80 on: 1mustgo on. Tick-tock!
Textbook" .....
But there is a great city clock, high
up in the tower. There are so many
wrongs in all our cities to be righted,
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 1898. 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. II can not wait until you
| correct all evils or soothe all sorrow
! or drive out all sin. Ihave been
counting the steps of your progress
as a city. I have seen your op
portunities. I have deplored your
neglect; but time must go on. Tick
took! Ticl1-tock!'' 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 presid
entail proclamation and resolutions
| of the Senate and House of Represen
tatives our national clock in the cap
itol turret be ordered tc
stop "Stop, oh, clock! unit
sectional animosities are cooled
off; until our Sabbaths are bette,
kept, and drunkenness turns tt
sobriety, and bribery, fraud and dis
sipation quit the land. Stop. OH
clock! in the tower OF the great United
States capitol" mo, no." says thu
clock. II have been going on SO Ions
cannot afford to stop. l sounded
the birthday of America independ
ence. Irang out the return of peace
ii 1865. I have seen many Presi
dents inaugurated. Istruck the hou