The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-11-18
TALMAGEs SERMON.
Tho Nineteen Hundredth Anniver-
sary of the Birth Of Christ.
The Brooklyn Preacher Proposes Grand
Celebration In Which All Chris
tendon Shall Take Part
Proposed Features.

| To us child Is born.-Isaiah tx. 6.
That is tremendous hour in the his
tory of any family when an immorta
spirit is incarnated. Out of very darl
cloud there descends very brigh
morning. One life spared and anothe
given. All the bells of gladness rim,
over the cradle. / know not why any
one should doubt that of old sta
pointed down to the Saviour's birth
place, for star of joy points down t,
every honorable nativity. A new eter
nifty dates from that hour, that min
ute. Beautiful and appropriate is tn,
custom of celebrating the anniversary
of such an event, and clear on into tn,
eighties and the nincties, the recur
renee of that day of the year in an ole
mans life causes recognition and more
or less congratulation. So. also, ma
lions are accustomed to celebrate the
anniversary of their birth and the an
niversary of the birth of their great
| heroes or deliverers or benefactors
The 22d of February and the 4th of
July are never allowed to pass in
our land without banquet and
Grafton, and bell ringing and can.
nonade. But all other birthday an.
niversaries arc tame compared with
the Christmas festivity, which cele.
brates the birthday described in nv
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
int Il IL L
spheric chorus: $40 us a child is
born" ON the 25th of December each
year that is the theme in st. Paul's
and st. Peters and st. Marks and St.
Isaac's and all the dedicated cathe-
drals. chapels, Westinghouse 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 dy-
ing. Only seven more pulsations and
its heart will cease to beat. The fin
gers of many of you will write at the
head of your letters and the foot of
your important documents, 1900. ;"
1t will be a physical and moral sensa-
ton unlike anything else you have
before experienced. Not one hand
that wrote ''1SO1' at the in.
duction of this century will
have cunning left to write 1907 at
the induction of another The death
of one century and the birth of an
other century will be sublime and sug-
gestive and stupendous beyond all es-
innate. 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 inhabitants
never experienced. I pray God that
there may be no sickness or casualty
to hinder your arrival at that goal or
to hinder your taking part in the vale
dictory of the departing century and
the salutation of the new. But as that
season will be the nineteen hundredth
anniversary of a Saviour's birth, l now
nominate that great international
jubilee or exposition be opened in this
cluster of cities by the sea-
coast on Christmas day, the
a5th of December, 1900, to be
continued for at least one month. into
the year 1901. This century, closing
December 81, 1900, and the new CEN
tury, beginning January l, 1901, will
it not be time for all nations to turn
aside for 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 appropriate time for such COM
than this elimination of
the centuries which are dated from
His nativity? You know that all his.
tory dates either from before Christ |
or after Christ, from Il. G. or A. d. 1t |
will be the year of our Lord 1900 pass
ing into the year 1901. We have had |
The Centennial at Philadelphia, cele- |
brative of the one hundredth an
niversary of orr nations birth. |
We have had the magnifi- |
cent expositions of New Orleans. |
md Atlanta, and Augusta, and |
St. Louis. We have the present Worlds
exposition at Chicago, celebrative of 1
he four hundredth an niversary of this
emergence, and there are
1t least two other great celebrations
promised for this country, and other
will have their historic events
% commemorate, but the one event
hat has most to do with the welfare
# all nations is the arrival of Jesus
'hrist on the planet, and all the enthu-
iasm ever witnessed at London or
Vienna or Paris or any of our Ameri-
an cities would be eclipsed by the en-
husiasm that would celebrate the ran
ON of all nations, the first step sto-
Yards the accomplishing of it being
aiken by an infntile foot one winters
light, about five miles from Jerusalem,
rhen the clouds dropped the angelic
antata: 'Glory to God in the high
st, and on earth peace, goodwill to /
1en.r
The three or four questions that
Tould be asked me concerning this
omination OF time and place, l pro-
eed to answer. What practical use
rould come of such international cele-
ration? Answer: The biggest stride
he world ever took toward the evan
of all nations. That is
rand and wonderful convocation, the .
.eligious congress at Chicago. twill /
ut intelligently before the world the ,
ature of false religions which have !
cen brutalizing the nations, tram i
ling womanhood into the dust, enact t
,g the horrors of infanticide, kindling /
lneral pyres for shrieking victims. ]
nd rolling juggernautsS across tn g j
,arnla1 1,rdsoc ~ ,