The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-02-18
A HOLY DAY.


the Holiday Season.
Christmas Commemorstes the Birth Of
the Greatest Being That Ever walkea
the Earth-Dr. Talmage's
Dlscourss.
The text selected by Dr. Talmags
Sunday was Colossians il. 10: I'm re-
spect Of q holy day"
What the Bible here and elsewhere
calls a holy day we. by change Of one
letter and change OF pronunciation. call
holiday But by change of spelling and
accentuation we can not change the
fact that holidays have great signifi-
cameo. As long ~ the world stands
Christmas day and New Years day and
Easter day will be charged and sur
charged with solemn suggestiveness
and holy mirth. Whether you take the
old style of my text and call them holy
days, or the modern style and call them
holidays, they somehow set all my
nerves a-tingle and my deeper emotions
into profoundest agitation. / am glad
that this season we have holidays COM
pletely bounded.
For years Christmas day, starting In
the midst Of one week, and New Years
day, starting in the midst of another
week, we have been perplexsd to know
when tho holidays began and when
they ended, and perhaps we may have
begun them too soon or continued them
too long. But this year they are
bounded by two beaches of gold-Sab-
bath, December IS, 1891, and Sabbath,
January 1, 1898. The one Sabbath this
year commentaries the birth Of the
greatest being that ever walked the
earth; the other celebrates the birth
of that which is to be one of the great
est years of all time, the one day super
natural because of an unhinged star
and angelic doxology, and the other
day natural, but part of procession
that started with the worlds existence
and will go on until the world is
burned up; both the first and the last
days of these holidays coming In with
Sabbatical splendor and solemnity, and
girdling all the days between with
thoughts that have all time and all
eternity in their emphasis How shall
we spend them? At haphazard and
without special direction, and they
leaving, as they go away from US
physical fatigue and mental ex-
haustion, the effect of late hours and
recklessness of diet, adding another
chapter to the moral and spiritual and
eternal disasters which have resulted
from misspent holidays? Oh, no! A
stout and resounding no! for all the
eight days.
l propose that we divide this holiday
season, the two Sabbaths of the holi-
day and the six days between, into
three chapters-the first part q chapter
of illustrious birthday; the second part
a chapter of annual decadence; tho
third part q chapter Of the chronology
ical introduction.
First, then, q chapter Of illustrious
birthday. Not a day Of any year but
has been marked by the nativity of
some good or great soul Among dis
coverers the birthday of Humboldt was
September IA, and of David Livingston,
March TO- Among astronomers the
birthday of Isaac Newton was Decem-
Der IS, and of Herschel, November IL.
Among orators the birthday of Cicero
was January 3, and of Chrysostom,
January IA Among prison rcformers
the birthday Of John Howard was Sop
TENDER Q, and Of Elizabeth Fry, May /.
Among painters the birthday of Raphael
was March %. and Of Michael Angelo,
March G.
Among statesmen the birthday Of
Washington was February 20; of HAM
ilton, May 8, and of jefferson, April 2.
Among consecrated souls the birthday
of Mrs Hemans was September IS; Of
Lucretia Mott, January 8, and of Isa-
bella Graham, July 90. But what are
all those birthdays compared with De-
cember IS, for on or about that day was
born one who eclipsed all tho great
names of all the centuries--Jesus of
Bethlehem, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus of
Golgotha, Jesus Of Olivet. Jesus Of the
Heavenly throne.
The greatest pictures have been made
about scenes in his lifetime. The great
est sacrifices on field of battle or in hos
pital or on long march or in martyrdom
have been inspired by his self sbnega-
ton. The finest words of eloquence
ever spoken have been uttered in the
proclamation Of His Gospel The grand
est oratorios that have ever rolled from
orchestras were descriptive of his life
and death. There have been other ora
tors, but none like Him who ''spake as
never man spake," There have been
other reformers, but none like Him who
will not have completed His mission
until the last prison Is ventilated, and
the last blind eye opened, and the last
deaf ear unstopped, and the last lame
foot bounds like q roe, and the last
case Of dementia shall come to its right
mind.
There have been other discoveries,
but none like Him, able to flnd bowman
may be just with God. There have
been other deliverers, but mono like
Him, the rescuer Of nationa There
have been other painters, but none like
Him who put the image Of God on lost
soul No wonder we celebrate His
birth-Protestant church, Catholic
church, Greek church, St. Isaac's of St
Petersburg, St Peters at Rome, the
Madeline at Paris, St Pauls in London,
joining all our American cathedrals and
churches and log cabin meeting houses
\