The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-03
For The Herald and News.
THE CHRIST GELD.
a Christmas Story.

a Christmas Story.
Francis, I have told you great man.
stories, some true, and some that wer
stories and nothing else, like those Mr.
Radle used to tell when he made shoe
for your grandpa when he was q boy
real Munehausen stories, just made VI
things. Some stories are good, and al
though they are stories in one sense
yet they are = true stories, because th'
spirit Of them is true, whether the let
ter is or not.
Agnes wants me to tell her stories
too, now, since she has grown large
enough and old enough to open bel
eyes wide in wonder when she hears
any new and strange tale. So this story
| is for both of you.
The story grandpa tells you to-day
is Christmas Story; an old-time Ger
man tale Of the Christ child. The Ger.
| mans are great people; liberty loving,
wise and energetic; fond of deep study
and thought, dreamy and practical.
fThey are solid and substantial, yet
fond of excursions to cloudland and
dreamland. Their clouds have solid
basis to rest upon and their dreams are
not all vapory clouds, but are much
more solid than the smoke out of which
they emanate. They are great smokers,
and when enveloped and seemingly
lost in the dense vapors that rise from
their pipes, they are revolving some
great problem in metaphysical philos-
ophy or religion, and will emerge after
awhile with their thoughts as clear and
cloudless as the skies of Italy ever
are.
They are curious people. these Ger
mans are Their folklore abounds in
stories of gnomes and kobe Ids, and
dwarfs and giants, and all sorts of Gu
rious and uncouth creatures, that live
in mountain caves and mines. They
tell of many curious things done and
tricks played by these people, mostly
friendly, seldom nischievous. These
are old time stories, come down from
the days when the people were heather
before they knew and loved the
Christ child. They still love to tell
those old time heathen stories, though
they no longer believe them, just as I
ieye to tell you Of the harmless ways Of
the gentle little birds and of their talks
tome. -. ~
The Christ Child! You know our
Lord was born on Christmas Day, the
25th of December. He appeared as q
little boy, a baby in his mo;her's arms,
just as You did, just as We all did. But
grandpa will venture to say that He
looked brighter and wiser and much
more wide awake and beautiful than
any of us did when we were babies,
though he was very sad and sorrowful,
and so remained all His days to the
sad and sorrowful close of his life
here.
The Germans tell as that on every
Christmas night as q little child he
comes to earth once more. He comes,
not in royal robes, not as the Son of a
king, or of great noble; not as the
king of heaven, az He is and always
has been; but He comes as a child of
the people, as poor mans son; as an
outcast, in poor and tattered garments,
homeless and q beggar. He comes thus,
that He may see and learn by a direct,
personal observation and experience,
how they, who call themselves His
people, live and behave themselves.
Clothed in ragged and worn apparel
He goes from house to house, and
knocks at the door Of every one who
calls himself a Christian. Some do not
open at ali, but, peering through the
window and seeing beggar boy, he is
ordered away or threatened with the
police. Some send him grudgingly a
small piece of bread and cold meat.
The modes in which he receives cold
treatment are as varied as the selfish
emotions and passions Of the human
heart. To none Of these does He reveal
Himself. He cannot-they would not
understand the revealment.
Sometimes he receives welcome.
and such a welcome that The very
heavens above rejoice with an added
splendor of happiness.
One time, rot such a:great- many
years ago, the Germans tell us,-what
I am now going to relate occurred in
the good old city Of Nuremburg. It-was
q bitter cold night, but inside mapy
houses of the city, gay scenes were
transpiring, and many. green Christ
mas trees bore fruit of various kinds to
be distributed amongst the wearers of
the happy faces around. They expected
a visit from Santa Claus. Outside, not
far from one of these houses which
seemed so happy within, a little child,
ragged and footsore, with tattered
cap on his head, was observed by po-
liceman, walking apparently sad and
weary, along the almostdeserted street.
Necessity only compelled persons to be
out such a cold night. The child drew
near to the house and as he set his foot
upon the first step the policeman ap-
preached as if to arrest him and send
him somewhere to safe shelter, feel
ing well assured that in that house
there was no welcome for the forlorn
and desolate child. He was about to
take the child by the arm, but the
child raised His eyes, looked at the