Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-23
CHRISTMAS SERVICES
Last Night at Fourth Street and First
Presbyterian Churches.
Excellent Musical Programmes
Rendered-Dr. Rilzer Delivers a
Series of Five-Minute Talks on
Appropriate Themes-Dr. Cum
ningham's Excellent Evening Ser.
mon.

The Christmas service last evening
at the Fourth Street NJ. e. Church was
Of most unusual interest The main
audience room Of the church, its ais,es
and paSsageways were completely filed
and the by no means common occur
renee is this city of at Leaf. Two hun
dred people having to go away for want
Of either standing or sitting room in
the church was presented. The SER
vices in all its features was a most
select and impressive one from it's com
mencement TO the close, and consisted
Of choice and appropriate musical selec-
tons by the choir. of high classical or
der, and rendered with the most soul
stirring effect; prayer, Scripture read
ing and short selections by DR.. RIker
from "Tennyson in Memor.um," Is
PRODUCTION to Conto Sixth Scotts,"
Morrison and M.ltons Hymn to the
Nativity" all of which exercises were
in keeping with the most lofty Thought
for the occasion st helped to commem-
crate.
Another feature of the service was the
five minutes talks by the Rev. DR..
Riker upon three different views of
Christmas and Christ'S history as pre-
senced TO the wOlrd. OF the first, THE
Place of Christmas Night in History"
DR.. Riker SAID when the Greek poets
and philosophers in their works IN
which the finest shadings of thought
could be expressed and which had a
rare faculty for confirmation with terms
which would suggest new thought TO
the human mind. This eXqus.t Ian
guage had become the heritage Of the
known word through the COnQuestS of
Alexander the Great; and their con-
quests had broken up the isolation Of
the nations of earth. Then. TOO. Rome
was al The heighth Of her power, mis-
treSs Of the world which was prepared
thereby 10 conceive Of a universal king
dom such as Christ came to establish.
Al no point in human history could the
mission Of Chris, have been 50 effective
in the world. The age of Mythology
had long since passed and the world
had entered upon the period Of its writ
zen history which al once and there
fixed a deathless and indeX.be page in
history. So that we have the true rec
ord of the true Messiah His birth was
the greatest event in history and it is
but jusc that all historical dates should
take their departure from this time.
The meaning Of Christmas night, DR..
Rtker stated. was that heaven was in
tereSred in man. The angels came down
TO sing TO man the song of their re-
demptiOn. but the most remarkable in
Cident IN heavens welfare for men that
could possibly be manifested was shown
when the Lord took upon himself the
form Of a child and hallOwed this earth
10y the tread Of his sacred feet; hall0wed
human speech by the use OF earth's
language: and contributed 10 humas
Thought by breath,sg into the ears OF
men the thoughts Of God; emphasized
the worth of humanity by diving for
men: and proved their immortality by
rising from the dead. I, means that the
curse of sin shall be removed and the
tide Of earth's affairs turned backward
until sorrow and signing shall pass
AWAY and the ransomed Of the Lord
shall return and come to ZION with
songs and everlasting joy in their
heads
DR.. R;ker in his last five minutes
talk. spoke Of the geographical s:gniii-
canca of the place where Christ was
born. and said that 70 need not surprise
MS that there are no accidents cluster
ing around an event 50 important as
the coming Of the Messiah. as the time
was the most effective in history. NO
Mace was Geographically more favor
able Palestine was 50 situated that
through 81 must pass the great avenues
of travel from east to west and north 10
south. There met the peoples of all