The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-12-27
CHRISTMAS CAROLS AND CHEER.
special Music and Notable DiscOursrs in
All Our Churches--A Genuine OutpOur-
ing Of the Gospel of Good WIN to len -
Emtere sting Entertainments For the
Children

Cu1Iuren.
II of the churches celebrated the
ristmas festival Wednesday " it'll
ecial mnsic, appropriate sermons and
andsomc decorations
The Congregational church had been
lastly decorated for the celebration OF
the Christmas festival by the young
people of the church with evergreen
and representation of snow banked
up back of the pulpit. The choir were
assisted by quartettc If male ,oices
and the singing was excellent. Rev.
c. o. Day preached a remarkably fine
discourse on 1.-The Love of Christ -
In the evening the Junior Christian
Endeavor and younger classes of the
| Sunday school gave IA very nice concert
which opened with a professional
| hymn followed by an exercise by the
Junior Endeavor: song by Flossie
| Howe. and other exercises The
primary department and Misses Lucie
| Bracket and Grace Emerson IS classes
had their Christmas party in the
chapel Tuesday afternoon at o. clock,
to which the mothers and babies of
the parish were invited. The enter
tainment consisted of reading of Christ
mas story. Miss Ruth Noyes; song,
Flossie Howe: recitation, Kris
kringlc's Tree Agnes Whitney
Address to Kris Kringle," Willie.
Haigh. The eight children of Kris
were represented 10y Ruth Adams,
Helen Keycs. Grace ADAMS Bertha
Rabbit, Crosby Adams, Lyman Smith,
Glen Jones and Harry Bingham and
were attired in white furry robes.
They also distributed the gifts from the
tree The Alright Party for the
other members of the school was beld
last evening and S3S were collected for
the Alright mission by all bringing
as many pennies as they were years
old. The program consisted of Golf
a la Boston, 'ior the game of bean bags
drama, THE Country is Safe al
drill by eight Battalion boys under the
direction Of Lieut. Haigh; 1.-THE
Mommers' consisting Of serenades by
a quartette of young voices; panto |
mine, How it Really all Happened.
Refreshments followed.
At the Methodist church the Christ /
mas exercises consisted of a sermon |
morning by Mr.. Hough on the
Birth of Christ in which he said that
only God would undertake TO change the
face of the world and usher in the uni /
versal reign of peace and love by the
birth of a child. Prophecy and its full
filmeut inspired faith, but the method,
child. obscure. living, silent forces
in the heart of humanity, working
had the divine i'm
press.
God always works that way. he bc-au the
OF the Hebrew nation in cradle
rushes rocking on the Nile. New beginnings
marked the birth Of Christ. Time began anew;
he world came back from despair To- dcathle5s
nope in sublime future for the race. The life
receiving the Christ spirit today has new be
ginning He came to the wise men along the
pathway of their studies in the language ol
light 10 the hearts Of the shephcrdin speech and
Ong. In one case the intellect led the heart, in
he other the heart the intellect Both came at
asst TO Christ. Heart reverence without reason,
md the homage of the intellect with feeling arc
ompletc parts OF Christian life Religion Is not
II song and speech. The first epoch OF the birth
# Christ ON wise men ana shepherds was the ,
ct of sacrifice. Like produces like. The Givcr
wakcns the giving spirit The wise men gave t
rom the hand, the shepherd praise from the :
cart. The second epoch was practical bless .
ng of the new life with the old work. The shep-
erds go back to thoir flock, the Wise men to l
heir studies, but with larger purcr lie. This '
the incarnation. \ deeper, purer life lowing I
ito mems souls, and their out from a canvas, in /
ong through the old channels OF thought and ,
old fields of labor, making the OH world new
Ike the coming of spring II
On Wednesday evening 4 concert was
iven in the audience room and the I
,uit of two Christmas trees distrib $
ted
The festival of the Nativity commonly 7
allied Christmas day--was appropriat Il
rely celebrated in ST, Michael $ Epis
pal church by morning service, con
sting of morning prayer, Christmas L
1l,,i trsif NJ 1 N