The record-union., 1896-12-27

| Christmas trees and Sunday-schpol
trees. Trees in the homes of the rich
and the homes of the poor Stockings
hang by marble mantel and unpublished
cooking stove. 1t is the same old story
of inn and manger.
Roberta has carried rare, choice flow
ers to her mothers grave to-day. and
her father went with her. There were
flowers on that other grave also. The
| faithful cook took them and dropned a
tear to the memory of her mistress.
Poor, poce Barbara. But that other far
off, never-thought-o of grave-the grave
of the first whose love Robert Prentiss
won. the first to go home to God-are
| there flowers there this Christmas
time? No. no. 1t is one of the dark
places. Flowers do not thrive in such
spots. 1t is meet, perhaps that it
should be so. But there comes rolling
down through the ages words like these:
| Let him who is without offense east
the first stone" Then: Woman, where
are thine accusers? Neither do l con-
denim thee; sin no more"
Think you there are no watchers over
| that barren grave? All. it IS a precious
spot to the One who was born of
| woman and died for the sins of a world.
| Forgiven through the blood of Him
| whose praise we sing this Christmas
eve, her body still united to Christ shall
! rest in that grave forgotten though it
| seems to be) until the resurrection. and
then that mortal shall put on immor-
tality
Roberta s mother died ON Christmas
eve. and that night can never be to her
aught but a time sacred to the men,
ory of her death. But there is nothing
! inconsistent with even such sorrowful
| memories in the festivities which. if you
Will look into Mr.. Prentiss' house, you
may witness this Christmas eve.
1t is a bright house you are invited
| to. There is a feast, yes, and fun and
| frOlic, for there is a Christmas tree
and a Santa Claus. You will see rich
people and poor folks, too, as guests.
| Happy and sorrowing, invalids and
strong men and women: good and, alas.
l fear, bad people as we'll But who
are the good and who are the bad?
My friend, l advise you not to attempt
to select. You might make a mistake.
But here is One at this feast { / am
sure that He is here) who knows. Have
We found an inn at Christmas time
which has made room for the Christ
from Heaven?
Had there been a place for Him at
that inn in Bethlehem, then would the
| guiding star have rested.
o, ye owners of inns. will ye not
entertain the Lord?
o, ye wise men, pour out your gifts.
gold and frankincense and myrrh be-
fore the Christ.
It's all muddle," one has said.
Aye, is it not? Pale. pinched faces on
the street corners; bare feet and rags
for clothing in the alleys.
| Rosy cheeks and laughing faces: gay
horses and carriages with bright. warm
robes dashing with a short turn around
that corner. Warm furs and elegant
dresses uplifted as that alley, a dis
agreeable spot which must be passed.
is reached.
a new name. How she loves, She has
given her heart away.
A wailing baby with no name, and
its mother, with, alas, the old name.
She has given her heart away and her
soul with it. Has she? The world
says so, and, oh, how it hurls its
stones. But there is One who said: Go
and sin no more and He shall judge
at last. But is it not a muddle? What
shall set this muddle right?
Bright star of Bethlehem, shine out
and guide us to that King. who left
His home in glory, where the streets
are golden and the gates are pearl, to
become even as the lowliest of earth.
He will right this muddle if we will
have it righted. We have but to give
the spirit of Christ a place in our
hearts.
1t is not a marvel that poverty gives
| envious hearts to those who stand
shivering in the cold and look in on
warmth and light and happiness. The
poor hate the rich" These are the
words of poverty. But think you there
is a jealous thought of Roberta Prem
tiss? There are all classes and grades
of people at Roberta's Christmas party.
OF course. that includes a newspaper
reporter, and he, standing by the side
| of young Dr. Noquinine, overheard the
| following conversation. (The partici
pants in the colloQuy We're two young
girls. They were pretty girls; conse-
quently the reporter had inquired about
| them. The answer, however, weak
ened his interest. DR.. Noquinine as
sUred him that they belonged to quite
| a lower class of society. This party,
you know, is one of Miss Prentiss'
whims.'O
That's just it." one of the girls re-
piled. ''She is sweet, lovely She don't
| do things for the sake Of becoming
sweet. She does them because she is
sweet"
| That's the reason everybody likes to
come to her parties the other said.
She don't ask us just because We are
time, but she asks us because she likes
us and counts US as her friends. She
| likes folks, not their money or their
| clothes and houses
| "Of course her father gives her the
money to do all this with, but nobody
| thinks of thanking him. We all know
| he does it to please her. and not be-
cause he cares for us
| Lilly" the other interrupts, "do you
know when she's 21 she will have a
fortune of her own? She told me about
it the other day. The way she hap
pened to was this: You know I'm most
crazy to take music lessons. l mad
been singing for her and she pralseG
me, and 1 like a simpleton ourst out
crying She knows how badly L feel
about having to give up music ana she
said Never mind, May, in two years
more I shall have a fortune, and tnen
you shall have the best teacher III San
| Francisco She said an old friend of
| her fathers had beuuea thed his prop