Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-12-25
WHEN THE STAR sHoxs.
Twas the Signal for Bethie-
hem's First Christmas.

Witnessed one OF the most remafka
bic epochs ever known to secular
history, and the most remarkable
period of which spiritual man hos
ever conceived, From tho secular
standpoint these are the conditions:
The mighty empire of Rome, which
had it as its center the single city
standing on the Tiber, had planned
for years the conquest of the earth.
aud at This time BAD so far succeed
ed that she sat among her seven hills
practically mistress of the world.
The adventurous Julius Cesar had
lived his day aud passed away, and
i'll his place sat Augustus. patron of
the arts, and gifted with an execu
tive capacity we'll suited to control
tho empire which had been created.
From Rome, as veria able hub,
spokes of granite roads, built to con
vey armies, radiated to guell any in
surrection that might threaten the
welfare of the welfare of the imperial
domain.
Each department of The Govern
ment was organized and directed by
the Emperor himself aud this is i'm
portant because it was by the decree
of Augustus himself that the proph
cts words were verified aud the
Christ born in the town of David.
The circumstances were these: BY al
official order acensus of the territory
OF Palestine was called for, and to
that eEd from every part of the prov.
ince the inhabitants brtook them
selves: according to the Jewish Gus.
tom. to the town from which they
claimed their origin.
From Nazareth in the North 10
Bethlehem i'll the South was long
journey, eighty miles over wintry
rouds and up and down the hills of
the rolling country. But Joseph who
was as COOL subject as he was n
Hebrew, obeyed the command and
started for the city OF David ut the
bidding. The first stop was prob.
ably at the house of Chinhan at
Beeroth. which is fifteen miles from
Nazareth, where. 1000 years before
Ruth CLEANED for Boaz and where
Jesus and David had rested. The
remainder of the journey was made
by easy stages, the humble couple
stopping to rest at such quarters as
their means could afford.
They arrived in Bethlehem i'm the
afternoon and founc the little city
crowded with host of people bound
On mission similar to their own
Every carayansary was filed. The
very streets were thronged with peo
pie seeking accommodation, aud after
repea ed efforts to obtain quarters il
the city proper, which numbered at
that time only about 5000 Inhabitants,
and was, therefore, unprepared FOL
any emergency of this sort. the foot
sore wanderers struck ont into the
country. After travelling about q
mile they found tile little khan, which
is known as the Chapel of the Ma
tivitv," and where silver star set in
viii uetal, with sixteen ever burn
ing lamps, commentaries the might
lest fact in the story of the human
rtre. The motto which these lamps
illuminates reads: "Hic de virgine
Maria Jesus Christur natus est
The little inn which was thus des
tined to be famous over the round
world was set in hollow over which
waved the branches of All olive grove
1t was built around conrt whose
open sides, cut in the limestone rock
were designed for the stabling Of
horses aud cattle which belonged tc
the guest who patronized the estab
lishment. The rooms in that tavern
were all spoken for, and the sole
place of shelter left to the travellers
was one of these cell like apart
ments, in which there was neither
couch, table or chair.
1T was understood that any guests
who would accept these low quarters
should provide their own bit of car
pet as a protection against the damp
and would be content and satisfied
with the bundle of straw which serv
ed as bed. These were the sur
roundings of the Virgin Mother or
the night of the advent of the Son Of
God.