Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-12-28


mother, he became Il fugitive.
Historians say that it was ut time Of
peace that Christ was born but his birth
aroused an antagonism of which the
Bethlehem massacre was only a feeble
expression. War of the mightiest nation
of the earth opened against that cradle.
The influence that came forth that night
from that surrounding of camcls and
sheep and oxen challenged the inquities
of all the centuries and will not cease I'M
til it has destroyed them. What n pro-
nunciamento went forth from that black
and barbarian throne, practically saying,
"Slay all the babes under 2 years of age,
and that wide slaughter will surely in
clude the death of the one child that most
threatens my dominion Awful time
was it for the occupant of that cradle!
If he escape the knife of the assassin,
then the wild beasts paw, or the bandits
clutch, or the midnight chill between
Bethlehem of Juda. and Cairo, vii, Sc
cure his destruction All the powers Of
earth and all the demons of hell bonn
barded that cradle.
Obscurity of Bethlehem.
Another shadow upon that Christie era
die was the obscurity of the place of
birth. Bethlehem was an obscure vii
lage David, the shepherd boy, had been
born there, but after he became general
and king he gave it no Significance, l
think never mentioning it but TO ask for
drink Of water out of the old we'll to
which he used to go in childhood-the
village so small and unimportant that it
had 10 be separated in mind from another
Bethlehem then existing and so was call
cd Bethlehem Of Judipa. There was
great capital OF Jerusalem; there were
the 10 beautiful cities on the beach Of
Galilee, any of them good place to he
born in, there were great towns famous
at that time, but the nativity we today
celebrate was in a village which Christ
intimatcd had been called by some "the
least among the princes of Juda." Christ
himself was to make the town famous
for all time and all eternity. SO heroes
in later days by their deeds have given
celebrity to neighborhoods that would
never otherwise have been heard of be-
yond the radius of few hundred miles.
What place for Christ to arrive at and
to start from The hero of the eterni-
ties!
o men and women of Messianic op-
portunity. why do you not make the
place of your nativity memorable for
your philanthropes-b the churches you
build the free libraries you open, the col
leges you endow? Go back to the village
where you were born, as George Peabody
went back TO Danvers, Mass, and with
your wealth bless the neighborhocd
where in childhood you played and near
by where your father and mother sleep
the last sleep. There are scores of such
villages in America being generously re-
membered by prosperous men during life
or helped in their last will and testament,
and there are hundred neighborhoods
waiting for such benedction from their
prosperous sons. BY some such charity
invite the Bethlehem angels to come back
again, and over the plain house Of your
nativity ring out the old anthem of
Good will to men" Christ born in an
obscure place, made 1t so widely knowa
by his self sacrifices and divine charity
that all around the earth the village Of
Bethlehem has its name woven in gar
lands and chanted in "Te Deums" and
built in houses of prayer.
But il is time we see some Of the sun
shine breaking through the shadows on
that cradle For we must have jubilance
dominate the Christmas festival. That
was Walter SCOTS opinion when in
"Marmion' he wrote:
A Christmas gambol oft would cheer
poor man IS heart through half the year.
Purpose of the Visit.
1t was while the peasant and his wife
were on a visit for purposes of enroll
ment that Jesus was born. The Bible
translators got the wrong word when
they said that Joseph and Mary had gone
to Bethlehem to be taxed" People vert
no farther then to get taxed than they do
now The effort Of mos. people always
has been to escape taxation. Besides
that, these two humble folk had nothing
to tax. The mans turban thai protected
his head from the sun was not worth taS-
ing; the woman's sandals which KEEP. her
feet from being cut by the limestone rool.
of which Bethlehem is mostly made up,
were not worth taxing. No; the fact is
that n proclamation had been made by
the emperor that all the people between
Great Britain and Parthia and of those
lands included should go to some appoint
ed place and give their names in. be reg
istcrcd and announce their loyalty to the
Roman emperor. They stood up before
the Off Ger OF the government and answer
ed the questions What is your name
Where were you born? When were you
born? Where do you live now? Lift
your hand and swear that you will sup
port the empire of Caesar Augustus"
During that patriotic and loyal visit the
first cry of the Divine Boy was heard.
They had walked so miles over rough
road to give in their names and take the
oath of allegiance. Would we walk 50
miles to announce our allegiance to our
King, one jesus Caesar Augustus want
ed TO know nv the record on which th a [