Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-12-22

of Jesus Christ. He commands his
troops to surround the structure. APP
ply the torch, and guard against the
escape or rescue OF any OF these
primitive Christians. The awtul
command is executed Each Chris.
tian man. woman and child per,shes
III the flames and many new names
are added to the rolls OF early mar
tyrdoms. II there is an overshadow
ing benediction in American citizen.
ship it is embodied in the fact that
Roman Catholics, Professionals, He
brews and Greek church relieionsts
may observe their ecclesiastical fes
rivals and Worship God beneath the
glorious arch of legal and moral pro.
lection and with fullest national lib.
erty OF conscience.
A SOLEMN CHRISTMAS IN THE ROMAN
oATAcoMBs.
One hundred and fifty wears have
elapsed since angelic delegations es-
corted Jesus from the Mount of
Olives 20 His heavenly capital The
distinguished Stole philosopher Mar
Gus Aurelian, is the Emperor of the
Roman empire. On Christmas day
he is celebrating, in his gorgeously
adorned capital, his Eastern con
quests. An intrepid warrior, an EN-
inent scholar, and a philanthropic
monarch, he is the idol of the Roman
people. But his intense hate, as a
Stole philosopher, Of the entire
Christian creed, has TRANSPORTED
him into caId and merciless perse.
cutor of the helpless followers of Je
sus Christ. While, as temporry
peers'the nobility and peasantry sit
at his table throughout the December
Saturnalian teasts, there preventative
Christian heroes, whom he has
doomed To contests with wild beasts
in the amphitheatre, have assembled
in the subterranean chapel of the
sepalehral eataeombs beneath the
royal mausolea of the Appian way
They are celebrating for the last
time the birth of the Babe of Beth.
lehem. With wonderful courage the
venerable Alexander closes his i'm
pressive address with these words
"This roof Of stone hides the stars,
but they shine on; and they that
tnrn many to righteousness shall
shine as the stars OF heaven. When
the Saturnalia has passed am to
be given to the beasts But the
hosts of the righteous shall increase
shining in their beauty; and Beth
lehems star shall never set"
Since the martyrdom of that com
pany of brave men, how magnificent
have been the victories of the Chris
tian faith over the venerable relig-
ions of pagan tribes! Gloomy as
seemed this anniversary Of the Ma
tivity to these doomed men, worship.
ping Jesus by the light of torches
flashing their lustre on surrounding
tombs, yet within one hundred and
forty years thereafter the Roman
senate voted that Christianity should
be the state religion of the empire,
and Romes earliest Christian En-
peror, Constantine, transferred the
splendor and enthusiasm of the pa
gan December festivals to the Chris
tian ceremonies associated with the
incarnation of our divine Lord The
gilded cross shone from the top of
each Roman temple in the morning
sunshine and Jupiter, dethroned,
gave the most conspicuous pedestal
of the Pantheon to statue of the
Christ of history.
THE CHRISTMAS BAPTISM OF KING CLIO
Wis AND HIS ARMY.
The fifth century OF the Christian
era is ending. Among the towering
mountains OF Switzerland, and near
to the shore of its most famous lake,
lives the Christian girl Clotilda,
daughter of the Burgnndian king,
Chilperic. She has celebrity as the
most beautiful young woman in the
world. Clovis. the warrior king OF
the Franks. learns from the lips of
his ambassador, Aurelian, of her
matchless grace of figure and mar
vellous loneliness of face. He sends
Aurelian to her to offer her gold
ring of bethrothal. She accepts it
and at an early date she wears a
queenly crown, sits on throne be-
side the monarch, and with eloquence
and influence tells him and his conr-
tiers of the incarnation life, death
and ascension of Jesus Christ. He
and his troops are contesting the
bloody field of Tolbiac. Finally he
sees his routed army in full retreat
before the victorious Alemanni. Au.
relian begs him to call on Christ,
the divinity of Clotilda, for nelp.
Clovis lifts his helmet and facing
the sun above him, exclaims "My
Gods have failed to help me OIL
Christ! Thou God of Clotilda give
to me victory this day and my
throne and kingdom shall be Timer