The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1900-12-22
CHRISTMAS.

passed away since the morning OF
Christ's nativity and his nineteen
hundredth and first birthday will
be ushered in. This will be the
last Christmas Of the Nineteenth
Century. Christ had barely begun
his ministry On earth when he be-
gan TO preach, Repent: for the
kingdom Of heaven is at hand"
yet that was nearly 1900 years ago
and his disciples today are sound
ing the same warning. The King
dom Of heaven is apparently as re-
mote as ever. The Savior came to
establish peace on earth and good
will to men; yet in the 1900 years
which have rolled away but slight
progress has been made on these
lines. Nations are today almost as
ready to disturb the peace as were
the tribes of nineteen centuries ago.
Among men-aud women-there
is as much of hatred and jealousy,
acrimony and envy as ever there
was. Nineteen hundred years
have not wrought many changes in
the nature Of humanity, The ami
NAL still predominates and the
brute is but half concealed. Along
the lines of intellectually wonder
full advancement has been made in
the last two hundred years, but de-
velopment of intellect does not ap-
pear to have produced correspond
ing development of spirituality.
If the spiritual in mankind had
grown as the intellect has, what a
beautiful world to live in this
would be! But unhappily it was
not so ordained. Yet humanity is
upon the whole improving in all
the virtues and graces. The world
is much better now than at any
previous time of which we have
any account. There is more Of
Justice, more OF morality and more
of charity than ever before. Men
are growing wiser and purer. 1t
is a slow growth, consuming the
time of geological periods before
exhibiting marked changes. We
believe though, and that belief is
most comforting, that mankind has
now almost passed the period ofre'
tnarkable intellectual development
and stands on the threshold of an
era of spiritual growth. We be-
lieve that before the end of the goth
century the intellect of man will be
turned inward to the culture and
development of the soul and thai
the stupendous intellectual force:
which are now concentrated on the
material world will be directed tt
the spiritual. In the evolution O
man the time must come when sor.
didness will have been surfeited.
But next Tuesday is Christmas
a day for charitable deeds, gener
Gus impulses, benevolent reflections
and sacred rejoicings. Every mai
and woman should on that day de
vote himself and herself to making
the rest of mankind little happie.
and better. If nothing can be don'
in the way of substantial charity
then let there be a soulful outpour
ing of generous and noble i'm
! pulses, Let us all forgive thos'
who have wronged us and let IL
ask forgiveness of those whom W.
have wronged. Let us give wore
of cheer and comfort wherever VIZ
can and carry with us through thi'
the last Christmas of the Nineteenth
Century a cheering smile and ;
hopeful heart, And, by the way o
suggestion, would it not be a mos
excellent thing if we should al
honestly strive to prolong thos'
Christmas graces to the dawning o
another Christmas in the Goth Cen
tury2 THE TRIBUNE sincerel.
hopes that the last Christmas o
this century will be happy on,
for all its readers and likewise tn,
rest of mankind, and, with thi
prayer, hopefully and cheerful,
awaits tha nineteen hundredth IN,