Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-12-28


Copyright. Louis Klopsch, 1901
CO HIS discourse of DR.. Tslmage is
full of the nativity and appropriate
- for the holidays; text, Luke H., 16,
sand they came with haste and found
Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in
a manager"
The black window shutters of De
cember night were thrown open and some
of the best singers of a world where they
all sing stood there, and putting back the
drapery of cloud chanted peace anthem
until all the echoes OF hill and valley Rp-
plseded and encored the halleluiah Choir
us. Come, let US go into that Christmas
scene as though we had never before wor-
SHIPPED at the manger. Here is a Madonna
worth looking at. ! wonder not that the
most frequent name in all lands and in
all Christian centuries is Mary. And
there are Marys in palaces and Marys in
cabins, and, though German and French
and Italian and Spanish and English pro
nounce it differently, they are all name
sakes of the one whom we find on bed
of straw, with her pale face against the
soft cheek OF Christ in the night of the
nativity. All the great painters have
tried, on canvas, to present Mary and Eec
child and the incidents of that most ia
nous night of the worlds history. Raph-
ael, in three different MASTERPIECES, cele-
brated them. Tintoretto and Ghirl3n-
dajo surpassed themselves in the dora
ton of the magi. Correggio needed to
do no more than his Madonna to become
immortal. The Madonna of the Lily"
by Leonardo da Ninci, will kindlc the
admiration of ali ages. But all the gal
leries Of Dresden are forgotten when
think of the small room of that gallery
containing the ''Sistine Madonna Yet
all of them were copies of st. Matthews
Madonna and Luke's Madonna. the in
spired Madonna of the old book, which
we had put into our hands when we were
infants and that we hope to have under
our heads when we die"
Behold, in the first place, that on the
night OF Christ's life God honored the
brute creation. You cannot get into that
Bethlehem barn without going past the
camels, the mules, the dogs, the oxen.
The hrutes OF that stable heard the first
cry of the infant Lord. Some of the old
painters represent the oxen and camels
kneeling that night before the newborn
babe. And well might they kneel! Have
you ever thought that Christ came,
among other things, to alleviate the sur
ferings of the brute creation? Was it
not appropriate that ne should. during
tlsr FIRST few days. and nights of his life
on earth, be surrounded by the dumb
beasts, whose moan and plant and bel
lowing have for ages been prayer to
God for the arresting of their fortunes
and the righting of their wrongs? Not a
kennel in all the centuries. not a birds
nest, not a wornout horse on towpath,
not herd freezing in the poorly built
cOwpen, not u freight car in summer time
bringing the beeyes TO market witnpa'
water through a thousand miles of agony,
not surgeons room witnessing the
struggles of fox or rabbit or pigeon or
dog in the horrors OF vivisectioD, but has
an interest in the fact that Christ was
born in stable surrounded by brutes.
Care of Gods Creatures.
Standing then, as | imagine now I do,
in that Bethlehem night with an infant
Christ on one side and the speechleSs
creatures of God on the other, | cry:
Look out how you strike the rowel into
that horses side: take off that curbed bit
from that bleeding mouth; remove that
saddle from that raw back; shoot not for
fun that bird that is too small for food
forget not TO put water into the cage of
that canary; throw out some crumbs TO
those birds caught too far north in the
winters inclemency; arrest that man
who is making that one horse draw
had hQQvu nnp1ytrh F,p in
upon that scene where boys are torturing
a cat or transfxing a butterfly and grass
hopper; drive not off that old robin, for
her nest is a mothers cradle and under
her wing there may be three or four
of the sky in training. in
your families and in your schools each
the coming generatinn more mercy ,uaI
tbe present generation has ever shown
and in this marvellous Bible picture OF the
nativity. while you point out to them the
angel, show them also the camel, and
while they hear the celestial chant let
them also hear the cows moan
Behold also in this Bible scene how on
that Christmas night God honorcd child
hood. Childhood was to he honored by
hat advent. lie must have child's light
illbS auu CHIu JUMPED MANA ana
rhild's beaming eye and child's h9&cn
hair, and babyhood was to he honored
Tor all time 10 come, and cradle was 10
mean more than a grave. Mighty sod,
may the reflection OF that one child's
face be seen in all infsntile faces
Enough have all those fathers and
mothers on hand if they have q child in
he house. A throne, crown. scepter
a kingdom, under charge. BE careful
low you strike him across the head, jar
ing the brain, What You say 20 him will |
" centennial and millennial and a nun
ired years and a thousand years will not |
stop the echo and re-ccho. DO not say,
1t is only a child" Rather say. 1T is !
,niy an immortal" II is only q master !
)iece Of Jehovah. Ii is only being that |
mail outlive sun ana moon and star and |
lges qusdriennial. God has Infinite re-
and he can give presents OF |
great value. brt when he wants 10 give |
he richesg possible gift to household he |
oOks around all the worlds and all the /
inverse and then gives child. Yea in |
ID ages God has honorcd childhood. lie |
makes almost every picture q failure IN /
Z.