The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-12-27

WASHINGTON, D. C.-The discourse o.
2. Ia.mage = full OF the nativity and ap
'oprlate for the holidays; text. Luke n
!, And they came wIth haste and found
airy and Joseph and the babe lying IN q
anger"
The black window shutters of a Deem
n night were thrown open, and some o.
ie Cest singers OF q world where they all
ng stood there and, putting back the
apery OF cloud, chanted a peace ar
EN- until all the echoes OF nil and val
applauded and encored the haileluiah
loTus. Come, le: Us 20 into that Christ
as scene as though we had never before
orshlped at the mauser. Here ls a Ma
)nna worth looking at. | wonder not
al the most FREQUENT name in all lands
al IN all Christian countries Is Mary
nd there are Marys in palaces and
arys IN cabins. and. though German and
'ench and Italian and Spanish and Eng
n pronounce il differently. they are all
mesakes OF the ore whom We find on a
q OF straw, with her pale face against
,e soft cheek of Christ in the night OF the
tvlty. All the great painters have tried.
4 canvas TO present Mary and her child
d the incidents oi that most famous
yntln ,he world history. Raphael in three
rereAl masterpieces. celebrated them.
ntoretto and Ghiriandajo surpassed
emselves in the alteration OF the Magi.
lTreggio needed 20 DO no more than his
adonna 10 become immortal The Ma
ma OF the Lily by Leonardo da Vinci.
i kindle the admiration OF all ages But
| the galleries OF Dresden are forgotten
len think OF the small room of that
.iery containing the "~istine Madonna. -
{ al of them were copies OF 81. Mat
ew's Madonna and Luke's Madonna. the
pired Madonna OF the old book which
had put into our hands when we were
ants, and that we hope 10 have under
Z heads when we die.
5ehold, in the first place that on the
Il night OF Christ lie God honored the
lte creation. You cannot get into that
thlehem barn without going past the
ne.s, the mules. the dogs. the oxen. The
ties Of that stable heard the first cry of
infant Lord. Some Of the old painters
present the oxen and camels kneeling
L night before the newborn babe. And
II might they llneeil Have you ever
ought that Christ came. among other
ngs, to alleviate the sufferings of the
lte creatlony Was II not appropriate
It He should. during the first few days
! nights OF His life on earth, be sur
lnded by the dumb beasts, whose moan
plant and believing have for ages been
jrayer to God for the arresting of their
lures and the righting of their wrongs?
,t a kennel in all the centuries. not a
DIS nest, not wcrn-out horse on tow
h, not a herd freezing in the poorly
L cow.pen, not a freight car in sum
r time bringing the beeves 10 market
hout water through a thousand miles
agony, not a surgeons witnessing the
uggles of fox or rabbit or pigeon or dog
the horrors of vivisecton but has an in
est in the fact that Christ was born in
table surrounded by brutes.
tanding then, as ] imagine now | do,
that Bethlehem night, with an infant
list on the one side and the speechless
1 atures OF God on the other, ] cry
\ Dk out how You strike the rowel into
horses side: take of that curbed bit
n that bleeding mouth; remove that
die from that raw back; shoot not for
that bird that is too small for food
get not 10 put water into the cage OF
{ canary; throw out some crumbs TO
sc birds caught too far north In the
ter's inclemency; arrest that man who
making that ore horse draw a load
Wy enough for three; rush in upon that
ne where boys are torturlng cat or
lsfxing butterfly and grasshopper.
,e not off that old robin, for her nest
mothers cradle and under her wing
&c may be three o. four musicians of
sky in training. In your families and
! your schools teach the coming genera
more mercy than the present genera
has ever shown, and in this marvellous
lie picture of the nativity, while YOU
| lt out TO them the angel, show them |
the camel, and while they hear the |
stial chant let them also hear the |
5 moan.
| ehold also in this Bible scene how or |
y Christmas night God honored child !
\ Il. Childhood was to be honored by |
~ advent. He must have a child's hight |
| pa and a child's Gimpled hand and |
d's heaming eve and a child's flaxen |
and babyhood was to be honored for |
ime TO come, and a cradle was to mean |
@ than a grave. Mighty God! May |
reflection of that one child's face be /
in all infantile faces,
| lough have all those fathers and moth |
on hand If they have a child in the |
&c. a throne. a crown, a scepter, a |
| dom, under charge. BE careful how |
strike him across the head. jarring |
brain. What YOU Say % him viii be ,
ennial and a thousand years will not |
the Ccho and re-echo. Do not cay, |
is only a child" Rather say, at is |
an immortal" It j. only a master
Of Jehovah. It Is only a being that
out.lve sun and moon and star and |
quadrennial. God has infinite re-
ccs, and He can give presents of great
| @, but when He wants 10 give the rich
possible gift 20 a household He looks /
nd all the worlds and al the universe
then gives a child. Yea. in all ages
has honored childhood. He makes
)st every picture a failure unless there
child either playing on the floor or
ing through the window or seated on
lap gazing into the face of the mother
was a child i'm Naaman's kitchen that
the great Syrian warrior where he
he 90 and get cured of the leprosy
h at his seventh plunge IN the Jordan
left az the bottom OF the river II
to the cradle Of leaves IN which a child
lain. rocked by the Nile, that God
the attention Of history. II was q
child that evoked Christs curative
)athies. IL was a child that Christ set
ne midst Of the squabbling disciples 20
the lesson OF humility. \ child de-
Waterloo, showing the army Of Blu
how IL could take q short cut through
fields when, If the old road had been
we'd the PrussIan general would have
up too late 20 save the destinies OF
ppe. Il was q child that decided Get
Rurg, he having overheard two Confed-
generals IN a conversation IN which
decided to march for Gettysburg in
OF HdfIlsidIE' anu LuI- reported 70
rnor Curtin. the federal forces
ed TO meet their opponents az Getfys.
And today the chi j. % decide
he great battles. make al the laws,
all the destinies and usher IN the
d's salvation or destruction Men.
en-. nations al earth and az heaven,
ID the child!
,tice also that in this Bible nigh,
God honOred science Who are the
wise men kneeiing before the Divine
n;g Not Doors. no. iUoramuses. hut
ar. Rathasar and Melch.0-. men who
al that was % be known. They were
s5ac Newtons and Herschpl- and Far
Of their time. Their alchemy was
forerunner Of our sublime chemistry .
as'ro,0gy the mother Of our marnih-
astronomy. and when I zee these
iI.f. hnMInr hefnra The L.aItLful