Milford chronicle., 1901-12-27
VOL. XIV. NO. 81. WHOLE NUMBER 1924

lowing have for ages been a prayer to
God for the arresting of their tOrtures
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 a freight car in summer time
bringing the beeves to market without
water through thousand miles of agony,
not a surgeons room witnessing the
struggles of fox or rabbit or pigeon or
dog in the horrors Of viyisection, but has
an interest in the fact that Christ was
born in a stable surrounded by brutes.
Care of Gods Creatures.
Standing then. as | imagine now 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 4;
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 a
load heavy enough for three; rush in
upon that scene where boys are torturing
a cat or transhxing 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
musicians Of the sky in training. in
your families and in your schools teach
the coming generation more mercy than
the 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 houored child
hood Childhood was to be hunurrd by
that advent. He must have a childs lieht
limbs and a child's dimpled hand and Il
chid's beaming eye and a chid's haXen
hair, and babyhoOd was to be hOnored
for all time to come, and a cradle was to
mean more than a grave. Mighty God.
may the reflection of that one child's face
be seen in all infantie faces.
Enough have all those fathers and
mothers on hand if they have a child in
the house. A throne, a crown, a scppter,
a kingdom, under charge Be careful
how you strike him across the head. Jar
ring the brain. What you say to him will
be centennial and mllennial. and hun.
dred years and a thousand years will moi
stop the echo and re-echo. DO not say
/ ut is only child" Rather say, sit is
! only an immortal" II is only a master
( piece of Jehovah. 1t is only a being thai
shall Outlive sun and moon and star ahC
ages quadriennial God has infinite re
sources, and he can give presents Of
great value. but when he wants to Civ,
the richest possible gift to a household h
, looks arounL all the worlds and all tn,
universe aud then gives child. Yea. il
( all ages God has honOred childhood. He
makes almost every picture a failure un
less there be a child either playing on tn,
floor or looking through the window Of
seated on the lap gazing into the face Of
! the mother.
1t was a child in Naaman's kitchen tha
told the great Syrian warrior where h,
might go and get cured of the leprosy
which at his seventh plunge in the Jor