The Republican journal., 1901-01-03
THE LAST CHRISTMAS OF THE 10th
CENTURY.

CENTURY.
| Christmas is celebrated throughout
the civilized world in memory of a
great event in the worlds history. Be
fore the Christian era the most enlight
ened of mankind expended the greater
part of their energy in decorating the
body and gratifying the animal OF brute
instincts of their nature. The highest
glory of that age of the world was mil
itary glory Magnificent works of art
were undertaken, but they possessed
little spirituality and little utility BY
pure muscular force the gigantic Egyp-
tan pyramids were reared. Nation af-
ter nation rose, until the Romans con-
ceived the idea of conquering the world.
AS they were among the most intelli-
gent and resolute people they were in
fair way to the attainment of their
purpose at the beginning of the Chris
tan era.
In less than three centuries after the
birth of Christ the Emperor of the
great Roman nation embraced Chris
tianity and the one powerful nation of
the world become Christian nation.
But Christianity was adopted as gild-
ing of the nation rather than as a guild
ing principle in the hearts of the citi-
zens. Rome had conquered the world
for its own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, but the
world finally broke loose from it's con-
| querors, and Rome fell; not because of
embracing Christianity, but because it's
scheme of government had been devised
for the government of city and was
not adapted to the government of such
a mighty nation. Rome had served it's
purpose in displaying some of the pos
slbilities of human nature and scatter
ing the seeds of Christianity through
out its vast domain. The glory of
Rome was the glory of sensuality. The
glory of the Christian era is a spiritual
glory, by which man harnesses the
forces of nature, converses with his
friends hundreds of miles away, and
speeds across land and water as with
the wings of the eagle. The steam
shovel operates with speed which
would be ruinous to human muscles
and excavates the mountain side fast
er than hundreds of men.
The same may be said of every form
of modern machinery. These great
triumphs of human genius in caus-
ing the elements of earth to thus
do our bidding h ave not been attained
in a day. But the seeds of these great
truths, as it were, lay dormant in the
earth for hundreds of years. This great
terminating period is called the Dark
Ages. 1t was period when man ceased
to glory in the physical feats of antiqui-
ty and the principles of modern spiritu-
atty had not become sufficiently de-
veloped to set mind and matter in mo-
ton.
The Roman Empire, through lack of
union, was unable to defend itself
against the hardy liberty loving hordes
from the north, and being overrun and
overthrown by them the different races
and classes dwelt together for hundreds
of years without any form of govern
ment. They grouped themselves to-
gether for mutual defense and this de-
veloped the Feudal System.
The barbarian love of liberty, the
Roman love Of grandeur and the Chris
tian love of truth were finally blended
and scattered over the world by the
Crusades.
Defenders of the truth have often
been in the minority, and sometimes
severely prosecuted. Socrates possess
ed more wisdom than his neighbors, and
they therefore thought best to get him
out of the way. Gallileo was obliged to
deny the truth in order to save his life.
Plato taught truths indirectly. Christ
spoke truth fearlessly and suffered
death.
There have often been times when the
rulers of the people attempted to stamp
out what they chose to term heresy and
shed torrents of innocent blood. There
was time when the Christians of Rome
had to live in the Catacombs or caves