Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-01-03

anu appropriate for the holidays: text.
Luke II. 16, "And they came with haste
and found Mary and Joseph and the
Babe lying in manager"
The black window shutters OF a De
cember night were thrown open. and
some OF the best singers of world
where they all sing stood there and,
putting back the drapery of cloud.
chnnted peace anthem until all the
echoes of hill and valley applauded and
cncored the halleluiah chorus. Come.
let us so into that Christmas scene as
though we had never before worship
ell at the manger. Here Is a Madonna
worth looking at. 1 wonder not that
the most frequent name in ali 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 pronounce IL differently,
they are all namesakes 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. An
the great painters have tried. on can
vas. to present Mary and her child and
OF the worlds history. Raphael. In
three different masterpieces, celebrated
them TintOretto and Ghirlandajo sur
passed themselves I'm the alteration of
the Magl Correggio needed TO do no
more than his Madonna to become I'M
mortal. The Madonna OF the LILY" by
Leonardo da Vincl. will kindle the adj
miration of all ages. But all the gal
lerieS OF Dresden are forgotten when
think OF the small room Of that gal
lery containing the ''Sistine Madonna"
Yet all OF them were copies of st. Mat
thew's Madonna and Luke's Madonna,
the inspired Madonna OF the old book
which we bad put into our hands when
we were infants and that we hope TO
have under our heads when we die.
Brute Creation Honored.
Behold. In the first place, that on the
FIRST night OF Christ's life God honored
the brute creation. You cannot get in
10 that Bethlehem barn without going
past the eamels, the mules, the dogs.
the oxen. The brutes 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 kncell Have you ever
thought that Christ came, among other
things. 70 alleviate the sufferings of
the brute creation? Was II not appro-
pirate that he should, during the first
few days and nights of his life on
earth, be surrounded by the dumb
beasts, whose moan and plant and
believing have FOR ages been a prayer
to God for the arresting of their tor
lures and the rightiug OF their wrongs?
Not kennel In all the centuries, not a
birds nest, not n wornout horse on
towpath, not n herd freezing In the
poorly built cowpen. not freight car
In summer time bringing the beeves to
market without water through thou
sand miles OF agony, not a surgeons
room witnessing the struggles Of fox
or rabbit or pigeon or dog in the hor-
rors OF vivisection but has an interest
In the fact that Christ was born In
stable surrounded by brutes.
Standing then, as l imagine now /
do. in that Bethlehem night. with an
Infant Christ on the one side and the
speeches. creatures OF God on the 9TH
er, 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
ray back; shoot not for fun that bird
THAI is too small for food; forget not 10
put water into the cage OF that canary;
throw out some crumbs to those birds
caught too far north in the winters
lnclemency; 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 n
cat or transhxing butterfly and grass
hopper; drive not of that old robin. for
her nest Is mothers cradle and I'M
der 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 ner-
cy than the present generation has
ever shown and in this marvellous b.
Die 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
pn that Christmas night God honored
rhlidhood Childhood was to be hon.
bred by that advent He must have a
rhild's light limbs and a chlld's dim
Pied hand and q child's beaming eve
and child's flaxen hair, and baby
nood was to be honored for all time to
come, and cradle was to mean more
tnan grave. Mighty Godl May the
fenection of that one child's face be
Been In all infantile facesi
Enough have ali those fathers md
mothers on hand IL they have a child
10 the house. A throne. a crown, a
sceptes, kingdom, under charge. Be
careful bow you strike him across the
nead, Earring the brain. What you say
20 him VIII be centennial and millep-
NAL and hundred years and n thou-
sano years Will not stop the echo and
fe-eeno. Do not say. 1T is only a
cniid Rather say, 1T is only an i'm
mortaLN 1T Is only q masterpiece OF
Jehovah. II Is only being that shall
ounfye sun and moon and star and
ages Quadriennial God has infinite
- - 49, >>><<A aS N&lb EiYo DEGEeHIS OF
great value, but when he wants 70
give the richest possible gift to house
hold ne looks around all the worlds
and all the universe and then gives a
child Yea, IN all ages God has hon.
ored childhood. He makes almost ev-
cry picture a failure unless there be n
Child either playing on the floor OF
looking through the window or seated
on the lap gazing into the face of the
mother.
1t was a child In Naaman's kitchen
that told the great Syrian warrior
where he might go and get cured OF
the leprosy which at his seventh plunge
IN the Jordan was left at the bottom OF
the river. 1t was to the cradle OF
leaves In which a child was lain, rock
ed by the Nile, that God called the at
tention OF history. 1t was sick child
that evoked Christ's curative sympa
thies. 1t was child that Christ set IL