Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-12-24
The Prince of Peace
At HIS Name Every Knee Shall
Bow and Every Tongue Confess

ne VERY country of earth offers
U% an apotheosis in the person OF
some great man who distin-
guished himself in some great crisis
n its affairs. Switzerland idolizes
William Tell. Russia her Peter the
Great, Prussia her Frederick the Great,
France her Napoleon, Italy her Carl
baldi. England her Alfred the Great
and the United States her Washington.
1t is food for reflection that in the
selections of heroes and in hero wor-
ship 1t is an invariable rule, not sim
gle exception being known in all his
tory, that choice is made of one who
has crowned his life with deeds done
in. battle BY end through the fash
ofs the sword alone has immortality OF
fame been won by mortals
The scimiter of Mohammed and not
his Koran conquered Arabia, Armenia
and the Balkans. Moses was law
giver, but he also was a mighty war
rior and led his followers on from
one victory to another. 1t is he and
Joshua and David and John Hyrcanus,
all intrepid soldiers, who have made
glorious the history of the Jewish peo-
pie. The history of Mohammedanlsm
is written in blood and Omar and
Saladin stand out prominent in its rec
ords. So with other nations. Deeds,
deeds only, and these calling for great
hoIocausts of human lives, to make
imperishable some individual name.
Christmas day offers an anomaly,
however, in the history of men who
have lived and wrought wonders. The
Christ was man of peace, deploring
war. What is yet more strange, He
is glorlfied through His words and not
through His deeds. The Heavenly
voice said to the simple shepherd on
the plains of Bethlehem: Behold!
/ bring you glad tidings of great joy,
which shall be unto all the people;
for unto you is born this day in the
city OF David Saviour which is Christ
the Lord" And the accompanying choir
with ineffable melody sang the re-
frain: GLORY to God in the highest
and on earth peace"
The Christ-birth and the Christ-life
stand forth the opposite of all other
great lives that have filled pages in
earth's history. Born of humble par
entage in a stable, amid the lowing
of kline and the raucous complaining
of discontented cattle, reared in the
far-away bleak hills of Galilee, en-
gagged daily in saving logs into boards
or planning the latter into smoothness
He steps forth suddenly. at the age
of 2S, as a teacher of Righteousness
Not among strangers, but in the midst
of His own people. He appeared, and
they were astounded at the profundity
of His knowledge AS though to per-
suade themselves that they were not
mistaken as to His identity, they asked
of one another: "Is not this the car
penters son?"
His life work was brief, but foul
short years. Compare this with the
wears spent by other illuminate Of
earth in perpetuating their fame
Without use of money, or influence, OF
numbers. and without counting favor
of the rich and powerful, He went
about from town to town preaching
His gospei>of peace and love. Those
who gathered to Him were poor men
fishermen. publicans, small farmers ol
herdsmen, rather.
The waters of the sea of Judea were
but little stirred by His presence. 81
little was His presence felt that NJ
contemporaneous historian of Hi!
time, outside of His immediate follow
ers, makes any reference to His life
or His works. Josephus, a voluminou'
and very just historian, ignores Hin
utterly. No record has been found a
Rome of His death. so little impres
sion did it make upon the mind o
PLATE
True it is that He healed sick men
cleansed lepers, raised the dead ant
cast out devils. But these were sub
ordinate and incidental only to Hi
life-work. which was that of proclaim
ing a new gospel-that men shoult
love one another. He made no pa, adj
of miracle-working. 1t was only .wheI
the suffering were brought into Hi!
presence that He made exercise of Hi'
divine power in healing.
He died the most shameful, disgrace
full death known to His generation
In his extremity He was deserted ever