The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-01-08
MURDER OF INNOCENTs DY HEROo
Barlow Man Reverts to the Dawn Of
Christianity and Comments on
the Difficulties CT the
Faithful Ores.


civilized countries This event was
but the birth of little child, but no
other child was ever heralded by the
angels singing, GLORY to God in the
highest, on earth peace and good will
to man." From the verte first that
child was a suspect and Herod was
alarmed. He Yves not Jew, but was
a convert to the Jewish religion, and it
was whispered to him that the child
was the Son of God and would grow
up and rule the people and take his
kingdom away from him. He did not
believe it, but it alarmed him, for it
came to him from many sources and
he determined to put an end to it by
killing the child. In the meantime the
angels came and spirited the child and
its mother away by night to Egypt
Nobody in Bethlehem knew the child
or it's mother, and so Herod's cruel
murderers, could not find them. Herod
said that they were hidden around
among the poor people, and so to make
sure he ordered the murderers to go
from house to house and. kill every
child under two years old, and they
did it. Was there ever such horrible
brutality? 1t was worse than Pha-
raoh who ordered the miuwives to kill
the male infants of the Hebrews, but
to leave the females alive. Is it not
strange that men can be found who
would kill little innocent children just
to please king? | wonder how they
killed them. Did they cut their
threats or smother them or knock
them in the head or stab them to the
heart? Did they snatch them from
their mothers arms while see scream
ed and begged for mercy Did they
leave them there in their blood or
throw them in wagons and haul them
away to the potter's field. Historians
say those murderers probably killed
thousand, for they Gid not stop at
Bethlehem, but went all along the
coast region where the fishermen liv-
ed. What creature that man Herod
must have been! No wonder that the
Lord sent worms to prey upon him and
eat him up while he was yet alive.
But the little child escaped, and with
Joseph and its mother stayed in Egypt
unit! Herod was dead He grew up to
manhood and was crucifed by his own
people and then they began 20 perse-
cute his followers. For about three
hundred years the Christians were pur-
sued and driven from place to place
and suffered martyrdom for their faith.
They had no peace or protection until
Constantine the Great came into pow
er and took pity upon them. Before
that they had no friend at court in any
kingdom. In the second century Do
cletian pretended to tolerate them
while they were quiet and made no
public demonstration, but one time
they all secured the use of an old
church and gathered there to have SER
vices and commemorate the birth of
their Savior and start a Christian Gus
tom. This made Diocletian very mad,
and after the men and women and chill
dren were all inside and had begun SER
vice, he sent some brutes there and
locked the doors and barred the win
dows and set the house on fire and
burned them all up. 1t is amazing
now Christianity could live and sur
vivo it's persecution for the first five
hundred years. History says it is i'm
possible to estimate the number OF
thOga VIZ cuff rtu for
their faith, but there were thousands
and tens Of thousands. Some were be-
headed, others burned, others scalded,
others f1ayed alive, others thrown to
wild beasts and others crucihed. Nero
had some of them smeared with tar
and fired by night in the public streets.
Marcus Aurelius had them chained to
the seats Of red hot iron chairs. St.
Blandina and ST. Felicitas, who were
noble Roman ladies, were compelled to
witness the torture and death OF their
children and were then beheaded.
These are only mentioned as examples
or what thousands suffered.
But neither the world the flesh nor
the devil could stop the sure and
steady progress of Christianity.
Christmas has come to stay. In Pro-
testant Germany it is called the chill
drens festival and they are taught
that the Savior loves them and cares
for them and said, Suffer little chill
dren to come unto me, for such is the
kingdom of heaven"
Christmas signifies a new era
new date to time and chronology. The
figures on each letter head and on ev-
cry note and account and receipt prove
the birth of Christ. Jews, Gentiles,
atheists, infidels, skeptics, every civil
lied nation and every man and woman
have to use these figures whether they
believe them or not 1t is wonderful,
wonderful. And now we are all near
ing another Christmas. It may be the
exact anniversary Of the Savior's birth,
and there are many learned comments
-..ts~ fhof tho Chnnb1rJo ,J;d