The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-01-09
THOUGHTS.


aneaO. IL n tlC uNft ul Things ul
attained, IL "the perfect man" no
vet seen in imperfect humanity. Il
lempts forward Blessed are we to b,
thus tempted; for it tells TO our hear
the secret Of the worlds advance from
the beginning until now.
We err, when we look back to the
past for all truth. No age eyer has a.
vet known it. Our age. reaching over
regions OF thought and a conquest OF
the universe undreamed of earlier, does
not know all truth. So long as men
are men there will be things unattain
ed to make them one in dissatisfied
striving with all human beings that
have lived and aspired before them.
The light Of the world to them will be
Just what il has been TO others-the
personal sense Of responsibility to the
world for the life that We live in it, a
shaking free from tradition, an insis-
tense on liberty Of conscience, a des-
psing Of truth-hiding forms.
AZ this time, when the Manger- Birth
and its effect upon the world will be
glOrifed in thousands Of pulpits, this
line Of thought is well. Jesus followed
those who went before him in striving
after light; for every age and every
nation, every people under the sun, has
some glimmering sense Of the relation
Of man to his Maker, every religious
writing holds some imperfect aspira-
ton Of human soul towards the light
that lighteneth every man coming in
to the world. Jesus broke away from
convention; He regarded tradition as
Of little weight the Rabbs and their
codes were TO him stupidity and
thrsll; He was, by the standard Of His
day, a most daring treethinker setting
out to shatter nonsense by common
sense and complex ideas Of God by
simplicity. No wonder He aroused
the hate Of those who made their living
through idle forms and ceremonies, by
announcing a Father Of all as approach
able by the sincere hearts Of his child
rem as is the simplest parent in the
simplest home in our land. He smOte
a blow at the national pride Of the Jew
whose national legends and myths
gathered around a Deity who was
terrible, blood thirsty, unforglving
alert to crush and humanity jealous.
The way in which He left His work |
is the very thing that gives all of us
the sweet sense Of something left for US
to attain. His work was only a seed |
sowing; He did not wait to reap. His
idea fell into the hearts Of purposeful
strong men who counted the world as
naught, and death as gain. Then came
centuries when tradition and its killing
Influence gathered even around Him
and His work, and the light Of the
world was well nigh quenched-no
ambition 70 serve the race, no daring to
venture out on new thought, no keen
idea Of the scanctity Of the living being
as q temple Of God: repression, rapine,
rackings and wretchedness all encaust-
ed over the tradition Of one who pro-
claimed God as Father.
When human minds shook free in
the Middle Ages, the simple idea Of the
iatherhOOd Of God had a long struggle
back to supremacy; even now some
speak II with their mouths but deny it
10 their creeds; by making God the
creator Of children Of his who are 10 be
elernally punished; an idea Of father
hood that is abhorent to every mother;
belief that cannot be sincere, else
such believers could never have one
moments happiness as they thought
upon the vast stream Of unbelieving
humanity, moving forward to that
everlasting condemnation ,
We believe the announcement Of {
God as father TO be the one greatest
discovery 10 all the history ofman. 1t :
gives sense and and unity to our lives; 7
Il makes this world a kindergarten; it i
makes our very Incompetence "a
promise Of fuller and better things yet
70 be- 1t makes our aspirations TO be
proofs Of kinship with power higher
man ourselves, whose might can be
oined with our purpose gradually to :
orlng TO pass In this world all that is
pest This Father, p3rva iingal space,
AN be nothing but a spirit; so also are
dis children, their bodies shells, them !;
ELVES souls, with a destiny far beyond =
Nat which any body can attain, a des-
'uny that. must cause them never to C
ease activity in this universe, else will v
ney be untrue TO their parentage !
A CHRISTMAS CAROL. }
Come, let us praise the Day Of Days,
Inat dawns in dark December
me starry night, the morning bright
with holy JOY remember. \
me Ola Year stands. with out-streiched J.
hands, 9
ana heart with love a-trembie;
anu bids us all ere darkness fall,
around the hearth assemble. =
tgg rugby glow across the snow, =
4, lht sacred Star s0fi-shiuing
Igi9N' above, twin lamps OflOyo.
40 nshi lies night combining. q
i,sl love.lit dome: Che humble home
r1lu praise which never ceascth, q
-yay unite 90 spread "a light,
when year hy year increaseth. T"
"14 over head. the light shall spread,
ttNH WIN Che songs OF morning,
az ulkhl has ceased. and iu The east,
i"e perfect day is dawnIng
ny ,,l pr praise the Day OF DAYS. II
A.. star stiil brighter growing. al
~ may 70 give 20 all who live q