The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-03
ABOUT CHRISTMAS.
From the New York Press.


The birthday of Christ remains
mystery after nineteen centuries of
research, yet we celebrate it this day.
God rest ye, little children; let nothing
you alright,
For Jesus Christ, your Saviour, was
born this happy night;
Along the hills of Galilee the white
focks sleeping lay
When Christ, the Child of Nazareth,
was born on Christmas day.
st. Luke tells us: And there We're
in the same country shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their
fiocks by night" Very wonderful!
December is the rainy season in Judea,
when shepherds would scarcely be
found watching their flocks by night
on the plains.
HerOd's CrueIties.
Even Herod did not know the age
of Christ, for he "sent forth and slew
all the children that were in Bethle-
hem, and in all the coasts thereof,
from two years old and under, ac-
cording to the time which he had dill
gently inquired of the wise men, In
other words, Herod could not learn
whether Christ was a week old or two
years, and to make sure of killing Him
he slew all up to the age of two. The
Greek calendar estimates the number
of children murdered on this occasion
at $4,000. This Is the most horrible
cruelty in all history. No other work
of tyrant can be compared to 1t. Yet
Josephus, the best writer the Jews
ever had, makes no mention of it.
Neither does he mention the new star
that arose in the east, a most astound-
ing astronomical phenomenon.
Christ's Pedigree.
Primitive Christians had many filings
at the stories of the Gospel writer's,
and learned men have never been able
to reconcile the two genealogies of
Jesus. st. Matthew makes Joseph the
son of Jacob, Jacob of Nathan, and
| Nathan of Eleazar. st. Luke says
| that Joseph was the son of He'll, He'll
of Matthat Matthat of Levi. Levi of
| Melchi, etc. Luke gives fifty-six pro-
| genitors up to Abraham, while Matt
thew gives forty-two. Matthew gives
| forty-one generations, while he speaks
| of forty-two. Luke himself did not
| know Christ's age, for he says: And
Jesus himself began to be about 80
| years of age"
Some of the Miracles.
There are in the world to-day many
| learned men who undertake to ex-
plain Christ's miracles, but all these
| are COMPOUNDED by the Faith, which is
only the purer for their doubtings
They say that the fig tree was cursed
and blasted for not having borne figs
when it was not the fig season. Devils
were sent into swine in a country
where no swine were kept. What were
the Jews doing with swine? The wa
| ter was changed into wine at the end
of feast, when the guests were al
ready overheated.
Peter and simon.
St. Peter and Simon the Magician
met at Rome when Nero reigned. The
court begged Simon to raise a young
| man to life. st. Peter presented him
Simon caused the dead man to move
his head Not enough, cried st.
Peter; 1.-The dead man must speak. Let
Simon stand aside and we shall see if
the dead is alive" Simon stepped back,
and the corpse lay still. "Arise!" said
! st. Peter. and the young man got up.
| Nero amused himself with many trials
of skill between the two. 1t being pro-
posed that they should make flying
match, to see which could go the high
er. Simon tried first. and as he flew st.
Peter made the sign of the cross. and
| down came Simon, breaking his legs.
| Nero, vexed at this, had Peter crucified
with his head downward.
Childhood of Mary and Christ.
1t has been written that the Virgin
Mary was brought to the temple at the
age of three, and that she walked up
the stairs by herself. Then a dove
came down from heaven to say that it
was Joseph who was to marry her.
When Joseph doubted Mary's constan-
| cy and would put her away privily,"
&c L. ooh. 80 I,.t,1 IL
the water of jealousy. and both were
declared innocent. Jesus, at five years.
amused Himself like other children of
| the same age. He nodded clay, making
| it into the form of little birds. Being
reproved for this He gave life to the
birds and they flew away. A little boy
| who beat Him was struck dead on the
spot.
Facts About Jesus.
Jesus was born under the Mosaic
! law; He was crcumcised according to
| that law; He fulfilled all its precepts;
| He kept all its feasts; He did not re-
veal the mystery of His incarnation;
He never told the Jews He was born
/ of a virgin; He received John the
Baptist's blessing in the water of the
! Jordan, but He never baptized any
one; lie never spoke of the seven sac
rafnents He instituted no ecclesiasti-
| cal hierarchy uuT1IlS his Ire. ne con-
| cealed from His contemporaries that
Ele was the Son of God, begotten from
all eternity, consubstantial with His
Father; and that the Holy Ghost pro-
ceeded from the Father and the Son.
He did net say that His person was
J composed of two natures and two
wills. He left all these mysteries to
be announced in the course of time by
holy men. In the eyes of the world
He was no more than a just man,
| pleasing to God. prosecuted by the en-
| vious and condemned to death by