The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-12-23
The Christmas Festival
BY William Rosser Cobbe.

II
festival day Of the church AL OF
the people At FIRST thought ous might
say that, logically, Easter OF Asccn.
sion day should have priority Man :
whole being Graves immortality, AID
the only satisfactory answer to JOB 5
earnest query: III man die, shall he
i've aEain?" is found in the words OF
the angel at the tomb Of Jesus al tho
carly Dawn Of that first Easter mora:
"IIe is not here! lie is riscn!" CON
firmatory of this was His visible ascen'
sion into heaven. as Witnessed by Peter
and others Of the apostles ana by a
number of His disciples.
Christmas of itself has to do with
the birth Of a mau.child. uaiy Yet
tho herald song of the angels al That
birth has come down through the ages,
repeated by the glad voices Of children
and OF age. II was the beginning of a
life which durins its short course cN-
cmpliticd the most yir,uous living and
that gave forth the most sublime teach.
ing ever seen or heard OF by mortal
Perhaps the romance Of Ills birth has
something to do with the interest
which attaches to the day Tho youth
ful vlrgln-wifc journcyinE with her
carpenter husband through the hll
country from the village of Nazareth
to the proud and great city OF Jorusa-
lem; the crowded inns, which forced
them 10 drag their weary feet four
miles away to the little village Of Beth.
lchem, whore they could find shelter
in the stable OF an Inn. among suriy
camels and lowing cattle. the birth
OF the child Jesus in a manager. The
Announcement to the shepherds, the
song of the heavenly choir. the won.
dcrful star in the cast and the visit
Of tho mari bearing gifts for the
young child and the efforts of King
lIor0d TO find and XIII tho child Jesus
all these strange incidents appeal
strongly 10 the young who hear tho
story told over and over again. until
II Is cngrattcd into their very being
and never loses I's freshness and
brightness throughout life
Then. too, with tho lapse OF time
there came TO be onmnrfod In the oh.
sCrvanco OF the day the hrstowiug Of
gifts upon the children Of the house.
hold in imitation Of the Eif's brought
by the magl to the child Jesus sub.
sequonlly the giving Of gifts was OK.
tended TO the adults OF the household,
and Christmas grew into day OF
home bringing and homo festivities as
well as Of dcvatioua. church service
There Is that peculiarly attractive IN
motherhood in the child Jesus Each
mother as she thinks Of the Christ
child grows moro tender in her sym
pathy for Mary and her love for tho
Child. The mother Of the middle ages
as well MS tho mother Of this genera
tlon. never wcarirs " telling her of
spring the pathetic story Of tho birth
in tho mauGer at Bethlehem. and The
bearing Of that story upon human life
and human character That story
never has lost its charm and mover
will lose It, so long as there are moth.
crs In the world
II would seem to be- the practice Of M.
lions TO commemorate the anniversary
Of the birth Of a hero rather than that
Of some grcat decd or deeds Of his
Thus II is In this country as in Tho
case Of Washington Lincoln and
Grant So it IS with the advent OF
Christ into the world This event ii
given prominence aH being the be-
ginning of a career which ab0urdcd In
incident. in miracles. I'm sublime teach
/ Ing ard which closed In n tragedy SD
/ terrible that II caused The sun To- dark
On and tho Garth 10 quake and restore
it's dead 10 life. The natal day com
prchonds the entire lite of hcncyU.cn"c
oI mercy. kinulinos5 and intense suf'
foring. II is given place above ard
I before any single event. in thai ih6
+ birth suggests al that he aid, all that
+ Tie endured Tho Manager at N"'n,"
hem points uncrriUgiy o. calvary n
the tomb Of Joseph M Arimathca and
to the ascension one m"dital's ON
tho Christmas day and 3 lessons and
/ thought follows the babe TO youth and
manhood. II sees Him ON the Mount
of Bcatiudes as He utlcrs the grand
est sermon ever preached. u follows
Him in His jorncyings in which the
dead are made alive and tho blind are
made to sec II secs Him before Plate
and the scourging. the crown Of thorus
+ the driven nails and the thrust spear
/ follow.
Yet Christmas is glad day and
/ should be a joyous one, Tho suffer
inGs Of the Christ arc ended. Hc
brought glad tidings Of great JOY to all
/ the people. lie introduced n new rciig
/ ion and 4 new and higher ciyiliZa'
ton. lie confirmed hope Of immor
/ tality into sublime faith, and made the
world brighter and better and glad
| der. As the angels of heaven rcioiroC
/ at His birth, so the children Of meI
| should be glad at each recurring ami
vcrsary Of this, the most august event
| in the history OF the world the com
ing into the world of God manifest fl
| the flesh.