The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-12-22
THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.
Mankind Did Not Fully Understand IL
Until Christ Was Born,


What is tenderest and best in he
heart or man Is evoked when the KEYS
OF memory are touched and the song
or the Christ-day is sounded. It is he
music Of the home and the loved, a
glad, If subdued, melody recalling the
earliest days of recollection-an eager
u for well-fned pendant stockings.
Tor the laden Christmas tree, with it's
gifts for all of the household. Aye.
ana the eager rushing about the house
with merry shout and joyous greeting
Tor all. Then, the homecoming Of the
absent and the gathering Of all about
the family board.
Whether the corridors of our memory
mansions be long or short-our lives be
many or few, the harmonies ring along
them just the same. telling of the pres
ence in the heart of that which is old
as immortality, and which shall never
dle-love. There, then, this Christmas
day, that Christmas day, and every
Christmas day, is present in the heart
this love for the home, with it's in
mates, for friends and for humanity.
The Christ-day practice of opening
the heart to unselfsh Influences is
born of the teachings Of Him whose
birth tle day commentaries. His the
life beautiful, the life ROUNDED Z, the only
completely perfect life. He taught the
lessons Of love, gentleness, mercy, COM
passion, forgiveness, ~benevolence,
charity and self-denial. What is high
er n best in humanity is Of His
Christian home. the best development
of unselfish affection and contentment
to be found among men.
The Christ-day is tuned to melody
that ever shall thrill the soul and cause
1T to bring forth hat Is best in 1t. The
herald song of the angels to the shep-
herds on the plain is fresher, stronger,
closer, more harmonious than ever, in
the light of the newer blessings which
have come from the Gospel of His
peace. The lesson Of real humanity,
refined. Divine altruism, and not the
coarser sort sometimes called by this
name, was unheard of until from His
peace on the Mount OF BeatitudeS He
gave it forth, music sweeter thai an
gels ever sang, hat higher song that
man lives not unto himself alone, and
that the greatest happiness Is that
Which comes of doing good unto others.
Peace on earth! good will to mem!
That higher song which lifts man above
himself and makes him out little lower
han the angels.
The Christ theme Will never die.
First heard on the plains Of Bethleh IN
with the f-owninG HerOd-temple but
three miles away, within whose wallis
We're heard the teachings Of the law of
revenge and love of self, heard there for
the first time, it has been sounding
ever since, spreading wider and wider,
until now it the whole earth.
In Christ's day Rome had waXed to its
noon Of majesty, yet Rome passed and
was not. On that kingdom rose other
Kingdoms, which per1shed in their turn.
Since he i've one system after another
system Of philosophy has been built up,
only to he torn down again. But the
words of the Christ be and abide, and
they shall stand forever, influencing
men to nobler lives and higher results
-, firf,~ TIL. Iy,rrr3o- to n - "n,,nr1o,t
ing kingdom, and of its duration there
shall be no end.
Meet and right Is it. then, that the
Christ-day shall be one of gladness in
the human heart; that the children
shall take part in it, since He loved
them and blessed them, and that gifts
shall be exchanged in token of that
love for one another. which He bore FOX
all humar
William Rosser Cobbe.