St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-01-23

wv HAT message that was! What
w song that was! Earth had
been waiting expectantly for cen
turtles for that message and that song.
It's sins needed . cure. The judgment
of death needed Saviour. Who would
bear that judgment and provide way
OF escape for man. And so the angel
sent by the loving Lord came to earth
with the message of a Saviour born,
and the angelic host caught up the
glad story and echoed it in song And
since that first Christmas morning
Gods ministers have been echoing that
message until it has circled the globe
and found Judgment in almost every ma
ton and people under the sun And
earthly choirs have been singing the
strains of the redemption song until
hearts everywhere have caught the
strains of the heavenly music, and the
name of Jesus is heard in every
tongue. 1t was but few Judean shep-
herds which heard the first Christmas
message. and felt the thrill of the first
Christmas joy. All the rest Of the
world lay in darkness and ignorance
and sin. There was no response to the
joy bells of Heaven and the angel
voices except in the hearts of the very,
very few. But to-day the message and
the song of Christmas have well-nigh
filled the earth. In Jesus day He was
forced to- declare that .'the Kingdom
of Heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by storm" and how
much more is it true to-day that the
things of God are secularized and ap-
propriated by the world The mustard
seed has become the great spreading
tree in the branches of which the fowls
of the air have come and lodged. But
Christmas above all other events
connected with the Christ has been
taken possession Of by the world The
Joy of Christmas has filled the earth
almost las the waters cover tie sea"
DUT that joy is of material rather
y than spiritual character. The JOY
and gladness of the worlds Christ
mas celebration are an expression of
the natural man, and not that of the
spiritual 1t is something which ap-
peals to the physical senses The day
is filed with feastins and merrymak-
ing, with giving and receiving gifts,
and with all manner of excuses and
indulgences. The worlds thought of
and plan for Christmas is wholly of
the earth earthly. The celebration of
the birthday of the One Who came into
the world to redeem from sin ands set
up spiritual kingdom is character
lied by everything which appeals tc
the physical and material nature of
man. Ruskin sxclaims: Standing as
it were astonished in the midst of this
gayety of yours, will you tell-what 1t
is all about?" And well may we ask:
What is the meaning of this Joy as the
world gives expression to it? 1t is
truly significant that Christmas is SO
universally observed The coming Of
Christ into the world was for the pur-
pose OF accomplishing q great spirit
ual conquest over the hearts of men,
but through the influence of that spir-
itual conquest has been wrought great
transformation in material things The
influence of tho Christ Is felt upon
every hand. Civil and religious lib
erty, the safeguarding of life and
property, the exaltatiOn and prOtec-
ton Of the home, and the elevation OF
womanhood and the deepening sense
OF responsibility towards childhood
have como as direct effects OF the devel-