Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-24
Sunday Morning Talk.
KIistletoe and Pudding VS.. Stars and
Angels,


ton John Ruskin commenting Charles
Dickens idea of Christmas. writes: Dick
ems Christmas meant mistletoe and pud-
ding-never resurrection from the dead, nor
the rising of new stars, nor the teaching
of Wise Men nor shepherds" Whether all
lovers of Dickens will agree with Ruskin
or not the point is certainly worth noting
that our modern Christmas festival Is in
danger of becoming commercialized We are
having glut of Christmas bargains, Christ
mas issues of the magazines, Christmas din
ners and matinees, to say nothing about
Christmas trees and presents. No one who
possesses any measure of that important
article known as the milk of human kind
ness finds it In his heart to rail sharply at
the worlds appropriation of what used to
be a distinctively religious celebration, but
it would be a pity in the midst Of all our
Christmas paraphernalia to lose sight OF
the shepherds and the Wise Men, the stars
and the shining cohort of angels.
Fortunately the children-bless their
hearts.-will not let go of the mystery side
of Christmas, and so long as they inhabit
their eager ears over and over again the
dear old tale In some one of its numerous
versions, how:
lone night when stars shining
And shepherds watched their sheep,
mother laid her baby
Where the oxen sleep.
MARY was that mother,
Christ that baby fair;
Angels sang in gladness
Because the Lord there
ooh let the children believe that stuff"
you say with a toss of your head, as If a
man of your mature years and scientific
knowledge had long ago outgrown a belief
in any such notions. A h, my friend, as the
artist Turner said to the woman who told
him she did not see anything wonderful in
his pictures. Madam, don't you wish you
did?' And don't you, Mr.. Wseman, down
deep in your heart, wish you could believe
as TIE children do, that some wonderful
things actually happened on the Bethlehem
plains 1900 years ago? Is 1t not possible
that you are overwise In your own conceit,
as you rule out OF a universe that God has
made everything unusual, everything super
natural, as you think you can reduce to a
basis OF ineXorable law and hard cold fact
all that mankind has for centuries hoped
for, believed in, lived by and died by? Do
you think that there is nothing in the world
beside what your eye can see, your hands
touch your microscope and telescope reveal.
your dissecting knife discover? You are
wrong. This is world in which mystery,
idealism, the supra natural, if not the SUI
pernatural, play an immense part. And
Christmas is the time to become like little
children once more, teachable, reverent, re-
sponsiye to the approaches from above AS
Longfellow put 1t in his sweet poem to a
little boy:
''Listen TO voices in the upper afr
Lose not thy simple faith In mysteries"
Yes, something happened back there In
Judea nineteen centuries ago, something IN
regard to which, perhaps we cannot give
an absolutely exact detailed account such
as modern historian or shorthand re-
porter would have furnished had he been
there; but something really happened out
of the ordinary. and the angelic chorus, and
the travelling Magi and the wondering shep-
herds, and the little cradle hewn out of
the rock in a wayside resting place. all
figured in the event Just how, who needs
to know down to the last detail of historic
accuracy?
The thing that happened was something
big with blessing for mankind. Nothing
weary world that began to hold SO much
of promise for troubled, sorrowing, SHINING
humanity The gospel of Christmas is the
news of a glorious event which might well
have caused the heavens to break forth In
song and have set the wisest men of the
time to bordering on the mystery and
what it foreshadowed.
God coming near to men, not only COM
ing near, but actually taking up his dwell
ing in them. This Is the heart of the event
we celebrate. He who holds the stars in His
hand, and guides the movements of nature.
of nations and of individuals, He who
dwells in the lofty places has focused Him.
self, His power and His grace In one life
of consunlmate beauty and holiness. and
that life began, as every human life begins,
in mothers arms. But the glory of the
and Christmas lives in the hearts OF man
kind and becomes every year sweeter,
dearer festival In proportion as we catch
a glimpse of that divine glory, and let its
benediction rest upon us.
THE PARsoN.