The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-24

A strong, powerful 1mbed workman IS
 bending over a workman's table joining
 together two pieces of wood This He-
 brew face Is that of Joseph the carpen-
 ter-Joseph, who is earning bread for the
 infant Christ "Ah' I said to myself as
 l watched that picture, would that
 might be able to have some soul leaning
 on me as the infant Christ was dependent upon Joseph. Would that I might lead some one to Christ and then carefully protect him and help him during his years of temptation. even as Joseph pro- tected Jesus during his years of child
 hood helplessness." Do you wonder that i Joseph had right to be standing near l the manager on the first Christmas morn?
 Noble and Manly Character.
 | The ennoblng example of pure mar ital love was furnished by Joseph's jour
 ney to the Bethlehem manager. The gen. | tie love which bound your father and
 mother together and molded you and your brothers and sisters in moral and
 spiritual way was the same kind of gentle love that bound Joseph to Mary and
 helped to mold the mental life of the in fant Christ for thought Joseph the car penter was not the father of Jesus. he
 gave him parental care and must have received from that loving nature boys gratitude. Still more as Jesus grew to | years of discretion and learned the cir cumstances of his birth would his love for his mother include also the man who had
 protected her. Nothing more manly is
 found in all history that Joseph's attitude | toward Mary when he found out she was to become the mother of the infant Christ
 | Let me explain to you this history more in detail Joseph was an intense man. He was one of those men whom women have hard work to influence. He was ev- idently an elderly man. probably n1ty years of age, but he was one who when he did surrender his heart to woman gave to her his whole heart and not a part. He loved Mary with that deep'
 tender, holy affection which only true, strong man can give to a truly good noble beautiful woman. He loved her with a love that would willingly lay down his life If he could make the loved one happier by the sacrifice. He loved her so much that her companionship pe-
 came the hope. the joy and the heart of his very existence. He loved her ior time and for eternity.
 Now. when Mary was about to become the mother of Christ all the people or her village knew it. They gossiped apout IL They at once looked upon her as pau
 woman In the sight of those Heprew people she was a social outcast Joseph was at first much troubled. me blpie tells us that he was about to preah the bonds of the marital engagement ana
 ..n,,t her away privily," but when m angel of the Lord appeared unto him ana said that Mary was to become the mother of the Son of God lor that Whlch 10 conceived in her is of the Holy epif1e' at once this brave, noble carpenter pe- came her protector. He Knew thal ne would be despised for marrying her, ye.
 he hesitated not one instant. lie steppeu e.t ra Ip ahon+ her He said: Marry me, Mary, and islander shall not touch thee. snail eive thee the protection of my name Then he turned and faced the cyhicai' sneering, scoffing deriding world as "l.h flashing eyes he said: This is my Wlfe. He who strikes at her strikes at hie' Did you ever read of more hopie anu manly act than this of Joseph "no saVo to this trembling girl the protection U.
 s;e ,ame at the most sacred moment or her life? - ..aoa am glad that the man who stooa .o Iesus in the relation of a father shouiu hove heen so noble character ana thal hfs boyhood was spent ln hoihe ao ballowed by marital affection II It WAS imnortant for Jesus, the Son or roo. 'o hara inc example of loving father
 a-d a, r,other continually before him during
 tha vears of his childhood, is It not also ,,itaIIv inportant for your children 10
 
 have the example of loving father anu
 mother before them? The divine ioVe is frst revealed to a child through tne pi- l bleo Oh. no. Through what the minister | breaches in the pulpit or the Sunaay | school teacher tells him In the sunuay scboolY Oh. no. It Is first revealed py tne pentleness and kindness with Which tne father of that child deals with the niolh- r and the mother with the father. Pe | ware Q parents how you lose your ,ehl- ners before children. Beware now | vou let selfishness creep into your heai ,s ,s' Beware how you become jealous or laui., | finding. Before you lower the sta,ua,n , U | of love which father and mother snouiu hear to each other before the cniioIeh
 go with me for a little while back 10 tne | carpenter shop and see Joseph proeeceins his wife from the sneers Of the "orlo and shielding her honor with ms ia,le, which he was ready to give her " "iien
 before the priest he looked Into ner eyes ] and said: Mary, thou art my peioVe" | wife until death doth us part.
 The saviour's Struggle for daily bread