Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-12-27

ruthless injustice as that of Russia?
Would not his rule eliminate the liquor
dealer, the corrupt politician, the min
isterial mountebank masquerading in
his pulpts2 What q revolution his
rule would make on earth! Every
ruler would trem5le as the hand that
welded the small cords In the temple
was laid to the wheel Of government.
We pray that his kingdom may come.
but who Is ready for it7 There Is still
no room for him in the palace, as there
was no room for him In the inn.
No Room Even Now.
The scene again changes. We are
not now standing in the Jerusalem
capital. We have left this ancient city,
with It's walls and watchtowers and
temples and palaces. We have left the
crowded streets lined with homes Of
wealth. We have left the great, swarm
Ing multitudes. We have left far be-
hind the singing Of the worshipers and
the music Of the dancers and the cease
less hum Of its busy marts Of trade.
| We have left Jerusalem, with all its
| holy associations. And we ride on to
| the little village of Bethlehem. We
can easily do this, literally as well as
| fguratively. Bethlehem Is only about
| six miles from Jerusalem. The road Is
| down grade. AS we come to the vii
lage we find It an insignificant place,
as 1t was 1000 years ago. There are
hundreds Of little towns in New Eng
land twice as large whose names you
have never heard anything about
They are too small for notice.
| This little village, like all villages,
has its store, or place for buying
things. 1t still has little tavern, or
public inn. where belated travellers
can stop. The innkeeper, or proprietor
Of this public tavern, has plenty Of
guests who want to stop with him on
the night before Jesus is born. The
little village is overcrowded because
Caesar had decreed that q public cen
sus must be taken. All the descend
ants of King David have come back to
Bethlehem to be enrolled. While the
innkeeper is standing at the door of
this public tavern a man comes up
leading a small donkey by bride.
Upon the back of this animal sits
pale faced young girl The weary trav-
eler says to the innkeeper, "Can we
have a lodging at your tavern to-
nightT The innkeeper looks at the
mans rough clothes, and he says to
himself: Hum! No money there This
is my time for making money. l must
not let sentimentality get the better
| nf v,,o Nnv ho ron1iaS ha bthnro
is no room. Do you hear? No room"
Then the man comes a little closer to
the innkeeper and anxously whispers
something and then points to the pale
faced girl upon the diminutive beast OF
burden. The innkeeper looks quickly
up. He is almost ready to yield as he
sees the poor sick woman. Then his
mercenary spirit again gets the better
Of him. He quickly shakes his head
and replies: NO no; no room, tell
you. If your wife is to be sick to-
night do not want her here" But"
says the traveller, whom we all know
now to be Joseph, the carpenter,
"where shall we go? What shall we
do" And we can imagine how the
husband would plead for shelter for
his wife. But the innkeeper's heart is
hard, and he is unnoved by Joseph's
appeal. There may really have been no
room, as he said, and how could he be
expected to turn out people who were
already installed to make room for this
humble couple? No; there Is no room
If the case Is as urgent as Joseph rep
resents. why not go into the stable?
There Is room there, and II is shell
ter. So Joseph accepts, and there,
with no comfort or privacy, Jesus is
born. and the manger from which the
horses eat serves as cradle for the
heir of the ages. Let me read to you
perhaps the most pathetic verse In all
the Bible, "And she brought forth her
frstborn son and wrapped him In
swaddling clothes and laid him in a
manger, because there was no room
for them in the inn"
The Sin of Mercenariness.
Can it be that the avarice Of Bethle-
hem's innkeeper is today gnawing at
: any of our hearts? Tell me, If you had
been that innkeeper and Jesus mother
had come to you, would you have TAX
en- her in at a financial loss? Do you
o business man, show any more kind
ness to your employees and the poor
than that tavern keeper showed to 10
: seph? Are you Shylock in the bust
q ness world. demanding your last pound
Of flesh, no matter whose heart you are
: cutting into? Are you ghou OF the
e night, crawling over the battlefields
riding the pockets Of the slain, with nc
: conjunction about where the money
0 comes from? Have you no more mercy
: upon those who are financially in youI
: power than had the Marley or the
Scrooge Of the novelist2 Oh, that to
i day the mercenary selfshness Of oul
I past life might forever pass away! Oh
that today the Christmas chimes could
q ring out a cheerful call to all the poor
| Ill H. all all l<