Evening journal., 1907-12-28
II We Had a Christmas Visitor From
Mars.


Mars.
Editor THE EVENING JOURNAL.
Yesterday Christmas was celebrated
by solemn and joyous festivities
throughout the civilized world. as the
anniversary of the birth of Jesus
Christ. hundred thousand priests
and ministers from their pulpits
eulogized The character and teachings
Of Christ. and their inestimable value
TO the world. and a hundred thousand
choirs voiced in touching music the
same sentiments.
A stranger from Mars who should
have chanced to visit the earth, and
following the tnrongs TO church, should
have heard all that was said and sung
Of Jesus, would certainly have been
justified in supposing thath his teachings
had been practically adopted as the
basis Of society. Indeed any other
supposition in view of the unlimited
devotion to Christ, and praise of this
doctrine expressed by the ministers
and echoed by the people, would seem
TO imply a system Of hypocrisy as pur-
poseless as it would be revolving.
What would be the amazement of
our visitor from Mars. on going forth
from churches and making inquiries
among the people. to learn that the
teachings of Christ were not only
ignored in the organization Of society,
but society was in all it's important
respects, based upon principles in
radical and deadly hostility to the
Christian doctrine. For example, the
fundamental teaching of Christ was
that men should love their neighbors-
by which he was careful to explain in
a parable that he meant all men-as
well as they loved themselves and treat
them accordingly. Because it would
be manifestly inconsistent with such
love that some should live in in luxury
while their neighbors suffered want,
He declared that the rich might enter
his communion only as they left their
riches behind or devoted them to the
good Of others. Recognizing the
inequality in mems natural powers He
taught that the stronger must not use
their superior force TO gain advantages
over their neighbors. but should COM
slider themselves bound to serve their
weaker neighbors in proportion as they
were stronger than they.
That these principles were the basis
of Christ's ethics the visitor from Mars
would find no one to deny. but nowhere
in the structure of society would he
find them accorded any serious
recognition.
He would find society organized upon
the theory that no one owed anybody,
not of his family. any duty except not
to assault, or (violently) rob him. He
would find that the rich, instead OF
being regarded as disqualified for the
Christian communion. chiefly controlled
and administered the churches. He
would find. instead Of the strong hold
ing themselves bound to help and
serve the weak that it was regarded
as sufficient reason why one man
might properly have better things than
another. that he was abler If, indeed.
the visitor from Mars pushed his re-
searches far enough, he would find it
hard to avoid the conclusion that II a
social system had been expressly con-
structed for the purpose OF repudiating
and pouring contempt upon the teach
ings of Jesus. il could not have been
more ingeniously contrived than that
existing among the nations which cele-
brated Christmas yesterday with such
splendid ceremonies. If our Maritian
visitor, marveling at such a colossal
exhibition Of hypocrisy, should inquire
whether no voices were raised in pro-
test against it. he would be told that
there were some small bodies of would
be reformers who vehemently cried out
against the present order of society, as
an abomination before God and man.
and insisted upon a new order under
which men and women should be
equals in material circumstances and
brothers and sisters in spirit. even as
Christ declared they should be. He
would, however. be in the same breath
informed that these protesters were
generally considered cranks, ridiculous
visionaries and dangerous agitators
suffering from a condition Of unstable
mental equilibrium whose acquaint-
ance II would not be desirable 70 seek
Augustine Mills. December 90.
Yours truly.
Patrick Wall.