Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-12-25
THE CHRIsTMAsTIDE

Once again has come the Joyous
Christmastide. Hour by hour, day
!by day-quickly, stealthily, almost
impercebtibiy-three hundred and
stxty-five days have come and gone
since this aunIal festal day. tun-
memoratfye Of the birth Of Christ,
ringing SILL with Is joyous cL!mes
or peace on earth, good VIII TO
men, was observed by some of the
subjects Of every nation Of tho earth.
With what JOY and gladpess we
ought to approach this great day!
The anniversary Of the birth OF
Christ, the Son of God, the Son OF
Man, the Saviour Of the World--.the
Iift Of God. ','0
Each recurring Chci:;rmastido
brings to the finite mini Of hunaulty
"a train of thoughts that can bat end
IN wonder, awe and admiration OF
Inc goodness and greatness OF God
;and His numberless and maasureless
,mercies to His creation. How much
or His spirit of love and tenderness
and mercy do we imbibe? How far
do we emulate His example of Civ
ing to those in need? Gods crea-
lures, wandering astray and lost,
were given a Saviour, that they,
through Him, might be reclaimed
and inherit all things. "The Gift Of
Gifts'-the Saviour of the world
Is to-day the same reality that He
was when, In the innocence and
sweetness of childhood, He lay i'm
the manger at Bethlehem; the same
reality as when, in the purity of His
boyhood, He sat in the temple at
>Jerusalemg confounding the doctors
and learned men with His wisdom
and teachings; the same reality as
when In manhood, He preached the
gospel of love, penitence and forgive
mess to Jew and Gentle, healing the
SICK, restoring sight to the blind
speech to the dumb, strength to the
MANNED; the same reality as when,
Ills work being finished, He looked
from the cross with Infinite love
and pity upon His prosecutors, and
cried, Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they dol" What
Infinite mercy, what measureless
love, what depth of purity of soul
i1nd character are portrayed in that
appeal, "bather, forgive them!"
Have we learned the lesson of for
giVeness, OF love, Of charity, Of good
VIII, that that cry from the break
ing heart of the Saviour taught :?
How much Of the spirit Of Christ
have we appropriated to ourselves I?
~ ''riS iile vi SHllSI, lIODl
to grave, one continuous admonition
to us to love one another, to bear
one another's burdens, to relieve suf-
fering, to spread joy and glad. ess
among our fellow-men? What, then,
more appropriate than that we each
try, on this the anniversary of the
birth of Christ, to bring JOY to some
hardened heart, to scatter sunshine
where clouds have gathered, to make
gifts to the unfortunate, to show
kindness to those whose circum-
stances are such that an act of kind
ness, a word Of cheer may be the
means of bringing wayward soul, a
hardened heart, back into the way
of light and truth? Let us try to-day
10 shed from our lives nething of
the spirit OF Christ-the spirit of
giving, OF love, of hope, Of joy and
.gladness-and we will find that the
more we give the more we will have,
until, our own lives filed to over
flowing through the medium of Civ
ing, will be crowned with blessings
more than we shall be able to con-
tain